Why You Need a Small Business Communications Plan and How We Can Help

​Whether you’re just starting your small business or are well-established, a communications plan is crucial for your business success. Here are four reasons why you need a small business communications plan – and how My Big Day can help.

​What is a communications plan?
 
A communications plan or strategy is a system through which businesses communicate news and marketing messaging within the company and externally. Internal communication may occur between colleagues, human resources staff, and company management. Information may be communicated externally to the public, news media, clients, suppliers, and other businesses.
 
The goal of a communications plan is to ensure your business’s messaging remains consistent, no matter who is receiving information and from which representative of your company. Communications plans are designed to be proactive, but are absolutely necessary in a crisis.
 
A communications plan may address not only what message should be broadcast, but through which channels (for example, that certain types of messaging should be communicated through email, over the phone, or via internal memos). 

​Why do I need a communications plan for my small business?
 
Company Image
 
A standardized, professional method of communication with the public lends your business credibility. Consistent communication builds external trust in your business, and trust is paramount to success. It is important to know which message(s) you want to convey to specific target audiences, which is where marketing comes into play.
 
Conflicting information released by different parties sporadically conveys an image of disorganization, which degrades trust. Having a unified communications strategy that everyone in the company is aware of prevents confused messaging.
 
Crisis Management
 
Some sort of reputation crisis, whether big or small, is inevitable during the life of your small business. It may be one disgruntled client or a newsworthy catastrophe that affects a wide audience’s perception. Either way, having a strategic communication plan in place will reduce uncertainty for you and present your company as a unified front under scrutiny.
 
Community Relations
 
Engaging with and supporting your community is essential to your business’s image. Your company’s public reputation is enhanced by giving back, including support of nonprofits, local initiatives, and other businesses.
 
Staying abreast of industry happenings helps you make better business decisions, and positive relationships with other businesses build trust and mutual respect.
 
Internal Business Objectives and Employee Morale
 
Having everyone in your company on the same page is essential to efficient operations. Everyone in your company should understand their roles and tasks and have the information necessary to carry them out.
 
Missing or inconsistent information frustrates employees and decreases performance. Trust, loyalty, and transparency are cultivated through a consistent internal communications plan between employees and management.
 

​How do I create a small business communications plan?
 
Creating an effective small business communications plan requires knowledge of branding, measurable goals, target markets, media relations, communication channels, campaigns and events, and evaluation of measurable communication analytics.
 
Executing a strategic communications plan is a big job, and most small businesses don’t have a marketing or PR professional in-house.
 
Internal communications plans, particularly for small companies, can be managed by an owner, president, or manager. External communications are best managed by professionals trained in marketing or public relations.
 
At My Big Day, we offer a long list of small business services, including strategic communications planning, in conjunction with:

• Marketing
• Social Media Management
• Business Coaching
• Website Design
• Content Management
• Advertising
• Consulting
• Business Event Coordination
• Logo Design
• Media Buys
• Public Relations

Strategic messaging is a crucial part of our marketing for small business clients. One of our first steps for any for-profit or nonprofit client is to create a PR document that can be shared internally and used by our team to maintain consistent messaging in all of your business communications.

​Our talented team of women comes from a variety of educational backgrounds with decades of experience in the marketing, communications, and event planning industries.
 
Reach out to find out how we can help you grow your small business!
 
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