To understand the challenge we communicators face in this day and age, we have to address what I believe are some of the key issues in business communication in present times. We need to realize that it is not only us who controls what is being said about our company or brand anymore, it’s also the stakeholders including customers, employees, business partners, and even competitors. Therefore, we must have a clear purpose, engaging and authentic communication, in order to be noticed. Add to this, considering over 60 percent of customer touchpoints with brands today happens on the web, if your company isn’t focused on monitoring and assuring an active online presence to the potential audience it might actually backfire. Contacts may say what they wish to about you without you being in charge. This will surely have an influence when you are hiring or meeting potential business partners or clients.

If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business – Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder

CUSTOMER CARE

Just customer service and management are not anymore what you are looking for. It’s one step further. It is what we call, “customer-centric” care. You have to know your consumers inside out – better than they know themselves to have an edge over your competitors.

How? Start by having the proper monitoring tools. Data is what you need to be analyzing to know what is going on in your eco-system. You have to be proactive and foresee when customers need you to step up to ‘confirm’ that they are making the right choices.

Let’s take an example. Your customer has access to all the information in the world. It is only a few clicks away on the mobile. So in the unfortunate situation where you are not active when someone pops questions to you, they might resort to choosing your faster, and seemingly better, competitor over you.

THE EQ FACTOR

Despite being an old-fashioned publisher, I do accept that audio or video content creates better emotions, and as a result, closer ties to the audiences. On top of that, today we all possess the multimedia tools to create audio and video content, making it a doddle to produce this type of content. It is much easier to strengthen relations with a potential client if they have a better emotional connection with you than know who you are and what is important for you.

Don’t even mention Gen Z for whom a YouTube search is what “googling” is for the older generations. Human touch is important – whether it is through influencer marketing, podcasts or tutorial videos – as it gives your company an authentic ‘face’ for the customer to relate to.

TELL THAT STORY

The narrative is a crucial element in today’s communication. We learn, remember and participate more when an activity is engaging. Captivating stories make us feel the information as opposed to just consume it.

When you tell stories, remember that our brains, in most cases, are hardwired to avoid risks rather than jump at opportunities at the spur of the moment. So successful storytelling (films) always start with the problem for the protagonist. During the story, the hero meets a guide (that in our world should be you – the company or brand) that doesn’t speak about itself but gives the solutions to achieve success and overcome the antagonist. A villain is also a usual character (competitor, disruptor, …) in storytelling that you want to include in your script.

Of course, it is easier said than done. But we work with some of Poland’s top brands and make sure they stay on top of the game and challenge themselves all the time. Last but, by no way, least, communication isn’t easy and it is surely not about you – it is about what you can offer to achieve better results.