“Better communication will mean better business practice company-wide as well as increased employee engagement, happier clients and customers, and stronger profits.” - Jenni Field. Influential Internal Communication: Streamline Your Corporate Communication to Drive Efficiency and Engagement.
Corporate Communications
A successful organization needs to effectively plan and execute a custom communications plan, tailor the tone and voice of all messaging and use the right platforms to reach your audiences. We can successfully position your company to achieve your organizational goals.
We can be your partner in external communications, including:
- Communications Strategy
- Media Management
- Public Relations
- Did we mention that we have two Accredited Public Relations professionals on our team - Stafford Wood and Julie Donald?
- Crisis Communications
- Our former journalist turned PR strategist, Kathryn Gisi, offers a unique perspective on all external corporate communications.
- Corporate Communications
- Any Public-Facing Representation of Your Brand
What are some corporate communications tools?
We offer a full suite of services to provide effective copywriting, design and distribution for print or online company communications.
Establish a crisis communications plan for both man-made issues and natural disasters, including events such as data breaches or hurricanes, so your company can cover all communication needs with various stakeholder audiences.
We provide expert consultation, advice, ideas, public relations, customer service and media management support for dealing with a high-priority issue or an unanticipated communications challenge.
When communicating with employees, online communication systems can spread complex messages throughout a large or small organization.
We create plans that help companies, brands or organizations ensure their messaging is clear and meets their overall, long-term communication goals.
Our team of communications professionals strategically assist with managing business transitions internally and externally through design and messaging, as well as the solicitation of stakeholder input.
We can develop engaging themes and materials to ensure stakeholder excitement and attendance at events, including invitations, RSVP systems and microsites.
Our tenured team of copywriters and designers develop presentations, signage, handouts, gifts and other materials to make an event successful and achieve corporate goals.
Surveys are an effective tool to solicit input from stakeholders during a transition and capture feedback in a measurable way.
Specific Issues in Corporate Communications
Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Act
The FTC Act prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices,” which broadly covers advertising claims, marketing, promotional activities and sales practices in general. The Act is not limited to any particular medium. Accordingly, the Commission’s role in protecting consumers from unfair or deceptive acts or practices encompasses advertising, marketing and sales online, as well as the same activities in print, television, telephone and radio. Whether a particular ad is deceptive, unfair or otherwise violative of a Commission rule will depend on the specific facts at hand. The ultimate test is not the size of the font or the location of the disclosure, although they are important considerations; the ultimate test is whether the information intended to be disclosed is actually conveyed to consumers.
There is no litmus test for determining whether a disclosure is clear and conspicuous, and in some instances, there may be more than one method that seems reasonable. In such cases, the best practice would be to select the method more likely to effectively communicate the information in question. Read more about specifics on clear and conspicuous disclosures.
Grantmaking Publicity
For each grant made by a nonprofit, a press release should be developed for external distribution and internal communications like your company’s newsletter, intranet and email to ensure that the employees and the public know the good you’re doing for the community.
Annual Meetings & Proxy Requirements
While you may not be a public company, you can use their requirements to manage your organization’s annual meetings with investors, banks or employees. A reporting company must comply with the SEC's proxy rules whenever its management submits proposals to shareholders that will be subject to a shareholder vote, usually at a shareholders’ meeting.
These rules get their name from the common practice of management asking shareholders to provide them with a document called a “proxy card” granting authority to vote the shareholders’ shares at the meeting. The proxy rules require the company to provide certain disclosures in a proxy statement to its shareholders, together with a proxy card in a specified format, when soliciting authority to vote the shareholders’ shares. Proxy statements describe matters up for shareholder vote, and include management and executive compensation information, if the shareholders are voting for the election of directors. If shareholders will take action on a matter but management is not soliciting proxies, the company must provide shareholders with an information statement that is similar to a proxy statement. The proxy rules also require the company to send an annual report to shareholders if the shareholders are voting for directors. The proxy rules also govern when your company must provide shareholder lists to investors and when it must include a proposal from a shareholder in its proxy statement or information statement.
If you aren’t a public company, this all may seem unnecessary, but you can look at the structure for guidance for your own annual meeting.
- You may not be required to have a public annual meeting, but it’s a great way to get everyone on the same page.
- While you don’t have to tell “investors” that you are having an annual meeting, consider who you might want to attend.
- Send a notice of the agenda, or at least let people know what the topics may be.
- Provide information in advance, if you want people to be able to ask questions.
- Plan a program that segments ideas into groups that make sense: HR, Operations, Product Development, Finance, etc.
- Provide opportunities for engagement via technology, messaging or in-person Q&As.
“External communications, on the other hand, have the singular objective of establishing and maintaining a proper reputation in support of the ‘corporate’ policy. This could include information about its commercial, financial and community policies.” - Fernandez, J. Corporate Communications: A 21st Century Primer.
FAQs
Your external corporate communications are directly related to your company’s success or failure, which is often determined by your bottom line. From the way your brand is perceived to the confidence of your stakeholders, external communications that deliver clear, concise and accurate information are far more likely to foster customer satisfaction and strong brand relationships. Positive external communications are also important to talent recruitment efforts. Bringing high-level talent to your team improves employee quality, giving your organization a competitive advantage.
First, be proactive, instead of reactive. Give your CEO media training, to ensure they are aware of what is and isn’t appropriate to say, both from the viewpoint of the company industry, political leanings, etc. and from their role as a person in senior leadership. Be sure to prepare the CEO before any speaking appearances, and help draft internal communications going to a wider audience. Lastly, be prepared for when all of this is thrown to the way-side, and make sure there are crisis communications ready to respond to anything out of left field.
Corporate communications covers all items communicated by a company. Externally, this can include annual reports to shareholders, social media and website content and crisis updates. Internally, regular newsletters, personnel announcements, employer match campaigns, etc. are all under the “corporate communications” umbrella. The goal of all communications is to shape how the company is understood by all relevant parties.
Yes, all companies need corporate communications. Corporate communications is just how you are sharing information (communicating) with your internal and external stakeholders. These necessary communications keep your employees and external stakeholders informed and engaged, and can also protect your reputation. Having centralized corporate communications ensures your brand has a clear, consistent voice across all channels.
To ensure strategic, consistent, and professionally managed messaging, both internally and externally, consider hiring a corporate communications expert. A dedicated professional can help shape your public image, avoid missteps, and keep employees informed and aligned. External partners offer a wealth of experience and knowledge to support organizational growth and goal achievement, or to assist in developing and implementing new goals. You have flexible options for integrating an external partner, such as maintaining a sole point of contact or embedding them directly within your team, both offering assistance while allowing you to maintain control.