To say that communication is important in any organizational context is almost reductive when we talk about how essential it can be in the existence of companies and organizations.
Therefore, it’s important to understand how your brand or business is perceived in the market and also be aware that the way you communicate can impact, positively or negatively, the way your consumer – and also your employees, partners, suppliers – perceives it.
There are several ways to communicate and they will all have a different impact on how your brand is perceived. Let’s talk about each of them and the different roles they have in impacting your audiences.
1. Branding
Knowing exactly how you want to show yourself to the world begins by defining some crucial internal issues. Who is my brand, what is the mission and values, how does it speak, what is the logo, the claim… Having this positioning will help you a lot in building a positive perception about your business. But how can these elements contribute to the reputation of brands? It’s simple: having an identity, graphic and more, helps to create and external and internal vision that your brand conveys to the public. Therefore, it’s essential that you have all these points aligned, otherwise you will pass the wrong idea, that your brand is not coherent, or that you say one thing and do/show another.
2. Offline advertising
An approach that may seem more aggressive, but it’s still important, reliant on the kind of business we are talking about. If you want to advertise your business or services, choose the channels that best suit you. In the case of offline advertising, there are numerous possibilities:
- Billboards, brochures, merchandising;
- Pop-up stores – a good option for brands that don’t have physical stores, giving their consumers the opportunity to see their products live, feel the essence of their brand, and create a closer relationship. The fugacity of pop-up stores also brings the advantage of the urgency of the consumer wanting to see what is happening right away;
- Traditional media – like advertising in newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. These last two options may come out more expensive, but the range of where your message reaches is much greater. It is an option commonly used by major retail brands, whose target audience is less differentiated and is, therefore, a way to reach out to more people. The disadvantage is that it’s not possible to concretely measure the reach of the campaign.
3. External digital channels
Here, enter all forms of communication that you can have with your online audience, namely:
- Website – have an appealing webpage, with all the information that your consumer may need to make an informed decision, especially updated contacts. It’s crucial for them to find your business and be able to have a good user experience when they decide to contact you or buy some product in your online store;
- Social media – your brand does not have to be present in all social media. You must understand where your target audience is and bet on those same social media to start a conversation with customers and potential customers. It can be a challenge, but when done well it turns out to be quite rewarding, not only for the brand but also for the consumer, who realizes that his opinions are heard;
- Email marketing – a powerful tool to help retain your customers, especially in case you have an e-commerce business. If this is the case, you can send newsletters to communicate promotions, special campaigns when buying an article, or even offer birthday discounts to your customers;
- Blog – There are several types of blogs and the choice will differ according to your type of business: if it is a more corporate business, you can opt for a more technical and corporate blog; if it is a business to consumer model, you can opt for a more inspirational blog or lifestyle. The important thing is to realize that this is also an important tool to retain your audience and show that you are an expert;
- Online advertising – yes, it is increasingly important to bet on paid online campaigns, in order to stand out from your competition, whether on social media, Google Ads, or on the media.
4. Internal communication
It’s important to never neglect internal communication. After all, your employees will always be your best advertisers. Therefore, do not forget to communicate with them regularly, either via email, through a get-together – even if they are online, taking into account the times we live in – or any other way you find to connect to your team and keep it by the side of the company.
5. Media
No less important is knowing how to communicate with the media. We have addressed several times the importance of having an agency that takes care of the media advisory of your brand or business and that conveys the message you want to convey to the media in the simplest and clearest way possible. This will help you gain credibility with a wider audience.
6. Events
We know that times are not exactly good for face-to-face events, but, by ensuring all measures of safety and hygiene, it is possible to make them happen. You may also have to adapt some of the concepts you had foreseen for your event, make it totally digital, or even a hybrid event. Look at the Web Summit example, which this year will be online and also face-to-face.
In short, changing perceptions with communication not only has to do with the channels you use to do so, but also with the way you use to get the message out there. Remember: everything you do out will impact someone and that will be difficult to control – but it will be easier if you have your communication integrated and coherent.
Curious to learn more about the wonders of communication? Be sure to contact us!!
See you soon! 😊
Rita Justo, press officer and content curator at Media em Movimento
Sources:
A importância da Comunicação no contexto empresarial
O impacto das redes sociais no relacionamento entre marcas e consumidores