It is a branch of communication that includes a set of techniques and actions that help companies improve their reputation and respond to crises. Learn about the stages that make up a plan and the benefits that organizations obtain.
When people hear about communication in companies, some people think that it is simply about creating internal or external communications, sharing information via email or even in press reviews. But it involves much more, it is about strategy, which is why we must think about actions that can be analyzed and that are related to the behavior and production process of organizations.
Thus, strategic communication is very important to build the reputation of any business, so it is essential to transmit the values and organizational culture. To understand more about the subject, it is necessary to know what it is about and what are the stages required to complete this process.
Strategic communication: What is it?
This is a series of methodologies and approaches that seek to plan communication in companies , based on social, economic, political and technological trends. In a global context, this allows for the implementation of various learning, adaptation and ongoing development processes to deal with crisis and change situations .
In the book Strategic Communication and its Contribution to cpa email addresses Reputation (2014), corporate communication consultant Paul A. Argenti explains that this concept “is about communication aligned and integrated with the company’s global strategy that drives and improves the strategic positioning of the organization.” To be effective, it must issue messages that generate trust in stakeholders and that are told with passion, as well as being coherent and reiterated.
To implement strategic communication, a general plan must be designed that includes all areas of communication, in order to work together and to ensure that actions respond to organizational interests. Therefore, the areas of institutional image, public relations, advertising, protocol, external and internal communication and corporate social responsibility, among others, must be integrated.
Strategic communication plan: stages
To respond to the function that this type of communication fulfills, it is necessary to consider that it is a science that seeks to manage social articulation, through the empathy that the company must establish with its audiences. Thus, it is recommended to follow the following steps or stages to be able to execute a strategic communication plan:
1. Diagnostic investigation
In this first step, the company's situation and its real needs must be investigated and determined. This establishes the bases that allow defining what needs to be communicated and the statistical terms of the items to be evaluated.
2. Objectives and planning
In order to respond to the identified needs, the objectives to be met must be set. The strategy, the actions to be followed, the schedule and the human, material and economic resources required to prepare the budget are defined.
3. Implementation of the plan
In this third phase, the entire plan that has been defined and approved is executed in order to achieve the stated objectives. The actions must be implemented rigorously, in compliance with the schedule designed in the second phase.
4. Evaluation of the results
Finally, the plan must be constantly evaluated to analyse the results obtained, considering the successes and failures that arose, which are used to correct it in time. The lessons learned allow for the formulation of future strategies.
Keep reading and learn the techniques for effective organizational communication .
Benefits of communication strategies
Through communication, strategic business planning can be carried out to create and maintain the value of any business, ensuring corporate identity in a consistent manner. To do so, strategic communication must be linked to the business mission and vision. In this way, the following benefits can be obtained: