Communication is one of the important factors to create the success of a business, especially in the context of fierce competition and rapid change in the market today. An effective communication strategy will help businesses make a difference and engage with customers, partners and the community in 2024.

The importance of communication strategy

Communication is one of the most important factors to build and develop a business’s brand, products and services. Communication not only helps businesses reach and attract target customers, but also enhances reputation, trust and connection with current customers. To get effective communication results, businesses need to have a communication strategy that is clear, scientific and consistent with business goals.

Building a communication strategy is an important and necessary step for businesses for many reasons:

• Helps businesses have a clear and consistent direction in communication activities, avoiding distractions, wasting time and wasting budget.
• Helps businesses optimize the effectiveness of communication activities, increase the ability to reach and attract target customers, as well as create preference and remember the business’s brand, products, and services.
• Helps businesses build and maintain a positive, professional and trustworthy brand image in the eyes of customers, as well as enhance customer engagement and loyalty to the business’s brand, products, and services.
• Helps businesses develop and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in the market, affirming the business’s position and reputation in the industry.

Communication strategy is different from marketing strategy

How is a communications strategy different from a marketing strategy? To answer this question, we need to clearly understand the concepts and goals of these two types of strategies.

Marketing strategy is the plans, methods and activities intended to create and satisfy customer needs, increasing their satisfaction and loyalty to a business’s products or services. The goal of marketing strategy is to help businesses sell products, increase revenue and profits through activities such as market positioning, product development, distribution channel selection, pricing and promotion.

Communication strategy is the plan, methods and activities to convey information and messages of a business to target customers. The goal of a communication strategy is to create impact and strategic interaction with the public or target audience, with the aim of motivating customers to buy the business’s products or services, increasing operational efficiency of business activity. Communication strategy includes determining the appropriate audience, message, media and communication channels.

Thus, marketing strategies are decisions about what needs to be done to achieve business goals, while communication strategy is a decision about how to implement the marketing strategy. Marketing strategy is a road map for the entire marketing process, while communication strategy is a tool to carry out the steps in that process.

Forms of communication

There are many different forms of communication, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most popular forms of media today include:

Mass communication

Mass media is a traditional form of communication that reaches a large audience through channels such as newspapers, television, radio and the internet. Forms of mass media include: Press, Television, Radio, Internet.

Online communication

Online media is a form of media that uses the internet to transmit information. Forms of online communication include: Websites, blogs, social networks and email marketing, etc.

Outdoor communication

Outdoor communication is a form of communication that uses billboards, signs and other forms of advertising to reach audiences in public places. Forms of outdoor communication include: Billboards, signs, bus advertising, taxi advertising…

Internal communications

Internal communication is a form of communication used to convey information among employees within an organization. Forms of internal communication include: Email, internal newsletter, plenary conference, internal social network, etc.

Public Relations (PR)

Public relations is a form of communication that aims to build good relationships between organizations and the public. PR activities include: Organizing events, social networks, issuing press releases, etc.

5 steps to building an effective communication strategy

To help you know how to build a communication strategy, we would like to share the following 5 steps:

Step 1 – Determine communication goals: You need to clearly define your communication goals, and ensure that they are consistent with the overall business strategy of the enterprise.

Step 2 – Analyze your target audience: You need to research and analyze your target audience, including information such as: demographic characteristics, purchasing behavior, needs and wants, research media habits, etc You also need to identify different target groups and prioritize them according to importance.

Step 3 – Choose a media channel: There are many different media channels, such as: newspapers, television, radio, internet, social networks, email, events… You need to choose a media channel suitable for your goals, audience and budget. You also need to combine many different communication channels to increase efficiency and coverage.

Step 4 – Design communication content: Communication content needs to be clear, concise, attractive and convincing. You need to identify the key communications-oriented messages and core benefits of your product or service. You also need to customize communication content for each channel and different audience groups.

Step 5 – Evaluate communication effectiveness: You need to set up measurement indicators to check communication effectiveness, such as: number of views, number of clicks, number of likes, number of shares, number of comments, number of purchases… You also need to collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness of communication activities, while drawing experience and making improvements for the next communication campaigns.

3 typical successful communication strategies in 2023 in Vietnam

In 2023, many businesses have applied effective communication strategies to strengthen their brands and attract customers and partners. Below are three great examples of successful communication strategies in 2023.

• Leveraging social media channels: Vinamilk’s communication strategy for Tet Quy Mao 2023. In which the business invited celebrities and customers to share their Tet stories on social media channels, creating engagement and emotions with the brand.
• Using digital communication tools: Lazada’s “Smart Shopping” campaign, in which businesses used email marketing to send customers attractive offers, SMS marketing to remind customers about the start and end times of promotions, chatbots to advise and answer customer questions, podcasts to share economical shopping tips, and livestreams to introduce products and create excitement for customers.
• Combining traditional and digital media: Viettel’s “Accompanying you” campaign, in which businesses used the press to introduce their new products and services, outdoor advertising to create brand awareness and recall, television and radio to increase frequency and credibility, and digital media to create customer engagement.

2024 promises to bring many changes and new opportunities for businesses in the media field. To keep up with trends and achieve set goals, building an effective communication strategy is extremely important. Businesses should always update the latest communication trends to be able to adapt and innovate appropriate strategies.

Are you having difficulty building an effective communication strategy? Let Kounselly help you!

With a team of leading experts in the field of communications, we will provide you with the most suitable solution to achieve your business goals.

Find your service at PR & Communications consulting of Kounselly now!