Are comms and marketing the most misunderstood professions?
- Martyn Hayes
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The importance of getting it right
Marketing and communications are exceptionally rewarding and creative careers, essential in any business environment. They represent the face, voice, and personality of your business. Unfortunately, they are often misunderstood, even at a basic level.
The reality is that marcomms is complex, requiring a deep understanding of audience and consumer psychology. It involves numerous tools and processes that may not be apparent to those without experience. This is where a skilled marcoms professional can make a significant impact.
Executing it correctly will profoundly enhance your connection with your audience and ensure positive associations with your business and brand.
Common misunderstandings
1 - "Comms is about telling the news"
Incorrect! The overarching umbrella lies in building strong relationships with your audience. It's crucial to establish trust and be viewed as a relatable source of information. Your campaigns must be relatable, ensuring your audience connects with your message.
This is achieved through consistent, reliable, and engaging content tailored to your audience's needs. While delivering news is an important aspect, it is only one piece of the wider puzzle. Your focus should be on crafting content that fosters relationships, with news stories integrated seamlessly.
2 - "We need to publish info on what we want to say"
That's not right angle to view things from. When planning content, it's crucial to adopt the perspective of your audience. Consider why they should be interested in your message. What do you want them to know, think, feel, or do? Ask yourself, "as a result of people reading our content, what happens?"
This approach will help you to establish clearly defined objectives. It will result in more impactful content that is relevant, relatable, and personalised to meet your audience's needs.
3 - "Choosing the channel is the first step in every campaign"
Let's use the analogy of transportation. Imagine you decide to ride a bicycle without specifying your destination and reason for the journey. If it turns out you want to visit another country for a two night business trip, getting a flight might be a better choice.
The same principle applies to communications. Your audience may respond better to certain channels and approaches.
It's best to establish clear objectives and what your audience needs at the outset. This will enable you to develop the most effective tactics that will resonate with your end-users.
4 - "Our audience is everyone"
If you're speaking to everyone, you're speaking to no one. Your content will be generic and flat.
The most effective approach is to segment your audience into categories based on their needs, demographics, and / or psychographics. This allows you to craft bespoke messaging that is more targeted and impactful by addressing the specific needs of each segment.
What are the risks of getting it wrong?
Activity (or inactivity) based on comms and marketing being misunderstood can lead to audience apathy. Your readers and visitors might forget your brand over time or, even worse, perceive it negatively, which can harm your brand's reputation.
Remember, mud sticks. So, it's crucial to adopt the right approach and consistently build on it. Instead of relying on assumptions, always take a measured approach.
While this may seem complex, this website offers a variety of tools to ensure you take the right approach. If you need advice, feel free to reach out; I'd be delighted to assist.
Comments