I sat in a networking meeting where business leaders went around the room sharing their primary goals. When it was my turn to talk strategic communications, I said bluntly, “Our objective is to make more money.” The room laughed.
In public, many organizations say the same thing under layers of more polished language. They talk about brand awareness, community engagement, and thought leadership. Those things matter. But they are levers to lift the bottomline and expand revenue.
Start with business objectives
Why build a strategic communications plan declaring “make more money” as the headline objective? Because we should measure tactics such as PR, email marketing, social, and other content by the value it builds for the business. This makes communications accountable, strategic, and much more persuasive to business leaders who otherwise don’t get it.
Ask for the numbers
When a new client asks for more earned media, a newsletter, or better social management, the request is just the starting point. The right first question is: “What specific business outcomes are you trying to move?” Ask for the company’s financial statements or revenue projections, not because you’re auditing them, but because you need to calibrate communications to real goals.
That conversation can feel uncomfortable. Communicators aren’t accountants, and some campaigns that look great in impressions deliver only a fraction of their intended financial return. But without seeing the numbers, you can’t attribute value, prioritize initiatives, or adjust and innovate.
Measure what matters
If the client’s objective is to add clients, increase average order value, expand a particular revenue stream, define the metrics that map directly to those outcomes. Use those as the primary KPIs.
Prioritize channels that generate leads. Ask sales for feedback. And you’ll be able to point to how communications contribute to the bottom line.
Make reporting useful
A client that shared five-year revenue projections with us gave us something very important. We are using those projections to steer strategy, prioritizing activities with the fastest, clearest paths to revenue. We’re focused on dollars and the metrics that drive them.
This makes our work harder to ignore and harder for the client to view as expendable.
Brand engagement and awareness are important. But your strategic communications plans should start with clear business objectives and the numbers to support it. Put revenue at the top of the plan, map your metrics to that goal, and design communications that prove their value in dollars, not just in likes.