Stuck in the middle? Why it might be time to invest in a communications manager

Businesses are facing a hard time communicating with their employees and stakeholders, especially with the emergence of remote workplaces and economic uncertainty.

Executives spend over 3 hours per week trying to communicate essential information to their teams. Despite the many hours put into communication, the information may not be passed effectively or can be overlooked, resulting in lost productivity.

A communication manager can tackle issues of poor communication in an organization and ensure clarity and direction. They will devise and implement communication programs that serve the organization’s vision and mission.

Who is a communication manager?

A communication manager is responsible for establishing a company’s communication strategy that is profitable and consistent with your brand image. They facilitate an open flow of information among teams, companies, stakeholders, and internal and external parties.

Although facilities may have varying names for a communication manager, some of which include communication director, public relations manager, and campaign manager, their roles are alike.

The major roles of a communication manager include the following;

• Brand building: One of the most successful modern marketing strategies is creating a strong brand awareness that aligns with your business vision and mission statements. Subsequently, communication managers are responsible for building a consistent brand identity personalized to consumers' needs, resulting in a 10-20% revenue growth.
• Developing and implementing communication strategies: Communication managers use audience and market research insights to develop and implement relevant communication strategies between teams, companies, employees, and consumers. This includes communication materials like blogs and newsletters.
• Handle media relations: Public relations managers take the spotlight when it comes to media relations. Even in a crisis, they navigate the company through the media frenzy by issuing statements and organizing interviews.
• Managing relations: Maintaining good relationships with the investors, public, and media is crucial for the success of your business. A communication manager is the contact person between such bodies and your company. They manage these relations by sharing accurate information, staying consistent, and maintaining a corporate image.

In a nutshell, communication managers are the backbone of your brand identity and image.

Why you should invest in a communication manager

Effective communication in the workplace is crucial for business success. It helps in employee cooperation and management, facilitates innovation, and assists in building and maintaining relations.

Businesses that fail to emphasize proper communication risk hurting their productivity efforts. According to a communication barrier survey, some of the disadvantages of ill communication include the following:

• 52% of respondents say it leads to added stress
• 44% claim that it causes a delay or failure to finish a project
• 31% sight a reduction in morale
• 25% said that it led to missed performance goals
• 20% sight it as an obstacle to innovation
• 18% relate it to lost sales
• 13% claim it has led to slow career progression
• 13% of respondents have experienced losing a client
• 5% say it has led them to disciplinary action

5 benefits of hiring a communication manager

Hiring a communication manager can be a lifesaver for your business. A communication manager can be your first line of defense or offense — for corporations, news organizations, and even for individuals themselves. Some of the benefits of hiring a communication manager include the following;

They build and maintain relationships

Organizations with good public relations managers have strong and effective communication channels that help build and maintain positive encounters with stakeholders, including employees. This leads to increased productivity and revenue at the workplace.

Easy employee management

Some conversations can be difficult to have at the workplace. For instance, not anyone can offer constructive criticism to employees at the workplace. Without proper communication skills, such sensitive information may be wrongly perceived as fateful.

A good communication manager understands how to effectively offer constructive criticism in a manner that is compassionate and caring leading to employee appreciation. Eventually, this boosts employee relationships and performance.

Helps in company expansion

Internal and external communication is crucial for the growth of a business. Strong internal communication enables employees to understand their roles in the company and why they’re important.

On the other hand, external communication helps consumers understand what an organization does and why they’re the best in the business. As a result, the business earns more market share, employee loyalty, and customer trust.

Good communication facilitates innovation

Effective and efficient communication managers create strong communication channels that enable stakeholders to share their ideas openly. With increased communication and stakeholder cooperation, it becomes easier to turn such ideas into innovative solutions.

Promotes open communication and transparency

Frequent internal and external communications help companies to be transparent about their operations as information is readily available to anyone. Open communication channels allow customers to look up the company’s operations and verify product quality leading to improved customer loyalty and trust.

Is a communication manager right for you?

With a communication manager in your team, you can achieve so much by effectively collaborating with your stakeholders. But is a communication manager right for you?

Indeed, not everyone may find it satisfying to hire a communication manager. So, here’s what you may want to consider before creating a role for a communication manager in your business.

What’s the size of your organization?

Small businesses often work with limited budgets and may want to contract an external communication manager to effectively manage their finances.

As for big and well-established businesses, investing in a full-time communication manager role is a great choice to help them manage and improve the brand’s identity.

Look at your organogram

Technological advancements have made some positions in companies’ organograms no longer necessary. For instance, chatbots perform basic customer service functions instead of humans.  Your organogram should help identify positions you no longer need and the present gaps. By revising your organogram, you’ll find it easier to make space for a communication manager role in your facility.

Communication manager’s skills

Once you’ve made space for your communication manager, it’s time to look at the skills they bring on board. As a rule of thumb, a strong communication manager must be skilled in media relations and storytelling, crisis communication and issue management, strategic communication planning, digital proficiency and social media savvy, interpersonal skills, and team leadership.

Analyze the results of your current communication channels

Tracking the performance of your current communication channels is important in analyzing whether you need a communication manager. If the results aren’t satisfactory enough, you should consider hiring a communication manager.

At Adriana Lacy Consulting, we’re passionate about transforming your business to reach new heights through our broad range of services- including communication management.

As a sign of our commitment to your success, we’ve partnered with industry leaders to provide our clients with an edge in the marketplace.

We offer a dynamic blend of creative and strategic services that deliver tailored solutions to drive growth, improve brand visibility, and deliver measurable results.

Book an appointment now to bring your vision to life or contact us here.