Business Communication Strategies
Business communication strategies are very important to any organization because their efficiency determines the efficiency of the organization. Effective communication strategies state what an organization should expect from the workers and what the management should do in return and this is very important for the success of any organization (Cummings, p. 129). Communication strategies provide people with the direction that guides them in their day-to-day operations. They also define the processes that are required to accomplish certain tasks. This means that every organization that wants to compete favorably in the market must spend a lot of time and effort on sound communication strategies that will guide their employees. These strategies should be used to launch new management systems that should improve performance in the organization (Burns, p. 89). They should also be used when the organization is initiating new programs and even when a company is sharing out its values and missions.
How can organizations use communication strategies to improve their performance and create a competitive advantage? To start with, firms should align their communication strategies with their strategic goals. If the communication strategies are not in tandem with the missions and the missions of the business, their efficiency will be lowered. Most companies do not have a face but they have an image that must be maintained and the best way of maintaining this image is through the use of efficient communication strategies. The strategic vision of a company is very important and one of the factors that play a big role in the achievement of the vision is the image of the company. The employees of a company are part of the image of the company being the means of product and service delivery. These employees must therefore be aware of the goals of the company because these goals are articulated by these employees. Therefore, they must know what the company desires to achieve and the direction that the company wants to achieve. This knowledge can only be disseminated using efficient communication strategies.
Good communication strategies not only address the employees but also address the top management of an organization. The strategies should guide people who make the strategic decisions and also those that implement them. Good communication strategies in a business should also have tips that can enable people to share the message. This means that communication strategies should address the entire hierarchical structure of a company, from top to bottom. A good business communication strategy should also have good delivery channels and should also exploit these channels to the maximum. Regardless of the communication channel used, a good strategy should ensure that the right message is getting to the target destination in a timely fashion and in the most efficient way. The leadership of a company should ensure that core messages are effectively communicated because miscommunication can be costly especially when it affects the strategic goals and the image of a company.
There are several qualities that good internal communication strategies should have. To start with, they should have an element of integration whereby communication is connected to the developments in the company and captures all the modifications that have been made to ensure that everyone is up to data and effectively informed of the direction the company is taking. The communication strategies should also be succinct. They should ensure that there is clarity in any communication and the message communicated is not complex. The messages should be kept simple, clear, and brief.
The strategies should also be straightforward, avoiding ambiguities and dishonesty. The communicator should address their targets, especially in the marketing realm. Just like marketing communication for businesses where the market is segmented, it is important to segment the workplace to ensure that the message is packaged according to the needs of requirements of different groups of employees. The strategies should make the message personal and memorable and in this digital age, the use of multimedia is encouraged to ensure that all the potential channels of communication are utilized.
Business communication strategies are also important in the marketing of an organization’s services and products. They are especially important in relationship marketing. The relationship between the customer and the business is very vital meaning that there is no worth in attracting customers who are not very profitable just because they are regular in their transactions. A business person’s best wish is to have their consumers patronize their stable only but the transactional model allows them to patronize the business competitors so that they can maximize their benefits (Csonka, p. 56). This is why marketing managers are highly recommending relationship marketing which encourages the consumers to have a long-term commitment to the business. The benefit to the customer is that the attention he or she receives is more individualized because of the level of commitment he or she has shown in the dealings with a certain business. In relational marketing, the engagement between the business and the consumers is more friendly and long-term meaning that there are mutual benefits for both parties because of the value enhancement connection that provides a more satisfying exchange. Business communication strategies are important in relationship marketing especially in this fast-paced and competitive world of business they take care of the long-term consumers that the company has retained. These customers are less sensitive to market dynamics like price and value fluctuations. These consumers also save the business on marketing costs especially because their referrals are even stronger and are likely to generate more long-term consumers (Berry, p. 20). They are also highly likely to purchase supplementary products or auxiliary services from their trusted business thus improving the business sales. They also help the business to carve a niche or a market share that cannot be easily penetrated by the competitors, making the business stand on a firmer foundation. Finally, a virtuous cycle is created by long-term consumers because their increased level of satisfaction leads to even higher spending, they are also conversant with the business processes meaning that the business spends less energy on consumer education, making the work of the business employees easier.
Businesses are always looking for ways that they can use to improve their image and grow their brand using modern ideas. They are also looking for innovative ways for building their businesses and this requires efficient business communication strategies. Effective communication ensures that the employees and the customers are in line with the goals of the company
Works Cited
- Berry, Alex. Relationship Marketing: Chicago: American Marketing Association.2008
- Burns, Thomas. Organization and technology.Oxford: Oxford University Press.2007
- Csonka , Peter. E-business management. Cambridge: CUP.2000
- Cummings, Michael. Business Communication Systems. NY: McGraw-Hill.2004