What is corporate communications?
The four functions of corporate communications
Like a good haircut, most people can’t define corporate communications, but they know it when they see it.
You probably see, read and receive corporate communications daily, though you might not know it.
So what is corporate communications? Corporate communications is the method used to keep audiences engaged and informed and, unlike marketing, rarely has selling as a goal (but sometimes they do!)
Functionally this typically looks like four main areas of work:
Internal communications
This could include employee communications, building company culture, diversity, internal equity and inclusion work, and stakeholder communications (Board, C-Suite, investors, etc.)
Crisis communications
In the face of an unintended or unexpected event, crisis communicators develop and share messaging to protect a business’s reputation and manage the narrative. Every time a celebrity does something wild, I say a little prayer for their crisis comms person.
Customer communications
This is where the most overlap happens with marketing and may look like newsletters, blog posts, website copy, and social media. Marketing often develops the strategy and supplies decision-making insights, but the communications team usually provides the content.
Media and PR communications
Aimed at garnering positive brand awareness and reputation, media and PR communications focus on elevating the business's good works and positive identity and may include press releases, media pitching, corporate social responsibility, and thought leadership.
Communications professionals can help clarify the goals or objectives of an organization, develop strategy, determine audiences and decide how and when to share information with them.
When done well, corporate communications is your favorite hype-gal, informative podcast, and knowledgeable coworker all rolled into one strategic message. It can make you love a brand, including the one you work for.
