Introduction to Corporate Identity and Corporate Communications
Corporate identity is the image of the organization presented to the outside world. The company's identity defines its target audience's culture, values, and ideas. At the same time, corporate communication is when a business or a company communicates with people inside or outside the corporate premises.
You can create your corporate identity by establishing corporate communications with internal and external audiences. A corporate can communicate with its audience through several forms, which include press releases, emails, interviews, advertisements, and other promotions.
How to Create a Corporate Identity
The process of creating your corporate identity starts by making your organization’s portfolio. Your audience needs to know where your organization is along with its vision and mission. The services you provide to your target audience and the culture of your business are all part of creating your corporate identity.
You can start by creating a plan and plotting out the steps that you will take to create your corporate identity. You will need a logo, an about section to define your services to your audience, and a colour theme for your company.
Purpose of Corporate Identity
Corporate identity differentiates your brand from competitors and makes you stand out for your unique services.
Your corporate identity helps you establish good communication with your customers to build your identity around them and spread awareness about your brand. This process will help you stand out from your competition.
Key Elements of Corporate Identity
Corporate identity is created with corporate culture, design, behaviour, and communication. All these key elements target different aspects of corporate identity discussed below.
1. Corporate Culture
Corporate culture defines the values, beliefs, how the company's individuals interact, their behaviour, and the way they do business with other companies.
2. Corporate Design
The corporate design includes branding, products, and services the company is comprised of, and it is part of corporate identity as it describes the essential components of the organization.
3. Corporate Behaviour
Corporate behaviour comprises of the company's ethical strategies and actions as an organization. Corporate behaviour defines the image and code of conduct of the organization.
4. Corporate Communication
Corporate communication is essential to corporate identity; your company is known by how you communicate with your customers and your target audience. Corporate communication leaves a significant impact on one's business if done right.
What are Corporate Communications?
Corporations have communication departments to monitor and carry out engagements with customers. They communicate with their target audience through their public relations department, which itself communicates through emails, flyers, brochures, social media, website copy, and newsletters.
Functions of Corporate Communication
Corporate communications work by following these tactics below.
1. Public Relations and Media
In this technique, the company communicates with the general audience with the help of the media. It involves product launches, news conferences, interviews, and creating flyers and banners for the public to visualize.
Corporations also distribute press releases for more coverage. If someone spreads misinformation about the company, the media also stand to address the issue for the public and manages the corporations' reputation.
2. Marketing and Customer Communications
However, marketing and customer communications are two different departments, but they both focus on the target audience. In marketing, the company shows their products how the audience wants them, and they focus on its customers' interests. While in customer communications, the company communicates directly with customers through emails, social media advertisements, postcards, and other promotion strategies.
3. Internal Communications
Internal communications are for the individuals inside the organization. They use emails and memos for announcements and initiatives by the company.
These communication teams compile employee resources and create handbooks, flyers, and other printed material for employees. Corporate communication helps in training sessions and group brainstorming sessions among different teams of employees.
4. Crisis Communication
Crisis communication is necessary when a company is facing some issues and going through unfavourable events that risk potentially damaging its reputation. The communication department organizes interviews and briefings to discuss the ongoing issue in front of company representatives.
They also assist the company representatives on how to speak with the press and what to tell them. Companies don’t need to go over and expose all their internal matters to the public.
The communication team protects the organization’s reputation and communicates with the government regulators, emergency responders, attorneys and politicians whenever needed to protect the organisation's ability to do business.
Skills Required for Corporate Communications
If you want to acquire a career in corporate communications, you should concentrate on skills that will boost your career in the long run. The skills required for corporate communications include public speaking skills, writing skills, presentation skills, communication with data, critical thinking is essential, and technical and research skills are all important for corporate communication.
Corporate communication is mostly with clients, customers, the general public, or other representatives from different corporate offices. Writing skills come in handy when dealing with media and newsletters, and presentation skills when presenting something to your employees or customers regarding your organization.
Research and critical thinking are good when you learn and search from various sources to educate yourself about your content. You can communicate well if you know your stuff and can easily convey it to others.
Conclusion
Corporate identity defines your organisation's culture, values, and beliefs and where you stand in the market. It facilitates how you can outstand your competitors by building your unique brand. At the same time, corporate communication helps build your corporate identity and how you can communicate with your customers and the general public and represent your company’s identity.
