Pioneering study of B2B Communication in global markets reveals a role at the strategic center of the focus on Communication for companies with a B2B and export focus. Adapting to the new national and international scenario is to rethink and reorganize the contribution of effective communication with stakeholders.
The role of communication in building and managing relationships with the stakeholders of Portuguese organizations that focus on selling to other companies - Business-to-Business (B2B) - and international business is the focus of the InterComm Report - B2B Communication Trends in Global Businesses (InterComm). The study was developed by the Lisbon Polytechnic Institute's School of Social Communication and SayU Consulting - Evoke Network, with the support of aicep - Portugal Global.
The conclusions obtained allow us to identify some relevant insights into the way companies look at Communication and integrate it into their overall business structure and strategy, in a context of market redefinition, the way organizations approach their audiences and the greater weight of new formats and contact channels. From InterComm come major trends and an aid to reflection and action, identifying answers to current and future challenges.
The importance attributed to Communication is notorious and the short-term outlook is for this importance to increase.
75% of the organizations surveyed say that Communication is of "Very high" or "High" importance, and in general the Communication area is integrated into top management/administration. More than half of the companies say they have plans to increase investment in communication over the next six months, with a view to strengthening relations with their stakeholders.
The study also reveals that companies are aware of their limitations in this area: while customers and employees are a priority, more than 20% of those surveyed admit that they don't have a continuous and assiduous relationship with their suppliers and partners. At the same time, they recognize the need to implement an urgent change in the way they communicate.
"The results of the study point to an urgent need to look at PR investments differently. In order to be more competitive in the 'new normal', companies find it necessary to anticipate and implement new solutions that go beyond 'communicating the business'." " concludes Ana Raposo, the ESCS professor responsible for developing InterComm. "In order to fulfill the objective of adding value to the organization and making it more competitive, B2B Communication has to be guided by stakeholder mapping and management processes, always with business objectives in mind", says the researcher.
The success of B2B exporting companies is therefore directly related to effective communication with all stakeholders. This effectiveness involves enhancing their reputation and building and consolidating their relationships, publicizing innovation, building synergies and cooperating in a space for dialogue and negotiation.
"A company will be more efficient if it manages its communication processes with the different stakeholders in a planned and intentional way. So much so that in times of crisis or less positive times, Communication is the first function called upon to intervene"says Marta Gonçalves, Managing Partner of SayU Consulting and author of the study. "The scenario in which we have been living for more than a year, and which we are not sure when it will end, has made it clear that it is time to understand the strategic importance of Communication and its contribution to the competitiveness of companies"he adds.
This strategic dimension of communication for companies is the possible answer to facing a panorama of uncertainty and reorganization, in which there are various considerations to be translated into action: planned communication generates trust and leverages awareness; brands that don't communicate, don't differentiate themselves; evaluate a brand architecture that allows you to develop global market potential; to sell I have to communicate much more than products/services; B2B Communication has to combine Commercial, Technical and Institutional Communication; I can't break new ground alone, only by working in association and partnership with the right stakeholders can I grow across borders; it's essential to redefine the targets - to move away from the customer/partner/supplier/collaborator logic to a surgical and careful stakeholder management logic; virtual showrooms, webinars, flexible and fast multiplatform actions are good allies to continue to make a presence and enable differentiation.
Against a backdrop of the growing weight of exports in the economy, InterComm integrates national and international business experience, academic and technical knowledge, statistical information and contact with the market, through a survey of more than 120 national B2B exporting companies, to show ways of responding to the challenges these organizations may face in their search for contact opportunities and greater operational efficiency.
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