It’s easy to prioritize internal communication during significant business transitions and changes, but this mindset can cause business owners to overlook a major sector of their audience that should be informed – external individuals, stakeholders, suppliers, vendors, and others involved in the business’s circle.
If your business is going through a major transition, whether that be between owners, business structures, inventory, or whatever it might be, the people who are most in need of the information perhaps are not in those in the office every day because they know what’s going on but people who are outside the organization who may need to have more information than expected.
The most important people are those outside your organization, making external communication absolutely essential.
Remembering What External Communications Are
At its core, external communication refers to how a business interacts with its external individuals, including the industry, media, and other relevant platforms. How your business shares information with its outside audience plays a significant role in the company’s success and brand.
A strong external communication strategy can strengthen the business’s brand identity while forming the company’s voice and ensuring it properly represents what the business embodies in both its vision and mission.
Maintain a Level of Trust With Audiences
If your business went off track during significant changes, what would your clients, customers, and others who are watching your business think? Their trust in your business might falter. Having strong external communication during these circumstances can help ensure that you maintain trust between your business and those on the outside.
Mixed messages or no messages can cause confusion and completely crumble the trust that you have built up in your business over the years. Remember, trust is at the foundation of every successful business, internally and externally.
Manage Your Business’s Brand and Reputation
If you have built your business’s brand identity and reputation on being transparent and community-focused, and then suddenly stop communicating with your community, your brand and reputation are likely to be questioned and falter.
External communication during business transitions enable you to continue fostering your business’s brand identity and reputation, even during changes and uncertainties. If anything, it gives you the opportunity to prove to your external audience that you uphold your culture, even in the face of obstacles and stressors.
Retain Stakeholder Relationships
A significant portion of your external audience consists of stakeholders. They are quite involved and invested in the business’s success and growth, and it is best to keep them informed when the business changes or transitions so that you can maintain those strong relationships.
Keeping these relationships a priority is beneficial for the future of your business. You want to show strength through hardship, and a well-planned external communication strategy is your way of doing so.
Keep Up Momentum Through the Business Transition
Your external audience supports the growth and future of your business. Without them, your business could hit a wall or lose momentum. To ensure you maintain the momentum of growth and an upward trajectory even during a business transition, external communication is absolutely essential.
Through social media, traditional media, advertising, press releases, conferences, marketing newsletters, live events, or direct messaging, you have numerous opportunities to connect with your external audience and keep them informed throughout your business’s transition. This way, you can keep your momentum and growth.
External communication becomes the priority through a business transition. If you have further questions or would like guidance on developing strong external communications, please contact the team at Wickham James.
