Is your website less appealing than your competitors’? Do you need assistance communicating effectively with your stakeholders? Is your last public relations campaign yet to meet its objectives? It may be time to consider having a communication audit.
An audit is a process of analysis, comparison, and recommendations that can help your company identify loopholes in your communication strategy, improve the consistency of your messaging, and better understand your stakeholders’ perceptions and expectations. This blog post will examine four key reasons why a communication audit can help optimize your company’s communication tools and strategies.
Identifying Loopholes in Your Communication Strategy
It can be challenging to maintain a whole view of your communication efforts. Internally, this can manifest as difficulty reaching employees through multiple communication channels (emails, project management tools, etc.). Externally, it may be challenging to identify which of your social media channels offers a better return on investment regarding brand content. An audit can, therefore, identify loopholes in your communication strategy and the areas where greater attention is needed to ensure that all stakeholders receive the information. This allows a company to improve its communication strategy and maximize its efforts in this department.
Gaining a Better Understanding of Your Stakeholders and Audiences
An audit helps better understand the perceptions and expectations of different stakeholders, including employees, customers, and the media, which helps define future communication strategies. Through media monitoring, a company can improve its reputation by becoming aware of any negative perceptions external stakeholders (customers, journalists, etc.) may have. In addition, the audit also allows you to understand your audiences better and adapt communications according to their demographic (e.g., social platforms, ages, regions, languages, interests, etc.).
Improving the Consistency of Messages Across Channels
Several departments within the same company are sometimes responsible for communications, including marketing, advertising, and human resources teams. If guidelines have been established among all entities within the company, the messages developed and shared for your various audiences may need to be more uniform. An audit can help ensure a company’s tone is consistent across all its channels, promoting a more harmonious and recognizable brand image.
Obtaining External Expert Opinions
After working in the same company for several years, having a fresh perspective on your work methods can be challenging. This can sometimes interfere with identifying an ongoing problem in a communication strategy. By commissioning an external agency to conduct an audit, you benefit from an external opinion that gives you an overview of your messages, your communication channels (internal and external), your audiences, and your competitors. Moreover, the agency’s experts can provide you with recommendations adapted for today’s market, your industry, and your sector. This allows you to be updated with new trends and stand out from your competitors.
