What Is a Communication Strategy and How to Develop It
High sales and brand recognition are impossible without proper communication. Moreover, communication with customers and potential audiences should be regular and consistent. Only in this way will users form a unified brand image and trust will increase.
Companies communicate through online and offline channels, which are managed by different people. Therefore, it is important to establish common rules – a communication strategy to maintain consistency in the style and ideas that the brand conveys. This plan simplifies the work of employees and leads marketing to the desired results.
What is a communication strategy
A communication strategy is the planning of how a company communicates with its audience to achieve business goals. Through various communication channels, the brand conveys specific information, values, and messages to lead customers to make a purchase, foster greater loyalty, and more.
A communication marketing strategy addresses specific objectives and aligns with the overall business goals.
- Effective interaction with the audience.
- Increasing brand loyalty and recognition.
- Clear communication of information about products and services.
- Boosting company sales.
- Brand image support and prevention of reputation scandals.
- Setting apart from competitors.
Types of communication strategies
- Internal – This type of strategy focuses on communication within the company, utilizing tools like messaging apps, email, platforms for employee communication, and more.
- External – This encompasses the exchange of information within and outside the organization.
The creation of a communication strategy often follows specific formulas.
| Formula | Description |
|---|---|
| AIDA (Attention – grab attention, Interest – generate interest, Desire – create desire, Action – call to action) | This is the most well-known model in marketing that first grabs the customer's attention, then arouses their interest, and eventually leads to the desire to buy and the actual purchase. |
| AIMDA (Attention, Interest, Motivation, Desire, Action) | The formula mirrors AIDA but adds an extra motivation to make a purchase. These can be various triggers: scarcity, limited time, and so on. |
| ACCA (Attention — grab attention, Comprehension — explain the product/service, Conviction — persuade that the client needs to take action (buy/subscribe), Action — call to action) | Another model that resembles AIDA but focuses on argumentation and persuasion. |
| DIBABA (Desire - creating desire based on needs, Identification - linking needs to the company's product/service, Damp - pushing the user to take action (make a purchase) and explaining how the company's offer will be beneficial to them, reAction - noting the customer's reaction to the offer, Buy - suggesting a purchase, Atmosphere - creating an atmosphere for the purchase). | Essentially, it's a step-by-step model for selling a product by studying needs and creating the necessary conditions. |
| 4P (Product - showcase the product, Price - justify the cost, Promotion - market and define positioning, Place - choose sales channels) | It is the formula for the classic marketing mix. |
| DAGMAR (which stands for "Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results") | According to this model, customers are led through stages of product awareness, comprehension, conviction of the need to purchase, and, in the end, a call to action. |
| 4A (Awareness - inform about the product/service, Attitude - shape attitudes, Action - call to action, Action again - motivate repeat purchases) | Here, the emphasis is on customer retention and encouraging them to make repeat purchases. |
How to create a communication strategy
1. Analysis
Developing a communication strategy should begin with an analysis of your audience and the competitive environment. It's essential to assess the effectiveness of your current customer communication in existing conditions. This analysis will help you understand trends and identify ways to differentiate yourself.
- the state and size of the market;
- your current market position;
- the presence of direct and indirect competitors and their strategies.
At this stage, it's crucial to create detailed profiles of potential customers, including their demographics, interests, values, and what motivates them to purchase your products and services. To simplify this process, create a persona—a specific customer character to whom your brand directs its communication.
2. Objectives
Establish the outcomes you want to achieve with your marketing communication strategy. This could include increasing sales, achieving virality (the number of people who have seen your online resources or advertisements), mentions on social media or in the press.
A proper objective is measurable and contains specific numerical targets. For instance, "increase conversion by at least 25%." This not only sets a clear target but also defines the resources required to achieve the specified metrics. You can also include additional goals, such as increasing brand mentions by a certain percentage or gaining more social media followers.
3. Positioning
A clear company image that is understandable to the users is created and maintained across all resources.
4. Timelines and budget
Calculate how much money and time will be required to implement the strategy.
Budget types include:
- Fixed monthly amount that does not change.
- A percentage of the revenue generated.
- Residual budget allocated after deducting operational expenses.
- Flexible budget that is formed based on the needs and complexity of the set goals.
5. Media plan
6. Launch and evaluation
Monitor the development of your communication strategy in the field and adjust it as necessary. It's important to analyze the process in real-time to make corrections, eliminate ineffective channels, and ensure that your strategy aligns with your goals. Evaluate the results of your strategy and how well they correspond to your objectives.
- Consistency and adherence to the planned approach. It's a mistake to create a media plan but publish entirely different spontaneous posts. Flexibility is possible, especially when there is a newsbreak, but the overall strategy should be followed.
- Relying on data rather than just experience and ideas. Creative ideas will emerge during the strategy development process, but it's essential to filter them through market conditions, audience interests (identified in the initial stages of strategy development), and business plans.
- Timely error correction. Any plan, even one based on data, can be flawed and may not yield results during execution.
Summary
A communication strategy is a brand's plan for engaging with its audience across various channels to achieve specific goals. It is created to increase sales, enhance loyalty and brand recognition, and maintain a consistent brand image.
Communication strategies can be internal (within the company) or external (targeting the public), and they can take the form of verbal, non-verbal, or visual communication. They make use of marketing models such as AIDA, AIMBA, ACCA, DIBABA, DAGMAR, 4P, and 4A.
To create a communication plan with your audience, it's essential to conduct analysis, set goals, determine a budget, select communication channels, and create a media plan. It's also crucial to make adjustments during the process and evaluate the results at the end.
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