14 must-have communication tools to get your business off the ground
Today, communication is essential. As a company, talking about your brand and keeping in touch with your users is essential to your success. With competition on the rise and consumer curiosity on the rise, the key to differentiating yourself from the competition lies in your communications!
Certain tools are needed to optimize the way you communicate and adapt your message to a wide range of target audiences.
Whether you're an SME or a major corporation, you need to use these tools and adapt them to your business.
👉 Here are 14 tools we've selected to inspire you and help you improve your external communications.
#1 Logo
The logo is the main element of your company's visual identity. It provides a point of reference for your company and links your various products and services. It can be found on :
- your website,
- your stores,
- press releases,
- your social networks, etc.
👉 What it contains:
- symbols and typography,
- various formats,
- transparent or colored background.
✅ Advantages:
- quick identification,
- conveys your image,
- eye-catching,
- gives a unique personality.
#2 Graphic charter
The graphic charter is the essential support for all communications. It's a reference document containing the basic rules for using the graphic signs that make up the visual identity of a company or brand. As a company, you can't do without it!
👉 What it contains:
- logo and symbols,
- typography,
- color codes.
✅ Its assets :
- consistent communication,
- summary document,
- time-saving content creation,
- rapid brand recognition by the public.
#3 Website
The vast majority of French people spend more than 2 hours a day on the Internet. It acts as a showcase for your brand, provided it's well designed. It can help you sell your products, inform your visitors or even recruit talent.
👉 What it contains :
- form: responsive, design, ergonomics, speed,
- content: product descriptions, customer testimonials, logo, links, etc.
✅ Its assets:
- consultable at any time and by anyone,
- control over your communication,
- generates leads,
- helps you sell.
#4 Business card
A business card is an essential tool for disseminating information about your company to your professional network and prospective customers. Most often, business cards are passed on :
- at trade shows,
- during a first meeting with a prospect,
- to your network for distribution, etc.
👉 What it contains:
- last name,
- first name,
- website
- address, etc .
Be careful not to overload it!
✅ Its assets :
- Conveys essential information,
- customizable,
- fast and affordable,
- allows you to expand your professional network.
#5 Catalog
The catalog, sometimes called a book, is a sales presentation tool that helps sales reps with their sales pitch.
The catalog can be in physical format to accompany the salesperson, but also in digital format for easier distribution and regular updating.
👉 What it contains :
- product catalog,
- commercial characteristics,
- sales pitch,
- company presentation, etc.
✅ Its advantages :
- sales support for employees,
- constitutes a reference system,
- gathers all necessary information,
- demonstrates professionalism.
#6 Poster advertising
Poster advertising hasn't disappeared - on the contrary, this paper format is still an effective means of communication! Posters are a vehicle for communicating about an offer, an event or a product.
👉 What it contains:
- contact details,
- attractive image or photo,
- slogan,
- text.
✅ Its assets :
- choice of format,
- captures consumers' attention,
- choice of location,
- choice of audience.
#7 Trade shows
Participating in trade shows is an integral part of your company's communication strategy. It helps you meet new prospects, expand your network or even take orders.
👉 What your stand contains:
- counter,
- hanging sign.
- kakemono.
- document holder,
- product demonstrations, etc .
✅ Its advantages :
- meet better suppliers,
- stand out from the competition,
- increase your company's visibility,
- detect trends.
#8 Blog
Having a website is all well and good, but creating a blog is a great way for your company to gain even greater visibility on the web. It allows you to share your content with your visitors, future customers and clients. The success of your marketing strategy and your blog depends on interesting, regular and varied content.
👉 What it contains :
- article,
- tutorial,
- case studies,
- comparative articles, etc.
✅ Its assets:
- proves your expertise,
- increases customer acquisition,
- builds user loyalty,
- improves your website's SEO.
#9 Social networks
Today, social networks have become an indispensable part of corporate communications. It's essential to optimize your social networking strategy to get the most out of these platforms.
Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn, each network must be chosen according to the characteristics of your company and the target you want to reach.
👉 What it contains:
- presenting your company,
- content sharing,
- regular publications,
- links to your website and blog.
✅ Its assets :
- instant communication,
- community building,
- generate traffic to your site,
- win new customers and retain existing ones.
#10 Digital advertising
Digital advertising is the use of the web to deliver your ads to consumers via a variety of channels. The big plus of this communication tool is the possibility, thanks to cookies, of targeting web users according to their centers of interest, purchasing behavior, habits, etc.
👉 What it contains:
- SEA,
- display,
- retargeting,
- native advertising, etc.
✅ Its strengths:
- reach millions of people worldwide,
- precise statistics,
- various forms (images, videos, text),
- almost instant optimization.
#11 Newsletter
The newsletter enables your company to communicate directly with your customers or prospects via email. Creating an effective newsletter enables you to quickly reach a large number of specific customers and prospects. The newsletter can be sent periodically: monthly, quarterly, weekly or daily.
👉 What it contains:
- subject,
- recipient,
- subject: news, information, advice, advertising,
- social networks, etc.
✅ Its advantages:
- target and personalize your mailings,
- easy and inexpensive,
- maintain your leads,
- build customer loyalty.
#12 Webinar
A webinar is an online conference held both internally and externally. They can be used for a variety of purposes, including training, product demonstrations and tutorials.
The webinar is a powerful tool for engaging your brand with potential customers anywhere in the world.
👉 What it contains:
- introduction (speaker presentation, reminder of purpose and summary),
- presentation,
- product demo,
- questions and answers.
✅ Its assets:
- shared with a large number of people,
- interactive,
- possibility of replaying the conference,
- saves time and money.
#13 SMS
Sending an SMS is still a very effective communication tool. With a 95% read rate, SMS reaches virtually the entire target audience! This communication tool can be used for a variety of occasions and objectives.
👉 What it contains :
- promotional offers, invitations and competitions ;
- informative alerts ;
- personalized messages (birthdays, holidays, etc.);
- satisfaction surveys or polls.
✅ Advantages:
- low cost,
- fast, direct communication,
- increases customer loyalty,
- high reactivity rate.
#14 Messaging and chatbot
An instant messaging service or chatbot is an essential part of your after-sales service or customer relations strategy. As a company, it's important to keep in touch with your customers and answer their various questions quickly.
👉 What it contains:
- chatbot: generic, predefined text, contextualized information elements based on data provided by the user ;
- messaging: located directly on your website or social networks.
✅ Advantages:
- stimulate customer engagement and increase loyalty,
- the two are complementary,
- improve the customer experience,
- provide a better understanding of issues.
Complementary communication tools
There are many communication tools with different objectives. Some, like blogging, are used to acquire new customers. Others, such as display advertising, are more focused on visibility, while social networks play a role in building customer loyalty. These tools are therefore complementary and can all form part of your communication strategy, despite their differences.
💡 Thanks to some specialist communications software, you can quickly and easily optimize your communication!
Beyond external communication, internal communication also has its own set of tools to discover and exploit! Wondering what in-house communication tools are available? Find out in our dedicated article!
Article translated from French