Have you ever assessed your business strategy through the lens of your corporate message? You should. Architecting a corporate message that will pull your business strategy forward is key to your success. However, there is often a lack of connectivity between an organization’s strategy and its messaging. And even worse, it is frequently left to the interpretation of others.
What causes the business strategy and corporate message to be misaligned? In short: constant change. New product launches, new regulations, new leadership, industry shifts, mergers and acquisitions, business growth and geographic expansion all impact the alignment of corporate messaging and business strategy. If messaging doesn’t pull the business strategy forward, misalignment may create the following barriers for growth:
- Sales cycles slow or stall
- Customers are confused
- Employees perform poorly
- Revenue opportunities are missed
- Merger or acquisition integrations fail
It takes commitment — illustrated through both clarity and buy-in — to align your business strategy with corporate messaging. To gain clarity, schedule an alignment session each year with your leadership team, or anytime a major market disruptor occurs, to vet alignment issues. Your alignment session may include variations of the following:
- Discuss the ripple effect of disruptions to your strategy and messaging alignment
- Review the industry and competitive landscape
- Discuss market opportunities from a customer point of view
- Surface channel and customer trends and challenges
- Assess options for unique points of difference and competitive advantages
- Determine where you are placing your “bets”
- Agree to areas of expected decline or significant growth
- Discuss how product or service roadmaps should evolve
To gain buy-in, start at the top. But don’t stop there. Individuals in mid-management are less likely to be engaged in the actual development. They may have details, but still expect direction. At the lower levels, most employees depend on the commitment from immediate managers and peers. You must make believers of everyone in your organization, requiring an intentional, disciplined and on-going alignment and communications strategy.
As a business leader, one of the most effective ways you can leverage your time and influence is to be prepared at every opportunity to reinforce understanding of the business strategy and how that strategy connects with your corporate messaging.
Learn the three key steps to creating a clear, compelling and consistent story in this article in Texas CEO Magazine.
