A great issue faced by many companies occurs when we reach the next step of corporate development. This usually pertains in efforts of expanding to new or penetrating further into existing markets, attracting new consumer audiences or attracting new talent for human resources, or all of the above simultaneously.
This exceptionally beautiful, yet demanding stage requires a different communication management. It is a stage in which companies perceive that sales campaigns and product-only communication do not compensate for the creation of a comprehensive corporate image. Usually a communication strategy is sought as a process of chain reaction that will reach a “critical mass” of acceptance and visibility, which will allow the company to take the next big step.
Creating your own tone of voice
With the term “tone of voice” we describe the way the company decides to communicate its principles, its added value and the way it talks about products and services. This runs through the entire spectrum of communication – from the visual identity to any form of corporate content, and is perhaps the most critical component of a communication strategy.
For each company, this stage is important and arduous, but especially for our country, which just seems to emerge from a period of prolonged economic crisis, every move and synergy, aiming at the emergence of brand or a rebranding initiative, with the aim of renewing the Image that the company emits on the market, should be even more cautious, as the reduced liquidity and lack of funds, constitute yet another obstacle to the realization of ambitious communication plans.
How to emphasize your comparative advantages
Many companies that have succeeded without having invested in a particular tone of voice, come faced with a shaped image on the market, which has functioned as a specific “narrative”, signaling the message as it is perceived by the customers.
But the company that wants to enhance or form this message, to create and follow its own communication profile must decide:
- The manner it wishes to converse with its clients
- Its attitude towards its market and throughout the society that it affects
- Its values relating to its employees, suppliers and associates
Adapting to the local market
Some companies – such as multinational corporations – must follow the tone of voice of the parent company. However, there are always exceptional possibilities of localization and communication, which are fully aligned with the corporate image and are coordinated with the local market.
In contrast to local companies, the “Greek character” can be utilized appropriately, to enhance the brand itself, since the localization still matters, especially if it is connected with prestigious communication actions combining invocation to tradition and indigenous elements, the appeal to the local community, recruiting valuable human resources employed in by a Greek company, something that counts quite a lot in the consumer’s conscience, as a contributing factor to the prevention of the phenomenon of “brain drain”.
Holistic approach with the help of specialists
No matter how good the name of a company, this is not enough to build a good brand. The good name, the “reputation” that a company has, only works when combined with very good visibility – practically we could say that
Brand = reputation x visibility
In order to achieve maximum visibility and thus consolidate a brand in the conscience of customers, but also of potential partners, this should be utilized to the fullest of all the communication “arrows” available in the quiver of the company, along these domains:
- Websites and Blogs
- Social Media
- Digital and Marketing Collaterals
- Newsletters and Press Releases
What is the role of an effective PR agency?
The PR agency with its creative capabilities, will propose the appropriate mix of the above features, will give a unified visual and communicative character to all promotional materials, adapting all the contact details.
It is also important that an experienced PR agency understands the hierarchy of actions, the value of creating new leads, attracting a new market audience, new partners, or new talent that will help staff the company and help the organization grow, helping it take the next big step, accelerating the potential for extroversion and success in the local and international markets.
