Does effective communication need big money?

The past 36 hours have shown how the world of communication is a vast thing that means different things to different people. At the same time as I was talking to people about how to make an impact with your communication when you have little or no budget, details of the £9m being spent on direct marketing related to the EU referendum.

I am not going to get caught up in the politics of the discussions that have been in the media headlines in recent days. I am more interested in the spectrum of communication that is demonstrated by those two things taking place almost simultaneously. Also, what does it show about what is effective communication?

The key is to have clear objectives for all of your communication activity. Again, as I have mentioned in a recent blog this is really going back to the basics and checking they are in place. If you have clear objectives then you know what you are setting out to achieve and you will have measures that evaluate effectiveness. We all know that objectives need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) but how many times do we fail to put it into our communication plans.

I suppose it was the way I was raised and the fact I have worked in teams where finance has been restricted, but I would always aim to conduct activity at the lowest possible cost to any organisation. Nowadays there are many opportunities with the developments in digital technology, the growth of social media and the availability of smartphones and tablets. We don’t need to have a lot of money to have an impact with communication we just need enthusiasm, determination and creativity.

Ideas are at the heart of everything we do in communication. We need to have lots and lots of ideas to really find those things that connect, produce the right outcomes, and ensure we achieve our objectives. The channels we use and the methods we employ will depend on many things and a lot will be linked to the organisations priorities. What is important to remember is will the money we spend and the time we put into communication activity withstand scrutiny?