A strong communications strategy is critical for business success—from sharing information with employees and educating current customers, to announcing company news to the media and recruiting new employees and customers. It’s the foundation to building trust that ensures your company’s long-term success. And it is imperative for propane companies in the current economic climate.
Strategic Communications is a public relations agency in Syracuse, NY that specializes in long-term strategy, particularly working with the news media. By having Strategic Communications dedicated to the communication and media needs of an organization, leaders can focus on their long-term strategies, and react to communication needs more quickly and effectively.
Crystal DeStefano, president of Strategic Communications, says: “Having positive, consistent and strategic communication with your audiences through the trusted news media can create transformational value for your organization.”
Strategic Communications has worked with the Propane Education & Research Council, the National Propane Gas Association, multiple state associations and several individual propane retailers.
Several years ago, Paraco Gas built out its communications team and retained Strategic Communications to help them be more intentional and strategic with communications—including garnering more news coverage for the company. Since then, Paraco has seen significant success in engagement with employees as well as positive news coverage from local media and propane industry media. While Paraco was certainly well known within the propane industry before enhancing its communications initiatives, Paraco’s investment in a more robust internal communications team and partnership with StratCom has increased visibility within the industry, as well as with the news media and general public in the markets that Paraco serves.
Paraco chose Strategic Communications because of their decades of experience providing public relations expertise to the propane industry. Their recommendation for success? Make your communications strategic, proactive and consistent.
The agency has a “5 Step Process for Strategically & Successfully Sharing Good News”
A few important steps to any communications strategy include:
- Define the audiences you should be talking to
- Have a trained spokesperson
- Determine the key messages that will define your company’s story, and use those messages consistently
The expert team at Strategic Communications emphasizes proactively and consistently communicating positive news. By managing communications before a crisis, the impact during and after a crisis can be better managed—and possibly mitigated. This is especially important in the propane industry which is facing challenges like widespread calls to ‘electrify everything’ and general public misunderstanding about propane.
If your audiences consistently hear good things from you when things are going well, they tend to be much more understanding when a situation in your company or the industry might not be so great.
The process of developing a communications strategy and being proactive and consistent in your messaging is time-consuming and requires specialty expertise. Paraco has found partnering with Strategic Communications to be a worthy investment. Consider the role communications can play in the long-term success of your company, and learn more at www.StratComLLC.com.