Hey guess what? Communications isn’t *just* social media! Social media is just one prong in a heavily spoked communications wheel. Dodgy metaphors aside, when was the last time you took into account the full breadth of communications and marketing tactics to grow your brand and achieve your goals?
Before I get stuck into ideas and suggestions for communications tactics that might be a good fit for your brand and for your audience I’d love to offer a quick reminder:
The best tactic for a brand is the one where a (predefined) audience will most effectively and efficiently receive it. As I shared in my book, Tell Your Story, communications is basically the means by which a message and an audience do the tango. This is your audience, that is your message, and communications are how we link the two. This entails that what works for one audience (or message) may not necessarily work for another. My favourite example of this which I share again and again to the point of killmenow is the messages that a personal trainer uses to train women over 40 for hiking preparedness will be different for those used for women in their 20s pursuing the body transformation stage AND the tactics used to deliver those messages will be different. Women preparing for hikes will potentially well receive articles and editorials while women in their 20s will love a clean eating reel or two.
OK, reminder done. Now onto the good stuff! Comms tactics, come at me:
Social media – ok, ok, yes, let’s not forget the platforms but while I encourage people to always claim their real estate, there’s not a whole lot of point working hard on a platform that’s not a bedfellow to your audience. Consider your ROI here!
Blogging – oh, you saucy minx, you. Long form content, be still my beating heart! Blogging is oh so powerful, for so many reasons. It’s a way to connect with people, build a community/audience that loves your intellectual brain power and is a way to establish yourself as the go-to in your space. While it’s a slow burn strategy, it’s incredibly powerful for long term positioning. It’s a way to constructively and actively share your experience, skills and knowledge with content that gives a sense of what it’s like to work with you. It allows you to share not only your expertise but your passions, your interests and your personality. I could (and do) talk about this all day – in fact, if you’re wondering if blogging is right for your brand, why don’t we have a chat about it?
Email marketing – when done well, it works. It needs to be intentional, purposeful, tested regularly and a joy to read and to write.
Content marketing more broadly – here I’m talking white papers, ebooks, case studies, checklists, webinars, articles, editorials, and journals. This is where you show off your smarts and when written with a punch of personality aligned to your brand, your sassiness. Who doesn’t love a touch of sassy?
Advocates and heroes – let’s go offline (ish) for a moment. Advocates and heroes can be enlisted to promote your key messages and encourage support for your work. When equipped with clear information they are the perfect ‘tactic’ to showcase your brand and your business. It’s word of mouth to the next level.
Letters and postcards – I love a snail mail piece of action in my mailbox, don’t you? They’re a way to add a touch of ‘awww’ to a person’s day, they can feel highly personal and personable and are a way to remind people you exist and to enlist the above mentioned advocates and heroes. And they’re lovely to write!
Phone calls and voice messages – Phone calls are great, but I actually love a voice mail, both the sending and the receiving! They’re a way for me to speak to someone or reach out to someone when actually ‘speaking’ to them isn’t really an option. Plus, I’m the long suffering bearer of big thumbs and so my typos are sometimes in the realm of Lord of the Rings.
Networking and events – want to connect with your ideal audience? Politicians kiss babies, and people in biz do networking. Now don’t go vomiting, I hear you, but there’s really nothing like a face to face ‘hey how are ya’ session to build connection, particularly if you’re long term IG buddies. Need a little how to? Read this blast from the Blue51archives.
Ready for the most impactful communications tactic of all?
A freaking epic client experience – seriously, do work so good that people can’t help but sing your praises.
Tell me, how diverse is your communications strategy? If you’d like a hand chatting through options beyond socials, reach out and we’ll have a chit chat.
I love writing about communications, writing, life in business and life in general! If there’s something specific you’d like me to cover in my writing, please shoot me an email or give me a buzz, and I’ll do my best to help, or address it in an upcoming blog post or on my social media platforms.