Our world is moving faster than ever, with news media and information being shared at lightspeed. As a result, the way we engage with each other, with organisations, and with relevant stakeholders has changed dramatically.
Strategic communications is a term born on the battlefield that has now migrated to the corporate world. Put simply, it refers to targeted communications designed to persuade and fulfil a clear business objective.
Strategic communication encompasses much more than just PR. It emphasises careful planning over execution, is tailored for your specific audience, focuses less on traditional media networks, and integrates marketing, PR, and stakeholder engagement.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen the huge impact that strategic communications can have on businesses, government, and people, and we’d like to share a few of our most powerful stories to highlight the potential benefits for your business.
Is it really that important to think strategically about communications?
We can’t think of a single business that doesn’t utilise some form of communication, whether it’s emailing customers, meeting with governments for support, liaising with journalists on stories, or updating key stakeholder groups.
Sometimes, businesses will have high-stakes priorities that require them to navigate highly sensitive environments to achieve their wider business objectives.
All organisations face challenges in communication, and many of them are common across all industries. They include:
- A lack of alignment to critical business objectives
- A lack of strategic and experienced ‘hands-on-deck’ to handle intense or high-pressure situations
- Complex government policies or regulatory environments
- Opposing narratives from challengers
- Competing with the constant flood of information stakeholders receive everyday
The need for strategic communications has resulted in a growing demand for our services to help businesses to overcome these challenges.
Our podcast, Banksia Explains…, has become one of our most popular pieces of content. We discuss current affairs and communications challenges, like the ones that affected the Tokyo Olympics and Australia’s response to COVID-19.
Additionally, our services have helped organisations to change the political landscapes of their industries. Major e-scooter providers engaged us to help drive the regulatory changes that have modernised transportation laws, allowing new modes of transport to thrive in states like New South Wales, where they’ve previously been banned.
So, how else can organisations or people utilise strategic communications to reach their goals? We discuss some of our most popular insights from 2021 below.
Three key insights into the power of strategic communication
As a communications firm, our goal is to help our clients execute communications in highly sensitive environments and to provide advice and support for highly complex problems. It’s fair to say that we’ve seen plenty of innovative communications in our years of service.
Throughout the last year, we’ve regularly shared our expert knowledge on how best to communicate.
The event that affects everyone: Federal Budget Analysis
In Australia, we regularly see a majority of the public tune in and engage with the media when the Federal Budget is announced. It’s a huge news story that has consequences for everyone.
Our Federal Budget analysis was one of our most popular articles, and we know it’s extremely valuable to provide expert comments or opinions on major industry events. Our analysis covered the main topics of concern to the Australian public, and allowed our audience to engage with the political and economic decisions that affect their lives.
A few of the flagged issues capable of disrupting the major parties ended up playing out. Discover these in our full analysis.
Any business can strive to be actively anti-racist
When the independent ‘Do Better’ report into the structural racism at Collingwood AFL club was leaked, we were able to share an analysis and our own perspective on how organisations can strive to be “anti-racist”. From empowering people within your organisation that are anti-racist, to listening more and making a point to celebrate diversity, any business can find ways to make their offices a more welcoming place.
Social media and influence in politics
How politicians interact with their supporter base continues to evolve rapidly.
As a supporter of ethical social media use, we discussed the lessons we learnt from four politicians in Australia and the United States, and the unique way that they use their social channels.
- Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszscuk is social media savvy and tailors her communications to each platform
- Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has perfected the art of easy and digestible communications
- United States President Joe Biden stays on message clearly and consistently
- United States Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stays personable and finds authentic moments to connect with her followers
Obama was the first politician to truly exercise the power of the online sphere. This moment changed politics across the globe, and online channels have been a key part of communications strategy ever since.
Harness the power of strategic communications
It’s clear that strategic communications has many uses, and those uses are often imperative to reach new goals and engage with stakeholders.
In a world that’s moving at lightning-fast pace, it’s more important than ever to understand how to communicate in order to navigate through crises or high-pressure situations.
At Banksia Strategic Communications, we help our clients to clarify their objectives, to select the right method of persuasion, and to direct their communications to the right audience. Our team of experts will be happy to discuss your communications needs with you.
