Good communication is no coincidence: strategy as your foundation

Effective communication doesn’t just happen. Especially in today’s world of constant information overload, a well-thought-out communication strategy is the bridge between what your organisation wants to achieve and what truly moves your audience. It's a powerful tool that creates focus, builds connection, and delivers real results.

Without a strategic foundation, your communication is just a string of random messages. And let’s be honest, we’ve already got more than enough of those. Make well-founded choices that ensure your story makes sense, resonates, and gets results. In this blog, we’ll show you how we make that happen.

From fishing in murky waters to a clear compass

Without a strategic foundation, coherence is lacking. Your message becomes inconsistent, campaigns are often short-term, and internal teams lack direction. The result: confusion among your audience and wasted resources. It's like fishing in murky waters. You might catch something occasionally, but that's just luck.

An effective communication strategy provides solutions. It may sound like a dull, theoretical document, but it's certainly not. Strategy is a compass that guides direction. It brings clarity to your story, the tools you use, and, most importantly: the why. This means you:

    1. Choose right, not more.
    2. Avoid wasting time, budget, and energy.
    3. Create communication that always contributes to the larger narrative, instead of just loose content.

Internally, this also offers guidance. When teams work from the same foundation and embrace the same story, departments strengthen each other for a stronger brand.

Insights into audience behavior: the key to success

Your communication strategy is a foundation that must be built firmly. Our tip: always begin with the audience. For whom do you do what you do? What drives them? What are their frustrations, desires, or unspoken needs?

Without such insights, you're building a foundation on assumptions. Not exactly solid. At gr8, we use models like Jobs To Be Done (see our previous blog) and Cialdini’s principles of influence. We make choices based on behavioral science rather than assumptions.

Specifically, this means you:

  1. Identify needs: what do people truly want to achieve?
  2. Create audience profiles: not as flat demographic personas, but as vibrant profiles capturing behavior, motivation, and resistance.
  3. Align storylines and content accordingly: so your story resonates and strikes an emotional chord.

This is the foundation on which you can further build. And develop creative concepts that not only stand out but also move your audience.

Building your communication strategy

A well-thought-out communication strategy not only provides guidance; it translates into tangible results. Think of brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, or Amazon. Brands that have become recognizable and reliable through consistent positioning. Their campaigns might surprise in form but always feel familiar in tone and content. They aren't isolated expressions but logical steps within a larger story.

For example, we do this for the Municipality of Breda, with Bredata aiming to be ‘the most digitally inclusive city in the Netherlands’. Digitalization in a Bredaas way: with people as the priority. For such a long-term ambition, separate expressions or short campaigns wouldn't suffice. The process started with strategic sessions. We dived into various target groups, a clear story about the city's direction, and core messages that bridge the story to the audience. A communication strategy that still serves as a compass: every expression contributes to the same larger goal.

Similarly, for Bostik, we are building strategic brand positioning. In the world of adhesive and sealing solutions, communication is often product-driven. So, we sought the distinctive power in the real added value for the audience. With a brand story that not only explains the products but also highlights the larger goal and added value of Bostik. Bostik is Attached To Your World. Human-driven communication recognizable across all channels, making Bostik not only a producer but a trusted partner.

Practical steps to strengthen your communication strategy

In short, to truly make an impact with your communication, you need to begin at the base. At gr8, we do this with the following steps:

    1. Thoroughly research your audience – Go beyond superficial data; dive into behavior, needs, and motivations.
    2. Define your brand story – What makes you unique, and how do you translate that into a consistent message?
    3. Make conscious choices – Select tools, channels, and formats that align with your goals and audience(s).

And finally… Continuously measure and improve. Analyze results, test assumptions, and refine your approach continuously. A strong communication strategy gives you direction and prevents randomness. But that doesn’t mean you can sit back. The market changes, audiences shift, and new insights continuously emerge.

By analyzing results and testing assumptions, you enjoy all the benefits of a strong foundation while remaining agile enough to adjust when needed.

Up for the challenge?

A communication strategy prevents budget waste, provides direction, and ensures communication that impacts and delivers results. At gr8 agency, we never start without a clear foundation. We map your organization's relevant ins and outs, link it to proven (behavioral) models, and develop a communication strategy that works.

Ready to create a solid foundation for your communication? We’re curious about your story.