How to communicate better
Communication is not just about sending and receiving messages. It’s about making a connection, creating a change, and delivering value (1). But how do you do that effectively?
Here are some tips to help you communicate better, whether you are an exporter, an importer, or anyone who wants to make a difference in the world.
- Choose your channels and styles wisely
Communication is not one-size-fits-all. Different channels and styles have different advantages and disadvantages, depending on your audience, your message, and your goal.
For example, if you want to reach a large number of potential customers quickly, you might use email marketing or social media. But if you want to build trust and loyalty with a key partner, you might prefer a face-to-face meeting or a phone call.
The key is to choose the channel and style that best suit your message and your receiver. You want to make sure that your message is clear, relevant, and engaging for them.
- Think communication = think targets
Communication is not just about what you say. It’s also about who you say it to.
You need to know your target audience well: their needs, their preferences, their expectations, their challenges. You need to segment them into groups based on their characteristics and behaviors. You need to tailor your communication to each group accordingly.
To simplify this task, you can use the groups defined in the governance canvas:
- Direct beneficiaries (and users)
- Customers (payers)
- Company (and indirect beneficiaries)
- Staff (team)
- Volunteers
- Direction (or management)
- Committee (or council)
- Members (or cooperators or associates)
- Donors (financiers)
- Suppliers (preferred)
- Partners (and allies)
- Prescribers
- Opinion makers
- Traditional media (press)
- WEB media (and social networks)
- Political world
- Public sector
- Competitors
Each group has its own interests and motivations. Each group requires a different communication strategy and tactics. Each group deserves your attention and respect.
- Use media or communication channels
Media are not just tools for spreading messages. They are also platforms for creating stories.
Stories are powerful ways to communicate your value proposition, your vision, your mission, your purpose. Stories are memorable, emotional, and persuasive. Stories are what make people care.
We can distinguish 4 main categories of communication channels, divided into media / non-media on the one hand and traditional / Web on the other. Each category has its own strengths and weaknesses. Each category offers different opportunities and challenges. Each category requires different skills and resources.
The trick is to use media or communication channels that match your story and your audience. You want to use media that amplify your message and reach your audience effectively.
- Create communication materials / tools
Tools are not just vehicles for carrying messages. They are also artifacts for delivering value.
Value is what makes your communication worthwhile for your audience. Value is what solves their problems, satisfies their desires, meets their expectations. Value is what makes them happy.
Tools are ways to create value for your audience. Tools can be informative, educational, entertaining, inspiring, or anything else that adds value to their lives.
Tools can be anything from a brochure, a video, a website, a blog, a podcast, a newsletter, a webinar, a white paper, a case study, a testimonial, a presentation, a proposal, a contract, or anything else that conveys your message and your value.
The secret is to create tools that are useful, usable, and desirable for your audience. You want to create tools that are easy to access, easy to understand, and easy to act on.
Ikea’s communication strategy: A key factor for global success and growth
Ikea is one of the most successful and recognizable retail brands in the world, with more than 400 stores in 52 countries and over 200,000 co-workers. Ikea’s vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people, by offering well-designed, functional and affordable home furnishing products and solutions. However, Ikea’s success is not only based on its products, but also on its communication strategy, which aims to reach and inspire more people around the world.
In these two case studies, they analyze how Ikea uses various channels and platforms to communicate its value proposition, its vision, its mission, and its purpose, and how it adapts to the changing needs and preferences of its customers. They also examine how Ikea is transforming its business and operating model through digitalization, and how it is exploring new offers and solutions for the future of life at home.
- IKEA Marketing Strategy 2023: A Case Study | Simplilearn (3): This article explains how Ikea uses various marketing channels, such as website, mobile app, email, SMS, Whatsapp, social media, telecalling, commercials, print ads, and stores, to reach and engage its customers globally.
- Ikea communication strategy: main insights – Oleoshop (4): This blog post highlights some of the key elements of Ikea’s communication strategy, such as its storytelling approach, its emotional connection with customers, its focus on sustainability and social responsibility, and its use of humor and creativity.
“We have to dare to be simple, direct and honest. Simplicity in our behavior gives us strength. Simplicity and humbleness characterize us in our relations with each others, our suppliers and our customers.”
“To design a desk which may cost $1,000 is easy for a furniture designer but to design a functional and good desk which shall cost only $50 can only be done by the very best.”
Ingvar Kamprad
Ikea’s communication strategy is a key factor for its global success and growth. Ikea uses a variety of channels and platforms to connect, create, and deliver value to its customers, and to make them care about its brand and its products. Ikea’s communication strategy is based on storytelling, emotional connection, sustainability, social responsibility, humor, and creativity.
Ikea also leverages data and analytics to tailor its communication to different segments and markets, and to measure its impact and effectiveness. Moreover, Ikea is constantly evolving and innovating its communication strategy, as well as its business and operating model, through digitalization.
Ikea is not only a retailer of home furnishing products, but also a leader of life at home, with a vision to create a better everyday life for the many people.
In summary, Communication matters: How to make a difference
- Communication is about making a connection, creating a change, and delivering value (1).
- To communicate effectively, you need to consider four aspects: channels and styles, targets, media, and tools.
- Channels and styles: choose the best way to convey your message and reach your audience, depending on your goal and context. For example, use email or social media for mass communication, or phone or face-to-face for personal communication (2).
- Targets: segment your audience into groups based on their characteristics and behaviors, and tailor your communication to each group accordingly. For example, use the governance canvas to identify your stakeholders and their interests.
- Media: use platforms that match your story and your audience, and that amplify your message and value proposition. For example, use traditional media (press, TV, radio) for credibility and awareness, or WEB media (blogs, podcasts, social networks) for engagement and interaction (Plasse, 2022).
- Tools: create artifacts that deliver value to your audience, and that are easy to access, understand, and act on. For example, use brochures or videos for product information, newsletters or webinars for education, testimonials or case studies for persuasion.
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.”
Seth Godin
References :
1- Seth Godin Site (sethgodin.com)
2- Franck Plasse – 5 effets de style pour captiver votre public
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