Navigating any business operation to success can and will come with varying amounts of barriers and hurdles that need to be addressed. One such barrier is how to get a message through to an audience in a very crowded and noisy communication environment. That is where strategic communication practices can take your organization to the next level by understanding where you are and where you want to be through the medium of communication.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
As a strategic communicator, it is paramount that you understand who your audience is, where they spend their time, what they do, and what they buy. These insights will help you provide a whole image of who your average audience member or customer is. To be an effective strategic communicator, you need to understand their motivations and that requires diving in and conducting research into the nuances of their daily choices.
There are plenty of research methods that can help bring insights into your audience. These methods will fall into one of two categories and your approach depends on what you are wanting to understand.
Qualitative Research
Research that allows for deeper understanding of topics to be had through in depth epistemological approaches (i.e. interview, focus groups, ect.)
- Pros: Able to ask the “why” behind certain behaviors
- Cons: Costly and time consuming
Quantitative Research
Research that can cast a wide net and receive a high volume of responses (i.e. survey’s, census data, etc..)
- Pros: Time and cost effective
- Cons: Not able to drill down into topics
KNOW “WHAT” YOU NEED TO STRATEGICALLY COMMUNICATE
Knowing your audience is only one step in the strategic communication process. You also need to know WHAT you need to communicate to them. Your audience’s attention is more fragmented now with all the available information and content fighting for said attention. That is why it is important to know what you need to say to your audience that will best invoke a favorable emotional response out of them.
To do so, requires a methodical and creative approach to creating a message that is unique enough to catch attention. Anything that is not directly related to what you are trying to communicate can lead the audience member or consumer away from your end goal of the message itself. This drive for conversions in a digitally dominated world is all about knowing and what they want to consume.
THE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
We no longer are limited by traditional media and organizations are now able to communicate with mass audiences with digital media. There is a good chance that a significant portion of your audience spends their time somewhere on digital media where you can optimize the messaging they receive about your organization or business. For example, having a presence on social media that aligns with what your audiences wish to see, then you have a great chance of organically creating traffic to your digital and/or brick and mortar locations.
Previously with traditional media, most organizations needed to rely on marketing experts to control their voice to the public. This is due to the fact that mass communication is 1) not cheap and 2) not very specialized in its approach. This is not to say that traditional media is still not a desirable approach, but due to the innovations of digital media, the organizations themselves have more control than ever about their own messaging. Some examples of how organizations use digital media now are:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Search Engine Marketing
- Social Media
- Video Streaming
Essentially, digital media allows for more of a self-service type of messaging and the strategic communicator needs to know how to navigate, and take advantage of this medium’s capabilities of messaging.
BE OPEN AND RESPONSIVE TO TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
The world of mass communication has opened from a one-way communication process, where an advertiser or other media entity sends mass messages without feedback, to a two-way communication process, where feedback is now provided to the message sender. This feedback can be seen through direct contact through the consumer reviews about an organization or business. The management of reviews, forums, and other online communication tools, also known as online reputation management (ORM), is vital to the long term success of the strategic communicator. People now weigh their purchasing and time spent based on reviews by consumers or audiences just like them. In order to be effective with online reputation an organization or business must be timely with their responses, address any concerns directly, promise a timeline of resolution, and thanking your reviewers.
BOILING POINT MEDIA HAS THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION EXPERTISE YOU NEED
Boiling Point Media is the premier marketing agency in Oklahoma who has been helping companies like yours for over 10 years. We know what it takes to get your business noticed through our perfected strategic communication practices. It is our mission to provide you with up-to-date communication strategies that best fit your needs.
We use our combined talents of digital media tactics, in-depth industry research, expert analysis skills, and much more to make your business more visible! Call us today to find out how cost effective strategic communication is and how we can partner with you to take your company to the next level.