What Is Corporate Communications?

Think of a big cruise ship out on the big, open ocean. For that ship to reach its destination safely, everyone has to be in sync. The captain has to give a clear order to the crew, the crew has to work together and the passengers have to know where to go, what the safety rules are and what entertainment there is. When the ship hits a storm, the people on board need calm, accurate updates, so that they don’t panic.

That cruise ship is just like a modern enterprise. There are hundreds or thousands of employees, investors, customers and media outlets all looking at the business. Who ensures the right message gets to the right person at the right time? The answer is Corporate Communications (a.k.a. “CorpComms”).

Corporate Communications Explained

The essence of corporate communications is the strategic management of all communications within and outside the company workplace. It’s the department that creates and maintains a company’s cohesive voice.

If a company has a voice, it's almost invariably the corporate communications team that wrote, edited or approved the email, video or statement. To understand how it works, it helps to break corporate communications into its two main categories: Internal Communications and External Communications.

The Golden Thread Of Business

Now, we’re in a fast-paced, highly connected world where information is instantaneous. One misinterpreted email from a manager can turn the whole office upside down and a badly worded tweet can kill off a company’s stock price in minutes.

The next time you read an official statement from a major brand, see a CEO do a polished television interview or read a transparent email update from your employer, remember: you are seeing the careful, deliberate work of a corporate communications team making sure the company’s voice stays clear, unified and strong.

Internal Communications In Corporations

The company can’t serve its customers well if its own people are confused, unhappy or out of the loop. Internal communications is the art of informing, motivating and engaging a company’s people around the core mission of the business.

When a company gets beyond a few dozen people, you can’t just shout updates across the office anymore. Internal communications teams have a number of tools to keep everyone connected.

Company-Wide Memos And Emails

When something big happens, like a new CEO, change in company benefits or a new office opening, the CorpComms team writes the official announcement.

The Corporate Intranet

Most large companies have a private, internal website just for the employees. This portal is run by the communications team who provide policy updates, success stories and training resources.

Town Halls And All Hands Meetings

Large company meetings where leadership speaks directly to employees. CorpComms helps prepare the agenda, write the executive speeches and manage the Q&As.

Why does this even matter? Company culture starts with good internal communication. When employees understand the reasons for the decisions being made, they feel valued, less stressed and more engaged in their day-to-day work.

External Communications

External communications is about how a company manages its reputation with the outside world. This includes customers, investors, industry partners and the general public. The marketing department is interested only in selling certain products or services, while external corporate communications are aimed at the reputation of the company as a whole.

Media Relations

When a business invents a new kind of technology, passes a financial milestone or expands to a new country they want the world to know. CorpComms team is the bridge between company and journalists. They compose press releases, pitch stories to newspapers and TV networks and prepare company executives for live media interviews so they stay on-message.

Investor Relations

If a company is traded on the stock market, shareholders need to be kept happy. Investor relations is a very specific area of corporate communications. They help write annual reports, put together statements for quarterly earnings calls and ensure that the financial data is presented in a way that shows the company is stable and growing.

Corporate Social Responsibility And Public Relations

Today’s consumers want to buy from ethical companies. CorpComms shines a light on a company’s good works, whether that’s sustainability programs, charity partnerships or community volunteer days. This creates goodwill and emotional equity with the public.

Corporate Crisis Communications

The real test of any corporate communications team is when something goes terribly wrong. It could be a data breach where customer passwords are leaked, a product recall due to a safety defect, a workplace accident or a financial scandal involving an executive.

In a crisis, public perception can kill a multi-billion dollar business overnight. The CorpComms team immediately takes over as crisis managers. They have a very strategic playbook they use to protect the brand.

The golden rules of corporate communications in a crisis are speed, transparency and sympathy. The team is working around the clock to put out a statement recognising the problem, taking responsibility, explaining exactly how they’re fixing it and creating a dedicated channel to answer questions from the public. A well handled crisis can even make a company more trustworthy in the long run, whereas a badly managed crisis can ruin a business forever.