How to create a simple communications strategy

Facebook ads, flyers, Linked In posts, local brochures, SEO optimising, Instagram reels, TikTok, advertorials, lead magnets, Google ads...

....and breathe!

There are so many marketing options available to us now which makes it very easy to spend a lot of money and time on it. The desire to do "all the things" is tempting but without a plan your investment could be wasted.

A communications strategy might sound a bit daunting or maybe even a bit over the top but I believe even the smallest of businesses can benefit. If you Google "communications strategy" you'll be greeted with line after line of detailed, jargon filled articles. But I honestly don't believe it has to be complicated, costly or time consuming. Thank goodness for that, because if you're a small business owner you're already trying to juggle all the things.

In my humble opinion, all it needs is a notepad, a pen and a quiet few hours to think (and maybe a coffee and a few bourbons to keep you focused).

What is a communications strategy?

The word "strategy" gets a bad rap. Midway through my career I remember being told by a particularly odious interviewer that my "strategic planning" role sounded like bullshit. Notwithstanding the fact that he was a twerp, I imagine he also had the same warped view of what strategic thinking was. It can often be seen as a way to procrastinate and overthink rather than getting on and doing the job; a bit of a waste of time. It's a shame it has this reputation because a good strategy actually saves businesses time and money in the long run.

I like to think of a communications strategy as a beautiful painting hanging up in a gallery. Once we've spent enough time familiarising ourselves with it from a distance, we can gradually step closer and closer to the canvas. That way, as we focus on the detail and eventually the individual brush strokes, we can appreciate them in the context of the whole piece. Too many marketing and communications plans start the other way round, standing way to close to the canvas, struggling to make sense of individual brush strokes.

So how do we take in the bigger picture?

Crafting your communications strategy in 7 steps

If you've got your pen and paper, go and grab a cuppa and your biscuit of choice and we'll make a start:

1. What am I trying to achieve this year?

Remind yourself of your business goals for the year ahead because ultimately everything you do in your business (comms, supply chain, product launches etc.) needs to contribute to them. Make sure they're as specific as possible, write them nice and big at the top of your page and for good measure go at them with a highlighter so they stand out! We're going to refer back to these goals as we move through each step so it helps to make them standout.

I'm going to open a fictitious cake making business for the purposes of this blog so an example of my business goals might be:

Increase profit by 40% by the end of the year by increasing revenue while maintaining last year's cost of production by:

1. Launching my new cake making courses by summer and getting an 80% sign up rate.

2. Increasing sales of small cakes in our high street cake shop by 50%.

2. Who are my customers?

Depending on how new your business is, this might feel tricky to answer.

If you're just starting out then you might need to do a little research into the type of customer that's most likely to need your services - take a look at who your competitors work for and do some general research on your industry to give you more of a starting point. Depending on the sort of product or service you're offering, try and be as specific as possible about things like age, gender, location, size of business (if you're B2B), lifestyle attitudes, disposable income.

If you're an established business then this question is simpler. Have a think about who your existing customers are and define them as specifically as you can. Then think about who else you would like to buy your product or service who isn't a customer yet. Is there a dream type of customer that you don't seem to have that can help you meet your business goals? - This might be a particular demographic, type of customer (corporate, charity, agency) or maybe a whole new geography.

Once you have a nice long, messy list of scribbles on your bit of paper, grab your highlighter and check back with your business goals. Does your list of existing and prospective customers match what you're trying to achieve? Only highlight those who are a good fit and then make a note of who are existing customers and who will be "new" customers.

My final list of customers for my imaginary cake shop (and the goal they help to achieve) might then look something like this:

1. New & Current - Local adults looking for skills courses (goal 1)

2. Existing - Retirees wanting cake and coffee for a midweek treat (goal 2)

3. New - Parents with kids looking for a post-school treat (goal 2)

So, now we're clear on what we're trying to achieve and who we need to talk to - let's think about exactly what we want them to do....

3. What do I want my customers to think, feel and do?

This is a really important step that is very often missed. It's so helpful to visualise what you want your customers to think, feel or do differently when it comes to interacting with your business. This makes it much easier to determine exactly what you need to say to them.

So, for each of the customers you've identified, put yourselves in their shoes and write out exactly what you want them to do. Try and be as specific as possible.

So for my imaginary cake shop it might look a bit like this:

1. I want more retired people from my local area to find out about my cake shop and come in for a midweek coffee and cake because they love the look of the cafe and think the cakes look irresistible.

2. I want my existing retiree customers to stay longer in my shop and buy an extra cup of coffee and cake

3. I want local people that are interested in learning new skills to find out about my cake making courses and sign up

4. What do my customers care about?

Depending on how long you've been trading and the sort of customers you've identified, you may already know the answer to this question. If not, it's easy to find out by doing a few Google searches, reading articles or simply asking your existing customers for their feedback. Your communication will be so much more powerful if it focuses on the things your customers care about.

For my cake shop, retirees are probably looking for a friendly face to chat to, a good cuppa, comfy seats and a good selection of newspapers and magazines. My new family audience is probably looking for easy seating for their kids, cakes in kid portions, some toys to entertain them and somewhere to park a buggy or balance bike.

5. What do I need to tell them so they'll do it?

The great thing about step 3 is that if you're specific enough about what you want people to think, feel, and do, step 5 becomes easy.

For each customer, write down what they need to hear from you to behave differently. Depending on your business goals you'll find you have a mix of things to say that will impact your customers at different stages on their purchasing journey. A purchasing journey is just a fancy way of saying "the steps your prospective customer goes on from realising your business exists to making a purchase".

• Existing - Tell them about our new loyalty scheme where they can get their 8th cake free

• New - Show them some photos of the cafe and how comfy and welcoming it is.

• New - tell them that my cake business exists and where to find it

• New - Show them the cakes and treats they can buy when they arrive (keep them interested).

• New - Tell them about our 25% discount on all kids cakes between 3.30 pm and 5 pm

6. What are the best ways to deliver your message?

I see many people doing this step first, but it really pays to decide who you're talking to and what you're saying before you decide where you're going to say it.

You wouldn't book a restaurant for a get-together before you knew who was coming and what sort of food they wanted, and it's the same when we think about communications. It's impossible to know what communication channel is most appropriate until you're clear on who you're targeting and the message you're trying to deliver.

But thanks to steps 1-5 we're clear on all that, so how do we now decide on the best communication channel?

For this you need to think about 3 things:

1. What's the best format for me to deliver my message? (e.g. words, imagery, audio, presentation)

2. Where do your customers hang out? (both virtually and in real life) but also

3. Where are they most likely to listen to what you have to say?

Let's use our "parent" audience as an example. They're a busy bunch and often distracted by their kids, so while you might find them at kids' groups or the school gates, they're unlikely to be able to give your business much attention. In the evening, when they've got the kids to bed and they're relaxing with their phone and a (large) glass of wine might be a good time as long as they don't feel like they're being "sold to" in their free time. Even better - post in parenting groups or local groups on Facebook about your business and your offers which will likely be shared among friends.

7. How will I tell them?

You might hear this referred to as your "tone of voice" and it's essentially how you intend to come across to your customers when you communicate with them.

You might be really clear on this - perhaps your business personality is an extension of your trademark quirky, friendly and funny style and so its associated tone of voice is more easily defined. It's just as common though for people to be unclear and to need some help articulating what their business voice sounds like.

Most good copywriters will be able to help you with this and some even specialise in it, but this blog is all about making things uncomplicated, so here are 3 tips to start thinking about your tone of voice:

1. If you were to describe your business as a person, what would their personality traits be?

2. With those personality traits in mind, make a list of how that person might come across - what words might they use all the time and what words would they never use. Would they be loud or quiet, would they talk all the time, or be more reserved? Would they use long sentences and fancy words, or short sentences and more down-to-earth phrases?

3. Now think about what your customers are most likely to connect with and refine your list until you have 3 words that best describe your style of communication.

What's next?

It really doesn't need to be any more complicated than that. Now it's time to get creative about the ways you might bring these messages to life and how frequently.

Hang on - this still sounds like a lot of work.

If this all still sounds a bit daunting, then you're in luck because it's a service I provide either as a standalone project, or alongside my other writing services. Drop me an email or get in touch via Instagram or Linked In and we can have a chat about how I can help.