Areas of Communication Strategy

Areas of communication strategy can be as unique as the organization.

A communication strategy is simply a written plan that outlines communication goals, provides some situational analysis and proposes approaches and activities, usually based on the plans objectives, to achieve the identified goals. Often an organization will have one master strategy, but if they are a larger organization and have a variety of target groups with different needs, they may have a number of strategies in motion at once. Areas of communication strategy can be as unique as the organization; however, many are common across different organizations, such as:

• Member Communications

Most non-profit organizations need to exchange information to win the mindshare, affiliation and loyalty of its membership. Strong member communication is crucial, particularly in times of major change. A Member Communication Strategy may include newsletter articles, chat groups, social media channels, mail-outs, consultations, etc.

• Fundraising/Sponsorships Communication

Successful fundraising is founded on making a strong case for your cause. In fact, recent data shows that when an organization’s communications strategies are clear and focused, its fundraising dollars increase substantially. Whether you are asking for dollars or promoting your sponsorships, a strong communications strategy is key.

• Public Awareness Strategy

A public awareness strategy is a comprehensive effort that includes multiple components (messaging, grassroots outreach, media relations, budget, etc.) to help reach a specific goal of increased awareness of an issue, idea or product.

• Public Relations/Community Relations

Public relations is the strategic management of the relationship between an organization and its diverse publics through the use of communications to achieve mutual understanding, realize organizational goals and serve the public interest. (Flynn, Gregory & Valin, 2008) A public relations strategy or plan is the road map of public relations activities undertaken by an organization.

• Employee Communications

Organizations with more than a handful of employees also need to consider employee communication as a priority. Keeping employees engaged in what is happening in the organization will help them make good decisions, feel part of the team and become a communication channel for the organization itself.

• Brand Management

According to the Canadian Marketing Association, branding is the strategic development and management of differentiation through a unique identity. Brand management includes developing and ensuring a consistent clear statement (no more than two sentences) of the key brand benefit to target audiences, followed by a few key support points or reasons to believe in the brand benefit, in all communication. The brand strategy also includes an articulation of four to five brand personality traits. Ideally, the brand is built over time to become an equity, which is measurable and can be tracked.

There is a wealth of experience, based of implementation successes and failures, shared in print and online for each area.

• Marketing

Marketing is about determining the value of a product or service and communicating that in a message to target segments of the public — taking it from concept to consumer. It involves the identification, development and selection of the product, the determination of its price, the selection of its distribution to reach the customers place, and the development and implementation of its promotional strategy. Together, this is known as the marketing mix.

• Government Relations

Government relations is all about influence — at all levels of government decision-making. In communications, it is sometimes referred to as advocacy and lobbying, but it has many facets. It includes all the efforts to influence the actions and policies of government to help achieve particular objectives of an organization or the public at large.

• Issues management

An issue is something currently happening that is having, or could have, a negative impact on your organization. Issue management is the proactive process of identifying, analyzing, responding to, and tracking issues facing your organization and its work. At times, it may require more reactive measures that involve assessment, planning and responses in a timely manner.

• Crisis Communication

Crisis communication involves the efforts of an organization to communicate with its stakeholders during an emergency or when people or events impact the organization in a negative manner. Many organizations will have a crisis communication plan prepared as a contingency for unplanned crisis, which includes a central control with media and member updating plans.

These areas of communication strategy are often topics for entire communication conferences, with many articles devoted to best practices and updated developments. There is a wealth of experience, based of implementation successes and failures, shared in print and online for each area. Wise communicators study what has come before to determine best practices for the future.