Communication with strategic relevance

Faced with challenges that threatened the survival of companies in this pandemic context, the priority was to ensure the sustainability of the operation, guarantee jobs, meet commitments to suppliers and partners and adapt to the new national and international environment. On the other hand, it is also necessary to safeguard the future, so that this scenario does not repeat itself without a planned response.

Against this backdrop of obstacles to contact with the various stakeholders of an organization, what is the relevance and role of communication? And how can it be done effectively?

The study "InterComm Report - B2B Communication Trends in Global Businesses (InterComm)", developed by the School of Social Communication of the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon and SayU Consulting - Evoke Network, with the support of aicep Portugal Global, presents a portrait of the role of Communication in building and managing relationships with the public. stakeholders of Portuguese organizations, which focus on selling to other companies and relevant international businesses.

As well as a study that identifies trends, InterComm also aims to help reflection and action, identifying ways of responding to current and future challenges. It is therefore important, now more than ever, to talk about communication. There is sometimes an understanding of communication as the mere transmission of information between sender and receiver. Managing communication is, in fact, managing interaction and seeking dialog and negotiation in order to achieve a certain goal. It is communication that allows companies to give meaning and add value to their relationship with the market and support a set of processes that are the basis of B2B: trust, credibility, cooperation, clarity and knowledge.

More than 1/4 of the companies surveyed don't believe that communication has a strategic relevance and/or don't yet give it a prominent place in the paths to be taken, and although customers and employees are obviously at the top of the list. top of mind of these organizations, more than 20% do not have a continuous and assiduous relationship with other stakeholders, namely: their suppliers and partners.

The scenario we've been experiencing for a year now has made it clear that it's time to rethink this approach to communication, and now is the time for top management to understand what communication can do to make companies more competitive.

The need and importance for companies to intentionally build and manage relationships with the different interlocutors in their value chain is now more evident. Communication, understood as a comprehensive strategic function, allows companies not only to sell products and services, but also to gain notoriety and cement their reputation, making them more successful in achieving their business goals.

It is possible for a company to survive without communicating, but it will be more efficient if it intentionally and strategically manages the communication processes with the different stakeholders. stakeholders. In the current context, investment in building this relationship is decisive and promises to be a key advantage in the post-pandemic world.

By Ana RaposoProfessor at the School of Social Communication and Pro-President for Strategic Communication at the Polytechnic of Lisbon, and Marta Gonçalves, Managing Partner of SayU Consulting

In Leader