Need for organisational research, planning

Communicating effectively is imperative to the growth and success of an organisation and a lack of effective communication could have an unfavorable impact on the organisation, its customers and other stakeholders. Therefore, organisations must conduct extensive research to understand their target audience: their needs, wants and sentiments. In addition, strategic planning on how to address its target audience should be the first point in the communication roadmap, as it gives clarity and allows for a targeted rollout of communication activities.

Nevertheless, neglecting proper research can lead to doubt, indecisiveness and ultimately inaction, which can also bring about lack of coordination in the communication process. Moreover, lack of research may boost the possibility for mistrust, misinterpretation, loss of credibility and reputation, aggression from the public and an eventual failure.

However, the challenge some organisations face is that they do not understand or perhaps know the logical process involved in research and planning. Notwithstanding, developing a detailed outline of the right questions that require the right answers based on data gathered is a good way to start, rather than predicting trends in hopes of hitting the bull’s eye.

With research and planning, organisations can narrow down to the right audience, considering their personality type, their preferences, location–online or offline, and how they interact within their immediate communities. It also helps in aligning the communications strategy with organisational goals, while developing the appropriate messaging, exploring the accurate tactics, and communication channels. The organisation is also able to gain additional insight into what its competitors are doing.

To achieve the desired results, during research, the adoption of cutting edge tools for in-depth analysis like Google analytics, keyword research, surveys, among others, is necessary as it provides high-level insights into the audience and current market trends. Research helps in understanding the organisation’s position in its industry, as well as assessing how the organisation compares to its competitors. It also enhances recognition of new opportunities for the organisation and forecast future performance.

Furthermore, during the planning phase, the spirit of camaraderie within an organisation is evoked, which spurs creativity, and encourages diverse contributions from team members of different ethnic, social, and cultural backgrounds. At the tail of the planning phase, team members can then begin to align with a well-thought-out idea, theme, and strategy to adopt for effective communication.

Research and planning should not be an after-thought or an optional add-on in any organisation. It is an essential element in ensuring effective communication is achieved and that priority is placed on the right audience based on the organisational goals to be achieved. Also, research needs to be a continual process, as most outstanding organisations are always modifying and fine-tuning their communications approach and strategies based on new data from the research.

Oluwatosin Ojebisi

Lagos.

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