A New Communications Equation Can Advance Your Business Strategy

This article has been co-authored by Christopher Hannegan, Principal, Workforce Transformation and Megan DiSciullo, US and Mexico Communications Leader, PwC?

Market forces and future trends are driving the need for businesses to transform, creating new opportunities for communications leaders to completely rethink their roles. This transformation is critical in turning the complexities of today’s world into drivers for positive action, and is one that demands a disciplined approach—not only by communications professionals within organizations, but by the business leaders they serve. It’s a two-way street that provides pathways for communications leaders and their teams to demonstrate how shifting the communications paradigm can generate new brand-building opportunities, strengthen engagement with key stakeholders, accelerate strategies, and drive better reputational and bottom-line outcomes.?

Simply put, the communications strategy, model and team that worked yesterday is no longer fit-for-purpose for the future. The world in which communicators are now both operating in and setting strategies within has never been more complex. We routinely speak with senior leaders within various organizations who tell us the walls that used to be erected between messages that are shared externally and those that remain internal are gone. Silos and divisions that used to exist are now virtually obsolete and information is traveling at lightning speeds. Methods of engaging key stakeholders have never been more diverse and fragmented and are, therefore, increasingly difficult to manage successfully. Content isn’t the problem, personalization is. It’s not a lack of talent, but rather an urgent need to upskill and adapt the talent we have today for the future of the profession tomorrow.??

Communicators should change their mindset of thinking of themselves as only writers and media relations managers. Instead, they should present themselves as stewards for the myriad? audiences they seek to reach–deeply ingrained in how they think, what they need and where to reach them in a hyper personalized way. This is how modern communications professionals can advance their value in the eyes of their leaders and help position businesses to thrive. The means to get there relies heavily on data and technology, and the insights and analytics it can produce. It’s not necessarily that traditional communications methods are outdated, but they won’t produce the desired impact in today’s world without the wisdom only digital insights can provide.?

So, what’s The New Equation for the Communications function? We argue it falls back on basic math: Upskilling plus data and analytics drives a multidisciplinary communications culture. Let’s dive into why.

Upskilling?

The core skills your communications team possess—creativity, a strong ability to write and message, a love of collaboration and community building—should never wane. Instead, it should be married with a love of data and analytics so that those core skills have new pathways to augment your organization’s relationship with different stakeholders in all the ways consumers of your brand desire.?

Chief communications officers should invest in upskilling their teams. Teach them to mine for and analyze data. Show them the benefits of pairing storytelling with analytics. Educate them as to why and how metrics can inform strategies, not just react to them. This will help elevate your function to your leaders and drive bottom line results.?

Data and Analytics?

Chances are your communications teams have spent the last ten years adopting tools and technologies to reach your audiences at greater speeds and across even more channels. The good news is that many of those tools are rich with data that can springboard the evolution of your strategies.? Dig deeper to learn more about the metrics being revealed by these tools. Are you utilizing them to not just demonstrate value but to consistently seek different solutions to complex problems? Are they telling you not only what’s working, but what isn’t??

The world is changing almost every day. Real time intelligence will keep a finger on the pulse of how your stakeholders and customers are feeling (and potentially shed light on the intersection of employee and customer experiences). The result will be a glaring emphasis on opportunities to adapt and shift–whether that’s through incorporating new social media platforms or moving away from time-consuming and outdated practices that technology can accelerate. If the communications plans your team is forming today mirror the communications plans of five years ago, chances are your team is missing moments to better connect with your audiences in more meaningful and personalized ways–backed by data and insights that show you if and how you are having an impact.

A Multidisciplinary Communications Culture?

To date, we have met very few communications professionals who entered into the profession due to a love of numbers. In the future, we feel certain this will change. Today’s communications professionals should be multidisciplinary. They should be writers and data crunchers. Listeners and messengers. Proactive and reactive. They should be stewards for organizational culture and change management, and all of the possibilities embracing a data-driven approach can mean for your organization. Like any equation, if you remove one component, the math just won’t add up. For communicators in today’s world, the same rules apply. Upskill to deepen your understanding of how data can work in your favor and lean into the metrics to strengthen your approach and deliver the results your leaders seek. To be effective, you can’t have one without the other.?

In short, modern communicators shouldn’t just seek a single solution, they should never stop looking for answers. That’s the beauty of data—it will provide them. Leaders that understand the importance of this and enable their teams to continuously evolve as a result will help position their businesses on paths to greater success and, in doing so, become a destination for the best communications professionals in the industry.?