Why Communications Is Important To Your Business

Why is Communications important to your business? How can communications help your digital marketing efforts?

Let's start by breaking down some of the main differences between communications and digital marketing. The overlap between these two creative fields is prominent, but there is a difference between communications and digital marketing. Knowing the difference between these channels will help your business convert leads to real clients.

We all want to connect with customers and see prospects become lifelong, valuable customers, and how we position our business in the marketplace is critical. Let’s start by breaking down communications and digital marketing.

What is Communication?

Communication is defined as the exchange of information or news. It is the wording that your customer reads about your product, the feel of the brand, and the way they perceive your company. Communication has a branding element because non-verbal communication plays such an important role in communication.

According to industry research, non-verbal communication makes up 80% or more of communication – body language, tone of voice, facial expressions, eye contact, space and more.

When communicating your product or business to a potential buyer, it is good to understand how your non-verbal communication or “brand” is perceived. If you are selling baby diapers to mothers, you may want your communications material to have a feminine and happy feel. Knowing non-verbal communication and the way your client may feel about your brand is the foundation of marketing. This is where the overlap comes into play because a good marketing strategy involves strong communication.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing or online marketing is the promotion of your brand or company to potential customers using the internet, such as social media, Google ads and other digital channels. Marketing is mainly data driven with a focus on research and targeting.

According to Investopedia, “Digital marketing involves some of the same principles as traditional marketing and is often considered a new way for companies to approach consumers and understand their behavior. Companies often combine traditional and digital marketing techniques in their strategies.”

A digital marketer is responsible for getting the company’s marketing efforts online and in front of their customers.

Why is Communication Needed, Along with Digital Marketing?

Recently, I visited the website of a prestigious university and was scrolling through their marketing program. As I was searching for information, I ran into a roadblock because the information was either not on the website or the pages were not correct information. One service would say one thing, and the other service would say something different – contradicting the marketing program. This was frustrating from a user experience because I was unable to find the correct information and was forced to email the university. I was blown away that a respectable marketing program would not have the proper information on the website, therefore, opening my eyes to the importance of clear communication and the difference between communications and marketing. If the marketer had taken time to write out proper communication, the user “myself” would not be forced to send an email. Most users will give up before sending an email to the business regarding more information.

According to TIMES, “For 20 years, publishers have been chasing pageviews, the metric that counts the number of times people load a web page. The more pageviews a site gets, the more people are reading, the more successful the site. Or so we thought. Chartbeat looked at deep user behavior across 2 billion visits across the web over the course of a month and found that most people who click don’t read. In fact, a stunning 55% spent fewer than 15 seconds actively on a page.”

Within 15 seconds, a potential customer has a hypothesis about your business or product, so it's critical to clearly communicate in your marketing efforts and on your website. You want your customers to understand the material and find the information they need about your service within the first 15 seconds of being active on the page.

What Does That Say About Communications?

Communications is a core aspect of business and marketing that cannot be overlooked. Many businesses spend thousands of dollars throwing money at colorful marketing campaigns without spending the time to type out clear communication, resulting in the potential customer leaving in frustration.

Why Does the University Need to Change?

In the above example, the university displayed strong marketing efforts because the user “myself” was able to find the product through an ad, however, I couldn’t understand the services. This university needs to bring in the communications department into the marketing department’s strategy meetings. The communications professionals oversee copy writing, editing, and updating key important information about the business and services that will help the user feel good about the brand. The communications professional will also give advice on how the non-verbal communication or tone of the piece is perceived from a brand standpoint. Before marketing a product, the university needs to sit down with the communications professional to lay out effective marketing campaigns.

If the university does not have a budget for both communications and marketing, then they need to combine communications and marketing into one role with a focus on communications as the foundation and marketing as the targeted campaign efforts. Both communications and digital marketing are important to a successful customer experience.

About the Author

Alana Grimaud is a communications professional with knowledge in marketing, communication, public relations, and politics. Communication is a must-have for a corporation or business, but learning the ins and outs of digital and interpersonal communication takes time. She helps companies communicate positive messages to customers through communication channels such as social media, news, and other communication channels.

For more information on communications and branding, connect with Alana on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/alanagrimaud.