The 5 minor communication skills that make a major difference

You may be hampering results by DIYing your communications

If you’re heading up a cost centre, managing a department or overseeing an entire business, then it’s safe to say you’ve got sound business acumen and likely a strong education or experiential background that’s helped you get to where you are today.

Essentially, you have intellectual and emotional intelligence and that means you can be trusted to help promote your brand. And as external PR consultants, we absolutely value in-house resourcing, insight and direction.

But when the C-Suite place entire strategies, execution and reporting on individuals that are complementary to – but outside of – the job description, then results are going to be only as good as the individual’s knowledge, capacity and capability.

You can be handed a step-by-step how-to guide and still not get the results of an expert in that field, because in communication, even the slightest of nuances makes a major difference to the outcome.

If you’re struggling with seeing results from your social media, newsletters, media releases or blogging, then here’s a few insider tips to consider!

Write like you speak

If you’re not trained in writing, or it’s not a common task day to day for you, then you may feel compelled to write in a ‘corporate tone’. While we certainly encourage every brand to have its own branding ecosystem that includes language and tone of voice, it’s important to remember the reader is a human being. Your content should be about the reader, not about your brand. White papers will also be written differently to blogs because of their format and purpose, so consider not only what you write, but how you write.

Include a call to action

If you’re tasked with writing the social media content for your business but wondering why no one is calling the phone or visiting the website, take a quick audit of the quantity and quality of your calls to action – this is the part of your post where you call on your reader to take another step. Are you asking them to read a blog when you really want them to sign up to your newsletter? Are you wanting the phone to ring but you send them to an online contact form instead? Are you asking them to do anything at all?

Typos and poor grammar

It’s one thing to write like you speak, but first impressions still count and for the written word, that means ensuring you are error-free. Review for typos and poor grammar, or better yet, have someone else do it for you. No matter what your business is, you want to come across as a leader - and leaders are attentive and polished.

Amplify and leverage

It’s not just about the one piece of content you develop. Successful communication and marketing programs leverage and amplify content so new audiences can see it. If a Facebook post is proving popular on your page, share it in some Facebook groups where it will be valued. Chop up a blog and have someone on video give the CliffsNotes or highlight reel version.

Keep it simple

Corporate brands can think more is better but sometimes less is actually more when it comes to communicating messages, promotions and offers. Take this blog for example, I’ve used a numbered list to help you scan the headlines and added a little more detail in case you have more time or interest to delve deeper. This blog could have been a list of 100 things but 5 keeps it easy to digest and remember. Don’t try to pack too much content in – often smaller bite-sized pieces are better than one long article.

With award-winning media specialists, writers, digital marketers and strategists, Elevate can help you take your current marketing and communications program to the next level to attract leads and nurture customers and clients. Start the conversation today.