If there is one thing we have learned in more than 20 years working in communication and sustainability, it is that one of the main challenges organisations face when developing their communication plan is defining a comprehensive corporate strategy. The most common mistake is to start preparing a content plan without first identifying the brand purpose.
PURPOSE
The first thing we always ask ourselves is what the purpose of the organisation is for which we will develop the communication strategy. To achieve coherent and lasting communication over time, it is essential to define the organisation’s purpose: developing the company’s value proposition by focusing on why it exists before defining its communication plan.
Once the purpose has been established, we focus on defining medium- and long-term objectives, which will help us position the brand in the market and increase its visibility. To do this, we carry out a SWOT analysis that allows us to identify the brand’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities available in the market.
Objectives help guide the step-by-step growth and positioning of the brand, which is why at Spora we monitor these objectives through KPIs that allow us to evaluate the performance of resources and the impact generated by the various proposed actions. This makes our decision-making more analytical and objective.
One example that brings together all this work is the Redesign of the corporate image and communication strategy that we developed for the technology company ID·Waste.
In this case, the company’s main challenge – it already had a website and other communication channels in place – was to go back and explore its brand purpose in greater depth, identifying the key points that needed to be present throughout the communication plan, starting with its mission and vision.
TARGET AUDIENCE AND BRAND PERSONALITY
Once the foundations of the corporate strategy have been established, we focus on identifying the buyer persona – the target audience – and draw up a map of key stakeholders. With this information, we define what the messages should be like, what information is important to convey and which channels will generate the greatest impact. Essentially, what we do is build a brand personality that reflects the essence of the corporate strategy and defines the starting point for all communications.
That is exactly what we did for ID·Waste. We based its brand personality on the prior analysis and its target audience. Defining and truly “knowing” the customer in depth was key to establishing the tone and style of all the communications ID·Waste will send them.
ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY
This tone and style are the foundations that allow us to develop a narrative that reflects the brand’s purpose and values, aligned with its personality across all communications.
At Spora, we know that the key to connecting with the audience is to create relevant and engaging content that resonates with them, and to select the most suitable channels to maximise the impact of communication.
Communication, however, is not just about the narrative. All these elements are complemented by a brand and visual universe tailored to the brand’s purpose and personality, allowing us to ensure a coherent and appealing visual representation.
In this sense, we align the communication strategy and brand image with its values, mission and vision, establishing a real and tangible communication roadmap. We develop the visual presence in greater depth and design the narrative, tone and messages so that they have a positive impact and connect effectively with the target audience.