Continuous improvement is a concept that drives me. I’m fascinated with innovation and finding ways to continuously improve outcomes.
Strong communication strategies include the Five Ws and H (why, who, what, when, where, and how). Aligning the communications strategy to the broader organisational strategy, identifying target audiences, key messages, channels, types of content, ways to monitor performance, etc.
How can innovation improve communication strategies?
One method is to use the Five Ps (proper preparation prevents poor performance) before creating the Five Ws and H.
Huh? What do the Five Ps have to do with innovation?
Well, successful communications is getting intended messages to intended audiences.
The right content needs to be on the right channels, viewed at the right time.
There are several issues with achieving these outcomes:
- Many organisations have suboptimal communications platforms and channels.
- Communications are sporadic and disjointed.
- Websites are clunky and difficult to navigate.
- Social media isn’t leveraged to its potential.
- Communications is text heavy, rather than visual.
- Content isn’t created with the end user in mind.
- And there’s no digital linkages to keep audiences in the ecosystem.
The result is that intended messages don’t get to intended audiences.
The strategy fails.
It’s worth about as much as the paper it’s printed on.
So, how do we innovate and use the Five Ps?
Before drafting the strategy, take time to properly prepare.
- Undertake user research to understand your target audiences, their changing personas, and communication preferences.
- Do a diagnostic of your current communication capabilities, channels and content.
- Identify strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and opportunities for improvement across traditional and digital communications ecosystems.
- Create a prioritised transformation plan, aligned to delivering benefits.
- Execute the transformation program as a core part of the communications strategy.
Boom.
Strategy vastly improved; benefits delivered!
You’ll achieve significant improvements in performance and reputation.
“That all sounds lovely,” I hear you say, “but how do I do this when my staff are flat out and don’t have time?”
Get professional help.
Find someone to assess your communications capabilities, resources, processes and enabling systems.
Get them to help co-design a best practice communications strategy.
