What is External Communication?

External communication is the exchange of information between an organization and any individual or group outside of it. It includes all forms of correspondence, including written, i.e. emails, press releases, as well as verbal, such as video or phone calls.

Organizations use external communication to correspond with suppliers, investors, customers, regulatory bodies, and the general public. It’s key to building relationships and establishing trust.

To be effective, brands should utilize an external communication strategy that governs the tone and content and ensures that the appropriate channel is used. In today’s digital age, external communication has become more complex and challenging.

Brands have to navigate a wide range of social media platforms and channels while ensuring consistency and relevance. However, with the right strategies and tools, businesses can leverage external communication to achieve success.

External vs Internal Communication

Internal communications target employees and contractors, whereas external ones address audiences outside the business.

For instance, external communications could be:

• Customer newsletters and sales emails

• Quarterly investor presentations

• Social media company announcements

Meanwhile, internal communications include:

• 1-to-1 emails between managers and direct reports

• Management updates in the team chat

• Task assignment mobile notifications The communication’s purpose also differs

Internal comms help manage, engage, and retain the workforce, while external ones seek to enhance profitability and reputation by converting customers, influencing public opinion, and persuading investors. So, the tone of voice will vary.

You can afford to be direct and informal in internal comms, but an external tone may vary from inspiring to respectful or formal, depending on the audience.

What is the Goal of External Communication?

The primary purpose of external communication is to establish and maintain relationships with external stakeholders. This can lead to various benefits for the organization, such as:

To Build Brand Awareness

By communicating effectively brands can increase their visibility and exposure which helps to improve customer acquisition and retention. There are few marketing techniques more effective than simply being visible and present in mind when customers make a consumer decision.

Social media posts, blog publication, newsletter dissemination, and video broadcasting – these are all tried and tested methods of increasing brand exposure. It’s not just about promoting the product directly, but ensuring the brand is known to potential customers. External communication is the cornerstone behind this approach.

To Increase Stakeholder Engagement

External communication enables brands to engage directly with their external stakeholders. This interaction helps to increase loyalty, brand advocacy, and awareness. Some examples of interactive external communications include surveys, polls, feedback requests, and outreach programs.

To Leverage Consumer Information

External communication doesn’t just enable brands to promote their products to the market. It also presents an opportunity to glean insights and leverage information about their consumer base. Which posts get the most traction? What caused the most engagement? This kind of data helps brands to better understand their market and tailor their communications accordingly.

To harness supplier relationships

External communication isn’t just used to attract clients. It’s also vital in maintaining relationships with suppliers and vendors. By sharing information about their requirements, companies can ensure a steady supply of goods and services.

Types of External Communication

There are several types of external communication that organizations use to interact with the outside world, these include:

Public Relations (PR)

This involves managing the brand’s image and reputation. PR uses various tactics to, such as guest posting, press releases, and community outreach to build credibility and trust.

Advertising

Advertising is perhaps the most common type of external communication. This type involves the direct promotion of a brand’s product or services via TV, print, or social media. It’s used to generate leads, build brand awareness, and increase sales.

Social Media

Social media posting is an organic approach to building brand awareness. Unlike social media advertising, which involves creating paid Ads that appear on a user’s feed, organic social is the brand posting directly from their accounts.

It can be highly effective for engaging with potential clients, but there are risks involved. Misuse of social media is a key concern for brands today, so it’s vital to have a clear social media policy in place for all official accounts.

Corporate Communication

Corporate communication is a type of external communication that involves communicating with stakeholders such as investors, regulatory bodies, or other brands. Corporate communication can take many forms, such as annual reports, press releases, and financial statements.

Which Channels to Use for External Communication

There are a plethora of available channels, and choosing the right one depends on several factors. Namely:

• Who is the target audience?

• What type of correspondence is being shared?

• Is the information public or private?

• Where is the audience located?

There are essentially four types of platforms:

6 Steps to Build an External Communication Strategy

Here’s a step-by-step guide to building an external communication strategy.

1. Research your audience

First, list the types of external audiences you’re targeting, from customers to investors. Then, research each audience type by reading studies, sending surveys to your contacts, or holding 1-to-1 interviews.

Document your findings into categories including:

• Demographics such as age and location

• Firmographics such as company and job title

• Pain points such as cost optimization

• Buying or investing behaviors such as product preferences

Finally, use the insights to group your audience into multiple segments—they’ll help you personalize communications later on. For instance, segment an investor audience into firmographic categories like venture capital firms and angel investors.

2. Set SMART goals for each audience type

Goals guide your external comms decisions while acting as benchmarks for results. Let your audience research and business needs inform your goals.

For example, launching new products could prompt customer conversion goals, whereas ambitious growth plans could spur investor funding goals.

Use the SMART framework to set goals that are:

• Specific: Target your objectives with precision, such as “Boost engagement among [target demographic]” instead of a vague “Engage more customers.”

• Measurable: Quantify your goals to track progress effectively, like aiming for a “25% increase in website traffic” rather than simply wishing for “more website visits.”

• Achievable: Set objectives within reach, like “Reduce operational costs by 5%” instead of an overly ambitious “Slash all expenses in half.”

• Relevant: Tailor your goals to align with your organization’s core mission. For a tech company, enhancing software efficiency is more aligned than branching out into unrelated retail ventures.

• Timely: Assign a clear deadline to your ambitions, such as “Launch the new product line by Q3” rather than an indefinite “Launch the new product line eventually.”

3. Pick appropriate channels

Research which channels your target audiences use and ensure they provide the tools you need to add value—such as information or offers—to your audience.

Generally speaking, here’s what key channels are useful for.

• Email: Build relationships with, convert, and negotiate with warm contacts such as current and potential customers, investors, and suppliers.

• Social media: Increase product awareness, share company news, and create interactive content showcasing your brand values.

• Blog and white papers: Build trust, increase web traffic, and generate new customer leads.

• Business messaging app: Resolve everyday problems securely with clients and suppliers.

• Video calls and webinars: Collaborate, train, and bond with customers and the public in real time.

4. Define your tone of voice

If your brand were a person, how they sound to others is their tone of voice. So, define that tone for each audience type. For instance, your customer-facing tone could be friendly and informal, while the regulator-facing one is formal and precise.

However, all your tone choices must match your brand’s mission and values. For example, values like excellence and innovation go well with a confident, inspiring tone of voice.

Here’s a quick way to define your tone of voice for a customer audience. You can expand on this example to create a 1-2 page definition document for your comms team.

• Target audience: Busy senior managers in [industry]. They need precise and quick information about [specific product]. They’re cost-conscious but prioritize quality.

• The tone of voice: Our communications are informative and concise. We address customer pain points with empathy and confidently emphasize our unique value proposition.

5. Create a communication playbook

A communication playbook is the go-to manual for employees running your external comms.

The playbook should outline the goals, channels, and tone of voice for each external audience. Then it should provide guidance and examples for communications:

• Timing: Specify the frequency, dates, and times for communications on different channels.

• Editorial guidelines: Confirm grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other styling decisions.

• Best practice: List tips and techniques such as phrase repetition, the rule of three, and first-person stories.

• Content and topics: Confirm key messages that engage audiences and support internal goals.

6. Create a communications plan

A communication plan includes campaign phases, tasks, stakeholders, deadlines, and key messages. Create one for each audience type and campaign.

For instance, a product launch campaign could have a threefold plan engaging customers, investors, and the public. Use project management software to share your plan with key stakeholders, track task progress, and enable collaboration.

Remember to update your plan based on audience insights or feedback.

Bonus tip:

Align your external and internal communication plans. Your team must be in the know about significant external announcements and campaigns.

What are the Challenges in External Communication?

In addition to the above, i.e. choosing the right platform and type of communication, there are also several other challenges that brands typically face. These include:

Cultural Barriers

Cultural differences can pose a significant challenge in external communication. Different cultures have different communication styles, and what may be acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another.

This extends to rules of politeness and courtesy and linguistic nuance. A cultural faux pas can be devastating to a brand’s reputation, so it’s vital to invest in cross-cultural training for employees.

Regulatory Compliance

Regulatory compliance is another significant challenge in external communication. There are all sorts of regulations that govern how brands can communicate, and these differ significantly depending on place and platform.

These include platform policies, data privacy laws, and advertising standards. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in costly legal and financial consequences.

Clear policies and procedures ensure compliance with regulations when communicating externally.

Attention

Competition for attention is a challenge across all communication channels. Ensuring that your brand’s message is noticed amidst all the distractions in print, social, and broadcast media presents a significant challenge for marketers.

To overcome this, brands should invest in making sure their communication stands out amidst a sea of content. This isn’t easy and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach that guarantees you’ll capture the audience’s attention.

Each piece of communication should be crafted to ensure maximum visibility, using visuals and other means.

Future Trends in External Communication

Staying ahead of new technologies and trends gives brands a significant competitive advantage. Knowing where your audience is today is important, but knowing where they will be is invaluable.

Here are some future trends in external communication to keep an eye on:

Personalization

New technologies and data sourcing mean that messaging can be personalized. Although sometimes perceived as an invasion of privacy, tailoring the messaging to the target can be very effective.

For example, a personalized happy birthday message, or marketing a product that fulfills a specific need.

Interactive Content

Polls, quizzes, games, surveys – all forms of interactive communication that help establish a rapport with the audience. It’s also useful for gleaning insights into consumer behaviors.

AI

Sentient chatbots can measure audience receptivity and adjust the messaging accordingly. It’s also fast becoming a common way for consumers to correspond with a brand.

Emerging Technologies

The rise of new technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) could revolutionize brand storytelling and product promotion. These technologies could be used to create wholly immersive experiences for customers and create entirely new communication channels within virtual worlds.