Business communication strategies are important to businesses because effective communication with people within and outside the business is a vital part of business operations. The particular business communication strategies selected by the business is dependent on a number of factors that include the values of the business, what it is trying to achieve through the communication, and the type of communication channel it wants to use. Effective business communication strategies must also include a clear definition of the audience the business is trying to reach.
The initial portion of business communication strategies usually include an identification of the corporate values of the organization. A clear understanding of the values of the business will help shape the tone of the business communications strategies. For instance, if the company is profit-driven, then this will be imbued in the communication plan. On the other hand, if the business is more concerned with ethics than with profit, then the business can construct its business communication strategies to reflect this value.
Internal communication differs from external communication in tone due to the fact that the internal communication is more detailed, and often more official. On the other hand, external communication may be more cosmetic and targeted to just one idea, product or service that the business is trying to promote. In the same sense, the communications that the business has with its fellow business partners, shareholders, distributors or associates and suppliers will have a different tone than the other types of communication since they will be more official. The purpose of the communication also plays a role in the type of business communications strategies, meaning that the fact that the communication is meant to be official will dictate the type of communication method. For instance, if the purpose for the business communication is a meeting between partners then props like slides, graphs, projectors, brochures and other forms of communication channels will be used to fully illustrate the points.
The target consumer demographic is a determinant of business communication strategies since this will help in the identification of the appropriate business communication channels. For example, if the company conducts market research and identifies the target demographic for a particular product is teenage girls, the company will be able to decide how best to communicate with this demographic. The methods and channels for communication with such a demographic will differ from the methods for communicating with middle-aged businessmen.