How to Define a Communication Strategy?

A communication strategy, yes! But how to go about it? If it seems long and complicated to build... don't worry, I'll give you the keys to define your communication strategy in 7 points.

This will no longer be a mystery to you. All that's left for you to do is roll up your sleeves and get to work!

And to understand in 5 minutes what a communication strategy is and what it's for, I invite you to read this article.

1. Company positioning

Knowing your company's positioning is fundamental for developing its communication strategy. To define it, you need to determine your target audience, your competitors, the market you operate in, and your value proposition compared to the competition.

Positioning guides decisions to be made, especially those regarding communication. In turn, communication allows you to position yourself in the market by highlighting your strengths and differentiating yourself from the competition.

2. Objectives

Objectives must be clear, precise, and concrete. They should be quantified and time-bound. Therefore, they must be measurable and subject to evaluation during campaign execution. Integrated into a dashboard, objectives will allow you to monitor the performance of your campaigns and adjust them over time.

Some examples of objectives include:

• increasing awareness,

• boosting community engagement,

• retaining customers,

• finding new prospects,

• and increasing sales.

3. Target audience

Precisely determining your target audience is essential for developing relevant messages and choosing suitable communication channels. If you aim randomly, you will not reach your target and will incur unnecessary expenses in terms of time and money.

The questions to ask are: who am I addressing (consumers, partners, businesses...)? What are the habits of my target audience? What are their affinities? How do they react to advertising stimuli, games, promotions, etc.? It is during this key stage that the ideas to be conveyed to different stakeholders are specified.

These are called communication axes, which are determined before constructing the message. Each type of audience corresponds to a message whose content and tone differ.

4. Message

The message includes the promise, i.e., the added value of your product/brand compared to your (future) customer. It must therefore be catchy, as it allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition and provide added value. The message you want to communicate must be clear, both in substance (text) and form (flyer, article...). Therefore, use only one message at a time.

Eventually, adopt a communication style specific to your company (expert, serious, humorous, romantic, playful, etc.) to be easily identified and to create an emotional connection with your customer.

5. Media

Now, you need to choose a media that will best convey your messages to reach your target and objectives. If your target is a population aged 60+, you will not communicate on TikTok or Instagram. It is therefore important to know the environment in which your company operates.

There are several types of media in internal and external communication: newsletters, emails, websites, flyers, events, social networks... Digital has become essential for managing your online reputation. However, do not neglect traditional communication. Combine the two, as they complement each other.

6. Budget

The budget should be determined based on the organization's resources and the communication activities to be carried out. It is an essential step for having a long-term vision and managing your money.

By planning actions in advance, you will be able to allocate your budget. You need to determine a budget for each action and communication channel you have chosen, while specifying the period of use of this budget (one week, one month, six months...). Remember that your communication budget includes all costs: human, outsourcing, materials, etc.

Eventually, note that the more you communicate with your targets, the more they will remember you. It is better to carry out small, regular communication campaigns on a small budget than a large annual campaign and not communicate at all.

7. Performance analysis

The goal of the strategy and communication plan is to achieve objectives. But to know their effectiveness, you must evaluate the profitability of communication actions using performance indicators, also called KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

There are many KPIs, such as: number of subscribers, number of likes, return on investment (ROI), bounce rate, cost per lead, etc.

It is important to set KPIs for each communication campaign, then regularly track the results. This data allows you to assess the effectiveness of the actions implemented and to readjust them if necessary.

I hope you now feel ready to embark on a communication strategy. If not, contact Cilae for assistance!

You can also read: 5 minutes to understand what a communication strategy is.