Strategic Communication

Strategic communication plays a critical role in the success of an organization. A good strategic communication plan can help the organization achieve its goals, create a positive image for its employees, customers and society, and support the organization's marketing, sales and brand management activities. Strategic communication is also extremely important in crisis situations. Organizations can maintain or regain their reputation by communicating quickly and effectively in crisis situations.

Strategic communication planning begins with a well-designed strategic communication plan and an appropriate messaging strategy. A good strategic communication plan should include measurable goals and objectives set in line with the organization's goals. The plan should identify the channels, target audience, messages and content that the organization will use to achieve its goals.

A good strategic communication message should be conveyed to the right audience, in the right channel, at the right time and in the right way. Messages should be designed to engage, mobilize, inform or educate target audiences. Messages should also be in line with the goals, values and vision of the organization.

Strategic communication planning is designed to achieve the goals of the organization. The plan should be designed in accordance with the goals, objectives and values of the organization. A good plan should identify the resources needed for the organization to achieve its goals, budget, staff, time etc. issues should be addressed. Also, the plan should identify performance measures that will help the organization's activities achieve measurable results.

After the strategic communication planning and messaging strategy is prepared, the organization needs to implement the strategic communication plan. Strategic communication practices are communication tools through which the organization conveys its messages to its target audience. These tools can be used for press releases, websites, social media, advertising campaigns, events, meetings, seminars, etc.

The success of the strategic communication plan is judged by the measurable results of the organization's performance. Performance measures are determined in accordance with the objectives of the organization. For example, if an organization aims to increase its sales through an advertising campaign, the increase in sales can be used as a performance measure.

Successful examples:

» Nike: Nike uses strategic communication strategies to properly market its brand. Especially in recent years, it has succeeded in reaching large audiences with its campaigns on social media platforms.

» Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola is a globally recognized brand and it achieves this success with the right strategic communication plan. Coca-Cola takes customer feedback into account to protect its brand image.

» Apple: Apple has become a globally recognized brand thanks to its innovative technology products and effective marketing strategies. Apple uses creative strategies for product launches and advertisements.

Failed examples:

» United Airlines: United Airlines came to the fore in 2017 with news that it mistreated passengers. After this incident, it was discussed that United Airlines' strategic communication strategies were insufficient.

» BP: BP went through a difficult period due to the oil spill scandal in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. BP's crisis management and communication strategies were criticized and the organization's reputation was severely damaged.

» Volkswagen: Volkswagen was accused of cheating on emissions tests, and customer trust and brand image were severely damaged in the aftermath. Volkswagen's strategic communication strategies were insufficient to gain customer trust and protect its brand image.

These examples show how important strategic communication strategies are to the success of organizations. Creating a successful strategic communication plan can help organizations protect their reputation by communicating the right messages to their target audiences.

Organizations should communicate their messages to their target audience using strategic communication tools. When choosing strategic communication tools, factors such as demographic characteristics, interests and behaviors of the target audience should be taken into account. For example, an organization that wants to reach a young audience can use social media, while an organization that wants to reach an older audience can use traditional media. The lack of strategic communication can make it difficult or completely prevent an organization from achieving its goals. Some situations that may arise as a result of a lack of strategic
communication:

Misunderstanding of target audiences: Lack of strategic communication can lead to insufficient knowledge of target audiences' needs and expectations. This can lead to misunderstanding or misplaced messages, which can reduce audiences' trust in the organization.

Communication confusion: The lack of strategic communication can cause conflicting messages to be sent between different departments or individuals. This may result in the organization not being able to draw a consistent image to the outside.

Loss of competitive advantage: The lack of strategic communication can prevent the organization from communicating messages that will provide a competitive advantage over its competitors. This may cause the organization to lose market share.

Failure in crisis management: Lack of strategic communication can result in the inability to prepare the right messages to respond in crisis situations. This may result in the organization's failure in crisis management and loss of reputation.

Lack of performance: A lack of strategic communication can prevent the organization from communicating the right messages to its employees. This can affect the performance of employees, making it difficult for the organization to achieve its goals. Loss of reputation: Lack of strategic communication can damage the reputation of the organization. Misinformation or incomplete knowledge of the target audiences about the organization can negatively affect the reputation of the organization.

For these reasons, it is important for organizations to properly understand their target audiences and communicate effectively with them by creating strategic communication strategies.

As a result, strategic communication plays a critical role in the success of organizations. A good strategic communication plan should be designed and implemented in accordance with the objectives of the organization. Organizations should consider the characteristics of the target audience when choosing strategic communication tools. The success of the strategic communication plan can be measured by performance metrics and used to evaluate the organization's strategic communication plan.