Nigel Lucas

'Right-Size' your communications. Make sure you're not 'scaring the horses' when it's actually not that big a deal. So, make sure your comms is in context. Try not to raise expectations, as your planned 'go-live' date may be pushed back. Better to say this is the planned date, rather than this 'will' happen on this date. Have answers pre-prepared for questions from staff, external stakeholders and media.

Time sensitive communications rely heavily on audiences' understanding and acceptance of the time scale. I've found that creating a Countdown Campaign helps enormously. You can achieve this in a number of ways: 1. An A1 Countdown Calendar in main office areas - changed daily. 2. A countdown calendar on opening pages when folks sign-on to their laptops. 3. A weekly simple e-newsletter covering what happened last week and what's coming up this week. 4. Core briefings for team meetings and 'huddles'. 5. A series of Town Halls where the CEO can talk to staff directly.....and take questions.

Tell audiences: 1. What's happening and when it's happening? 2. Why this is happening? The key drivers. 3. How this impacts them, plus the organisation? 4. What they need to do and by when. 5. What happens next? 6. Where can they get more information from and how can they give feedback.

People really love stories. Writing great stories will see more of your readers likely to follow you and buy-in to your product or service. Almost half will share your story. What’s more, your stories will stay in the customer’s memory at multiple levels. In addition: Captivating stories can move audiences towards action. Learning by storytelling is a more effective way to anchor your brand in your customer’s subconscious. Storytelling can be used to explain complex concepts or processes, making them easier for users to understand products and specific aspects. Finally, positive storytelling significantly adds to an audience’s trust in a brand. You don't need to be a good storyteller yourself - but it helps!

You have a finite budget when it comes to marketing - so careful how you spend it. You can waste an awful lot of time and money chasing digital marketing 'rainbows' that seemed like a good idea at the time because everyone else seemed to be doing the same. Once you have found your brand voice - it's your job to ensure its heard by your customers. So, seek them out and go where they are. Give them answers to their pain points, show that you know their business inside-out. Give them tips about doing business better. Then, when your team has finished in the marketing 'playschools' start building your brand profile on LinkedIn.

This engagement message follows on quite nicely from my first comment about keeping your brand voice relevant. You have two ears and one mouth for good reason. Listen to your customers, anticipate their mood changes and react swiftly. The process to follow is - communicate and listen to them, engage with them whenever you can, and then involve them in your marketing and how you change. They will then be ripe for becoming your brand ambassadors.