How to Build an External Communication Plan for Your Brand

Effective external communications are crucial to building trust in your business. Shoppers are increasingly making purchase decisions based on a company’s reputation. A 2022 report from IBM found that 44% of all consumers seek out brands and products based on how a company aligns with their values. To convey your values and strengthen your brand image, it’s essential to have a well-defined external communications strategy. This strategy lays out how to communicate your values through press releases, social media, and other advertising. 

In this guide, we’ll break down how to build an external communication plan for your brand, including how to set goals, identify the right channels to leverage, and create content that’s relevant to your target audiences. 

What goes into an external communication plan?

An external communication plan details how your brand will engage with your target audiences, such as customers, investors, social media followers, and industry partners. It helps ensure consistent and effective communication with external stakeholders and maintain positive impressions of your brand. 

A successful external communications plan defines how you will convey your brand’s unique value proposition to your audience. It will guide any announcements or marketing campaigns you decide to implement. 

For example, the external communications plan will outline how to:  

• Connect the marketing strategy to the business strategy
• Implement a brand style and voice in line with the company’s strategy
• Promote the brand on social media
• Respond to customer feedback consistently and in line with company values

Internal versus external communication plan

An external communication plan is solely concerned with communicating with external stakeholders. An internal communication plan, on the other hand, is designed to communicate with employees and internal stakeholders. It covers details, such as organizational standards, company policies, and approval workflows. 

An external communication plan is used to maintain positive relationships with external parties, while an internal communication plan is used to guide, inform, and motivate employees.

How to build an external communication strategy

An external communication plan starts by defining your business goals and then determining the best ways to communicate those goals to an external audience.

1. Define your business goals

Defining your business goals forms the foundation of any effective external communication plan. These objectives serve as guiding principles, ensuring all efforts align with the organization's broader strategic vision.

Some common examples of business goals are: 

• Maintain a positive brand image
• Increase customer loyalty
• Increase engagement with your target audience 

2. Research your target audiences

Determine the different groups of external stakeholders with whom you will communicate. Detail the social media channels your audience uses, what media they engage with, and other insights into how they consume content. These details will help you determine which platforms to focus on and tailor your content to their interests and needs. 

You need to cross-reference your audience breakdown with your business objectives to find the platforms that tick all the boxes for your brand. Make sure you link the target audience research you conduct with your overall communication goals — whether that’s increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting sales.

3. Establish your brand voice

No matter how many audiences you identify, your brand needs to communicate consistently in one voice. Use your external communication plan to outline the personality you want your brand to convey. Will your brand sound authoritative, friendly, humorous, or something else? Create brand voice guidelines that are platform-agnostic and connect with your brand values. 

4. Choose your communication channels

Based on your audience research, determine which communication channels you will use to promote your brand. Consider where your target audiences spend their time online and offline. You’ll likely use a few different options for your outreach, including social media, email marketing, content marketing, public relations, and events. Different audience segments may have different channel preferences, so make it clear which platforms are the highest priority. 

5. Build a content calendar 

Create an editorial calendar outlining your communication activities for the upcoming months, including topics, channels, and timing. Align your messaging with your business goals for the month, quarter, and year. 

This is also a good time to define workflows. Outline roles and responsibilities, such as who creates content, who schedules content for posting, and who needs to approve messaging before it gets published. Answer all of these questions in your external communication strategy to make sure there is no confusion when you put your plan into action.