The communication carried out by a company is capable of turning it into a good or bad business, hence the importance of correctly developing a company’s communication plan .
Designing an adequate communication plan allows you to have a road map in which a series of steps and strategies are followed so that your company is perceived as a great company.
What is a communication plan?
A company’s communication plan is a document in which a detailed route is designed from start to finish in which it is planned how, when and in what way a strategic message will be transmitted to the target audience.
Its development has become fundamental in digital transformation processes to ensure that the organization shares a clear and specific message that provides measurable results to analyze the actions implemented.
Internal communication plan
Internal communication is the dissemination and exchange of information within the organization itself . A company’s internal communication plan is as important as the one designed for external communication, since both favor its growth and operation.
Generally, the development of the internal communication plan is carried out with the help of different departments in order to align all business areas. To achieve the communication objectives of a company, it is necessary to know how to transmit them from within, starting with all members of the organization.
If communication is good, the employees’ reaction will be favorable and will be reflected in their motivation and commitment.
External communication plan
External communication is that which is generated from within the company to the outside. When developing an external communication plan, the target audience must be taken into account to ensure that they become customers and also receive a good image of the brand.
Currently, companies communicate with the outside world on a daily basis and, unlike a few years ago, they also receive feedback from the information disseminated.
Within external communication you can communicate in two ways:
- Formal external communication. It is the ideal class to make the company known from a more serious, responsible and quality point of view. This type of communication can be transmitted through press releases, reports, presentations, whitepapers , brochures or the website.
- Informal external communication. This is a more colloquial and direct type of message, in which the client is treated face to face. It is spread through social networks, emails or webinars , and it is even what your employees transmit to the outside world.
Also Read: The Biggest Mistakes In Internal Business Communication
Online communication plan
The online communication plan includes actions that can be implemented through digital media and channels such as the website, blog, social networks , email, digital advertising, etc. Online communication can be used for both informal and formal communication.
Offline communication plan
In this communication plan of a company, all the actions that will be disseminated through traditional media such as telephone, business cards, posters, brochures, etc. are developed.
Why is a company’s communication plan important?
Every business communicates something about itself and it is necessary to do it consciously to avoid communicating something negative because it was done intuitively, without strategic planning.
These are some of the benefits that a good company communication plan offers :
- It favors the improvement and dissemination of the organization’s brand image.
- Enables positive reputation management and public relations.
- It makes possible the integration of the objectives of the different departments.
- Increases customer loyalty.
- It allows establishing short, medium and long-term actions in an organized manner.
- It defines what resources are necessary for communication, thus reducing the costs of its implementation.
- It makes communication much more effective and efficient.
Steps to create a communication plan in a company
Analysis of the current situation
What is the current communication situation in your company? The first thing is for the work team to get in position and know where the company’s communication plan is going to start from in order to improve, change or innovate on what is already established.
Identification of the value proposition
Being clear about the organization’s value proposition allows you to transmit a clearer and more conscious value.
Definition of the target audience
Are you clear about what your target is ? Depending on this you have to establish one message or another and use certain channels to transmit it. It is possible to identify different groups of people who are more likely to buy the product or service and, consequently, the message must be adapted to each of them.
Definition of objectives
Establishing specific communication objectives for each audience will allow you to create clear messages and measure results. Whatever is going to be disseminated, it must be strategically established in the company’s communication plan.
Creating messages and choosing communication channels
After the previous steps, it is time to develop the message and choose the media you will use to get it to your audience.
Creation of the broadcast calendar
Every communication plan of a company must have a dissemination calendar. This must be aligned with a marketing calendar to transmit a coherent and aligned message. This will make it easier to meet deadlines, give the entire organization visibility into what the team is doing, and help staff understand what needs to be done and when.
Results measurement
Taking into account the objectives of the communication plan, a data collection and a report must be made that allow viewing the metrics of each of the actions in order to evaluate which of them have been truly effective and have provided a return on investment. suitable investment.
Establishing an internal and external communication plan is essential for the evolution and growth of a company . This must always take into account both online and offline communication so that the message is transmitted through different media in order to reach the entire audience effectively.
If you have already created a communication plan in your company, perhaps it is time to review what you can improve; And if you haven’t done so yet, this is the ideal time to consider designing strategic communication in your organization.
Also Read: How To Consolidate A Strategic Project Plan?
