How coordinating your communication channels will increase the effectiveness of your message

A poster for Opportunity International’s Saving Circle Christmas Appeal, featuring a photo of Lucia by Kate Holt

Coordinating your communication channels is key to delivering high-impact and effective messages. Delivering the same message across your channels ensures consistency. As a result, the message and its meaning will become synonymous with your brand identity. Whether you currently utilise all of the communication channels discussed below, or only a selection, it is paramount to have them working in unison.

Before we go into more detail on why coordination is important, let’s first understand what some of the main communication channels are. In the online space, these are your social media pages, email marketing like newsletters, and blogs. In the offline space, these channels are often print, PR, and various forms of paid advertising. Paid adverts can also be utilised in the online space too; otherwise known as pay-per-click.

Leila’s story on the Opportunity International website

Why utilise all the communication channels?

Repetition = Remembered

In today’s world the interaction many people have with your organisation’s messages is fleeting. The more communication channels you use, the higher the chance your target audience will interact with the message; the more times the message is received, the more likely it is that the message will be remembered.

Leila’s story — Opportunity International

More channels mean more people

Using all communication channels at your disposal will also ensure the message reaches more people. Some people will only interact with certain channels. By coordinating a marketing campaign to be delivered across all communication channels simultaneously, you can ensure that you reach the person who may be signed up for the newsletter but doesn’t use social media; or those who read advertising on the tube, but don’t have time to read your blog.

How to use these communication channels effectively

Tailor your message to the channel

While it’s important to deliver a consistent marketing message across all of your channels, it is just as vital to tailor its delivery to the medium, because people will interact with your communication channels in different ways.

Take social media for example; each platform has a different audience, who have their own ways of consuming content. Your message should be delivered slightly differently on Twitter and Instagram to the same message on Facebook and LinkedIn. On Instagram, you should lead with the most striking imagery, while on LinkedIn your message might be accompanied by a more in-depth caption, aimed at promoting discussion; both posts would use the same photograph but just in different ways.

An Opportunity International post on Twitter

#Hashtags

Whether utilised in the online or offline space, the humble hashtag (#) has become a mainstay in marketing copy. Creating a ‘catchy’ hashtag specifically for a marketing campaign or message is a great way to make it more memorable. It can also be a good way to track the effectiveness of your campaign, particularly on social media where people may adopt your hashtag for use in their posts.

It is also a good idea to make use of established hashtags that tap into your message and target audience. Use these same hashtags across all of your different online marketing channels to deliver the message to people exploring issues like #SustainableDevelopment, whether it is on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Websites such as hashtagify.me can be a great resource for exploring hashtags that could apply to your brand and marketing message.

Coordination

Plan and organise the coordination of the delivery of your message across all communication channels. Create a delivery strategy, whether that is utilising all communication channels to deliver the message simultaneously; or staggering the delivery over days or weeks.

Isabelle, who received loans from Opportunity International bank, holds beans she has harvested from her farm in Ghana (photo: Kate Holt / Opportunity International)

Whichever format you decide on for delivery, ensure that the message and brand identity remains consistent across all channels. A good way to do this is by deciding on a striking and memorable image or slogan to lead your campaign. A consistent message, in conjunction with a coordinated and targeted delivery, will increase the impact and effectiveness of your message.

Arete creates your content and coordinates its delivery

An example of a strongly coordinated campaign was the Opportunity International Christmas appeal. Opportunity International coordinated a campaign that ran across the online and offline space; featuring in newspapers, bus shelters, social media and more.

Opportunity International’s ‘hero’ image, featuring Lucia, at a London bus stop (Kate Holt / Opportunity International)

At the heart of the campaign was a ‘hero image’ captured by Arete photojournalist Kate Holt. The captivating nature of this image led to it being used in every aspect of the Christmas appeal campaign and is a great indicator of how coordinating your content can increase the effectiveness of your message.

Blog post on the Opportunity International website

Coordinating the delivery of your marketing messages across multiple communication channels is easier said than done. At Arete, this is where we step into the fore. We work with organisations including UNICEF, the Disaster Emergency Committee and Opportunity International to create dynamic and engaging content that makes their campaigns stand out.

One-year-old Nyabora is held by her mother in South Sudan (Photo: Andreea Campeanu / Disasters Emergency Committee)

To talk to our team about creating content for your next campaign, through to coordinating its delivery, contact us here.