It’s fair to say that few if any, companies were prepared to respond quickly and appropriately to the impacts of the pandemic. What was our world like before COVID-19 hit us? Well, one with widespread mistrust in both governments, businesses, and media. A place where “fake news” no longer was a description of misinformation, rather a mainstream propaganda tool.
The annual EdelmanTrust Barometer depicts a world of two different trust realities. The informed public—wealthier, more educated, and frequent consumers of news—remain far more trusting of every institution than the remaining population. In a majority of countries, less than half of the population trust their institutions to do what is right.
These conditions make it even more difficult to get your message across and truly reach people. Regardless of the number of channels out there, you’ll need to explore new approaches and innovative methods for engaging your target audience – and make them trust you.
In our latest ebook “Strategic communications” we invited four experts to discuss what demands will be made on strategic communicators and marketers in 2021.
Never ever forget your why
The why is the essence of strategic communications because strategic communication is simply communication that serves the purpose of helping you reach a certain goal. When everything must happen today, it is easy to forget why we do the things we do, and what the purpose of our communication actually is. Though content is never a goal in itself. It is a resource to achieve your business goals. Strategic communications must always be aligned with your overall business plan.
The best ambassadors of them all
In this era of influencer marketing, we seem to forget about the best ambassadors of them all – our fellow employees. Each and everyone in an organization should not only be familiar but feel motivated and be engaged by the company’s overall vision and strategy. They should be an integral part of a company’s communication strategy, but most often they are not. This is weird, as these are often the people that interact with customers and clients in a store or in a customer service call, they are on the front line and therefore the most important ambassadors.
The real deal of strategic communications
Preaching authenticity isn’t new—but some companies still don’t get it. Don’t underestimate your audience. Brands need to build trust because consumers want to live with brands whose values align with their own. Showing a genuine brand story remains crucial. Make sure your output is relevant, informative, and rings truthfully. Make sure you believe in your efforts, or your customers never will.
Download our latest ebook here and jump into the conversation with these four experts
- Helle Petersen, communications advisor and researcher, and author of the book ‘Strategic Communication’
- Mala Wang-Naveen, Communications director for Sintef Digital
- Jens Bohl, press spokesperson at Sky Broadcasting Company in Germany.
- Johanna Lindskog Lindell, Director of PR and Corporate communications for Foodora in the Nordics
