The Essential Guide to Communications Strategy: How to Increase External and Internal Visibility

When it comes to business, communication is key. If you want to be successful, you need to be able to effectively communicate with your internal team, your external stakeholders, and the public. A communications strategist is responsible for developing and executing a communication plan that achieves these goals. In this blog post, we will discuss the role of a communications strategist and how you can increase external and internal visibility for your business.

As a communications strategist, one of your primary goals is to increase visibility for your company. There are several ways to do this, but one of the most effective is creating a strong external communications plan. This plan should include tactics like media relations, thought leadership, and social media. By executing this plan effectively, you can ensure that your company is visible to the right people.

In addition to increasing visibility, another goal of a communications strategist is to improve internal communication. After all, if your team isn't on the same page, it will be difficult to achieve your business goals.

Key tactics to include in an external communications plan.

-Engage with influencers in your industry: A great way to increase your external visibility is to engage with influencers in your industry. This can be done by reaching out to them and offering to collaborate, guest blog, or participate in an interview.

-Participate in trade shows and events: Another great way to increase your external visibility is to participate in trade shows and events. This can be done by exhibiting at trade shows, speaking at events, or even just attending and networking.

-Get involved in social media: A third great way to increase your external visibility is to get involved in social media. This can be done by creating and maintaining social media accounts, engaging in social media promotion, and even conducting social media research.

How can I structure the external communications plan?

There are three key components to an effective external communications strategy: message, audience, and channel.

Message: What is the main point you want to communicate?

Audience: Who do you want to reach with your message?

Channel: What is the best way to reach your audience?

Once you have a clear understanding of these three components, you can begin to develop a plan for how best to reach your target audience.

There are a number of different channels that can be used to reach an audience, and the best channel will vary depending on the audience you are trying to reach. Some of the most common channels include:

-Social media

-Press releases

-Media relations

-Events and speaking engagements

Each of these channels has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to select the channel that will best allow you to reach your target audience.

Once you've selected the best channel for reaching your audience, you need to develop a plan for how you will execute your communications strategy. This plan should include a timeline, messaging, and key objectives.

Timeline: When do you want to execute your communications strategy?

Messaging: What are the key messages you want to communicate?

Key objectives: What are the goals you want to achieve with your communications strategy?

What is thought leadership?

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what thought leadership is. But in general, it's about using your knowledge and expertise to shape public opinion on a given issue.

For businesses, that usually means creating content that showcases your company's point of view on a particular topic. This can be anything from blog posts and white papers to infographics and webinars. The goal is to get people talking about your brand and to position yourself as an authority in your industry.

How can I use thought leadership for external and internal communications?

There are a number of ways to use thought leadership for external communications.

For example, you can use it to:

-Generate media coverage

-Build relationships with influencers

-Drive traffic to your website

-Increase brand awareness

But thought leadership can also be used for internal communications. For example, you can use it to:

-Engage employees

-Encourage innovation

-Build team morale

-Increase employee loyalty

How can I track the results of our external communications strategy?

The key is to find the right platform for your thought leadership content. Once you've done that, you can start measuring and tracking your results.

Some things you might want to measure include:

-Media coverage (both online and offline)

-Website traffic

-Social media engagement

-Leads generated

-Sales made

You can also track how your thought leadership content is performing by looking at things like:

-Unique page views

-Time spent on page

-Bounce rate

-Share rate

If you're not sure where to start, try using Google Analytics to track your results. This will give you a good idea of how people are engaging with your content.

What should my company write about?

If you want to be a thought leader, it's important to write about topics that are interesting and relevant to your audience. But how can you pick a good topic? Here are a few tips:

-Think about the issues that your audience is facing. What are they struggling with?

-Identify the trends in your industry. What's hot right now?

-What are you passionate about? Pick a topic that you're excited to write about.

-Do some research. Check out what other thought leaders are writing about and see if you can add your own perspective.

What are some best practices when it comes to thought leadership?

When it comes to thought leadership, there are a few best practices to follow. First and foremost, be authentic. Your audience can sense when you’re being genuine, and they’ll appreciate it. Second, be consistent. Put out content regularly so your audience knows what to expect from you. Third, be helpful. Share your knowledge and expertise with your audience so they can learn from you. And finally, be patient. Building a thought leadership platform takes time, so don’t expect overnight success. Follow these best practices and you’ll be on your way to becoming a thought leader in no time.

What are some trends related to thought leadership?

There are a few different trends that seem to be popular when it comes to thought leadership. First, there is a trend toward shorter pieces of content. This could be in the form of blog posts, articles, or even social media posts. The idea is that people's attention spans are shorter than they used to be, so it is important to make your content concise and to the point.

Another trend is toward more personal content. This means that instead of just talking about your company or your product, you are sharing your own thoughts and experiences. This can help to create a connection with your audience and make them more likely to trust you and your expertise.

Finally, there is a trend toward using different mediums to share your content. In addition to written content, you can now use video, podcasts, and even infographics to get your message across. This allows you to reach a wider audience and to appeal to different learning styles.

If you want to be successful with thought leadership, it is important to stay up-to-date with these trends and to adapt your content accordingly. By doing so, you will be able to reach more people and have a greater impact on your industry.

By following these steps, you can develop a structured and effective communications strategy that will help you increase your visibility and reach your target audience.

So there you have it—the essential guide to communications strategy. By following these steps, you can increase your visibility, reach your target audience, and build your thought leadership platform. Good luck!

What are some other benefits of thought leadership? Let us know in the comments below.