How to Best Align Your Internal and External Communication Plans

Brands need effective corporate comms to build trust, loyalty, and market share. Discordant messages internally and externally can cause confusion, disengage employees, and weaken the brand. Alignment of internal and external communication plans is crucial for brand harmony. Consistent messaging and values resonate powerfully.

Building a foundation of shared values and messaging

Before crafting individual plans, establish a unified foundation. This begins with leadership buy-in. Executives must champion the importance of communication alignment and dedicate resources to making it happen. 

Next, identify key stakeholders, including marketing, HR, PR, and relevant departments. A collaborative approach ensures different perspectives are represented and communication efforts remain consistent. The cornerstone of this foundation is a set of clear brand guidelines. These define the brand’s voice, personality, values, and visual identity. 

Ensuring consistency in the messaging

With the foundation laid, it’s time to craft the next element, the brand message. The golden rule is to start internally. Before sharing a message with the world, ensure employees understand and embody the brand values. Internal comms should be clear, transparent, and engaging. 

It builds employee pride and positions them as the first line of brand advocacy. Once the internal message resonates, companies can create consistent external messaging. Use the same core values and themes across all corporate comms channels, whether it’s social media, press releases, or marketing materials. 

Remember, brand consistency doesn’t mean identical. It means companies should tailor the message to resonate with each audience while staying true to the brand’s core.

Building bridges by fostering two-way communication

Communication shouldn’t be a one-way street. Create two-way channels for feedback and dialogue between internal and external audiences. Encourage employee feedback on internal comms and use it to refine the message. 

Similarly, listen to customer feedback and incorporate it into external communication to address concerns and build trust. Further, bridge the gap by sharing external successes internally. Celebrate external wins with employees to boost morale and reinforce the impact of their work on the brand’s overall success. 

Additionally, leverage internal communication channels like newsletters, town halls, and intranets to keep employees informed about external developments and company initiatives.

Refining with testing, monitoring, and adapting

Remember, brand communication is an ongoing performance, not a static script. Before sending messages to the world, develop and test corporate comms internally first. Launch new pilot initiatives with employees, gather feedback, and refine the message based on their responses. 

Continuously monitor and measure the results of the communication efforts. Track employee engagement, brand sentiment, and key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of the messaging. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and adapt the corporate comms strategies accordingly.

Choosing the right tools and channels

Selecting the right communication channels is crucial for reaching the target audiences and ensuring the message resonates with them. Choose internal tools like intranets and collaboration platforms that employees use regularly. On the external front, explore social media, targeted advertising, and content marketing channels relevant to the customer base.

Read more from Ronn Torossian:

5WPR, Public Relations Insights & PR Firm
Ronn Torossian Personal Blog
Ronn Torossian on Medium
Ronn Torossian on Business Insider