Business Communication

Many people think that Business Communication is just about writing. Of course it is about writing but I see it also as making Communication Plans, based on Analysis and Research.

Business Communication is about sending the right Message via the right Medium to the right People on the right Moment, with the right Effect.

Lasswell’s verbal communication-model

• Business Communication can make people feel positive about a Company and its Brands.
• Business Communication can make people feel belonging together. It can turn a collection of individuals into a group.
  • The only way to make people feel positive about a Company and its Brands is to send the right Message to the right People on the right Moment.
• With Business Communication a Company tries to control the messages it sends intentionally and unintentionally about the Company, its Brands and its Products.
  • Business Communication is about sending messages intentionally, but often people do not interpret the message as the company intended. So, many messages are sent unintentionally.

Business Communication: The process of ensuring a sustainable emotional relationship with the target groups of a company (or organisation), by generating a positive attitude among the members of those target groups, towards this company (this organisation), its brands and its products (goods and services).

Read below:

• Emotional vs. Transactional Relationship
• Business Communication on 4 Levels
• Relation between Business Policy, Marketing Strategy & Business Communication
• Business Communication includes
• See also

Business Communication can turn a collection of individuals into a group of fans for an Organisation or Brand.

Emotional Relationship vs. Transactional Relationship

Both Business Communication and Marketing Strategy aim at ensuring a sustainable relationship with target groups, but Marketing is about exchange of Products (goods & services) for Money. Therefore Marketing Strategy will maintain a Transactional Relationship, whereas Business Communication will maintain an Emotional Relationship.

Business Communication on 4 Levels

Business Communication is about sending the right Message via the right Medium to the right People on the right Moment with the right Effect. This can be a message about a Product (good or service), it can be a message about a Brand, or it can be a message about a Company. Often all these messages are sent at the same time.

With Business Communication a Company tries to control the messages it sends intentionally and unintentionally about the Company, its Brands and its Products. It is therefore an alternative for Marketing Strategy and can be applied on four levels:

Organisation Communication Level	Strategic Communication Level	Tactical Communication Level	Operational Communication Level
What message does the Company communicate?	What message does the Brand communicate?	What message does the Campaign communicate?	What message do the Medium & the Content communicate?
Very long term	Long term	Short term	Very short term
Infinite period	Unlimited period	Limited period	Here and now

Relation between Business Policy, Marketing Strategy & Business Communication

Often Communication is seen as Marketing-Communication: the ‘P’ of Promotion in the marketing-mix. Communication is then seen as a tool to reach marketing-goals. Marketing-goals are derived from the general policy of a Company. According to this vision the relation between Business Policy, Marketing Strategy & Business Communication should be as follows:

Business Policy -> Marketing Strategy -> Business Communication

This may work in a business-environment in which Marketing and Sales are dominant, a business-environment that is dominated by consumers. But more and more, the long-term needs and wants become apparent. And with that the long-term interests of society.

Therefore companies are forced to look further: beyond the market and to society as a whole. Beyond Transactional relationships and also to Emotional relationships. In this business-environment communication can not be subordinate to marketing, but it should be at the same level.

The ideal relation between Organisation Policy, Marketing Policy and Communication Policy.

Business Communication includes:

• Marketing-Communication
• Corporate Communication
• Internal Communication
• Branding
• Candidate Communication
• Content Marketing
• etc.

See also:

• ABC: Association for Business Communication
• Book: Business Communication Today