External communication is aimed at consumers; in other words, to your prospects and customers.
Did you know? It is the notoriety of a company that determines its number of customers. The more popular a business is with the public, the newer customers it attracts. To attract and convert prospects, you have to communicate. As such, there are two types of communication: internal communication (which concerns close collaborators and employees) and external communication (which concerns the public outside the company).
What is external communication?
External communication represents a set of techniques used to communicate with targets outside the company.
Communication is a fundamental element for all companies wishing to strengthen their brand image and increase their notoriety. You are not unaware that the image that we send back is of paramount importance.
To be able to stand out from the competition and find its place on the market, it is necessary to set up a targeted communication strategy via external communication! It is there to strengthen your business ties and forge new ones.
For your communication strategy to succeed, it is essential:
- to draw up a communication plan,
- to define the right targets,
- and choose the right tools to communicate.
Who is it for?
All professionals who own a business or a store (physical or online) must embark on an external communication strategy.
Each professional needs to boost their sales and establish their reputation in the eyes of others. And some business sectors are very competitive, so it is essential to promote your business to attract prospects.
As for the targets, they are diverse and varied.
Your external communication should target everyone involved in your business, directly or indirectly. Thus, are concerned: your partners, your collaborators, your customers, the media, your suppliers…
But also, and above all, the prospects that you must seduce and convince to become customers. The choice of targets is certainly one of the most important steps in a good external communication strategy.
What are the benefits of external communication?
External communication is a very advantageous strategy for companies.
It is a means of communication that offers great freedom and is quite easy to master. With a well-prepared communication strategy, you stand out from other companies and make yours much more recognizable.
But for your communication to be successful, you must identify the needs of your targets and show them that your products or services are exactly what they need.
Giving a positive image of your business is important. The public will form an opinion of you with the means of communication that you use. If your strategy is not worked out well enough and it does not hit the right targets, consumers will not have a good opinion of you and will look elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you succeed in your external communication, this ensures high visibility, which will automatically attract prospects. Thereafter, you will have to convince these prospects that your products or services correspond to what they are looking for.
What means should be used for this type of communication?
When it comes to external communication tools, you have many choices.
There are the classic tools such as:
- The advertisement,
- public relations,
- or press relations.
Event communication is particularly effective. Note that by organizing an event or being present at a trade show, you increase your chances of making your company known.
Event communication is one of the most effective tools.
Nowadays, a means of communication has managed to stand out very clearly: digital communication or communication 2.0. Concretely, these are actions carried out on the web and social networks to promote your brand or your company with the guide of search engine optimization services.
💡 Do you know that more than 85% of French people use the Internet and that every day more than 45 million people surf the web?
Imagine the visibility you can get by promoting your business on the web! More and more people connect daily on social networks. Your presence on these platforms is essential.
Digital external communication is practical and economical, but above all it is very effective in reaching a large audience very easily.
If all means are good for your external communication, digital communication should not be neglected. From year to year, the Internet evolves. Internet users are more and more numerous and all age groups are concerned.
Promoting your business on the Internet and especially on social networks guarantees you a large audience that you can reach with the right message.
How to properly prepare your external communication strategy?
If you want to get a good return on investment (ROI), you need to prepare your external communication strategy well and this starts with developing a communication plan.
This plan will determine the success, or not, of your strategy. Take the time to work on your communication plan.
What are the essential points of a communication plan?
- take stock of your company’s strengths and weaknesses;
- think about how you can stand out from your competitors;
- define the objectives of your external communication strategy;
- determine your targets;
- think about the message you want to convey to your targets;
- choose communication tools;
- and establish the budget you will use for your communication.
All of these steps are important. Neglecting some of them can cause your external communication to fail.
💡 It is essential to know your business well before trying to make it known to consumers.
Make sure that the message you want to convey is in line with your values and those of your future targets.
Be careful, keep in mind that external communication goes hand in hand with internal communication. Indeed, one does not go without the other; these are two types of communication that are as opposed as they are complementary.
