Running a communication strategy. The 3 most overlooked -yet crucial- things when applying one.

Tieta Moreno
May 28
3 min read

Updated: Jun 4

You’ve spent time crafting a beautiful brand, designing a logo, and writing the perfect tagline. But then… a potential customer visits your friendly, welcoming website, sends you an email with a question, and gets a cold, fast, templated reply.

Suddenly, all that communication strategy? Undone in 30 seconds.

A strong marketing plan should feel right at every touchpoint. Whether you're running a building supplies business in Cromwell or teaching yoga in Wanaka, here are the three most important things to get right when putting a communication strategy into action:

1. Map every communication channel… not just the obvious ones

It’s easy to think of “communications” as just social media or your website. But if you want to create a truly consistent and trustworthy experience, you need a full inventory of every single place your business interacts with people.

Channels to check when running a communication strategy:

Emails (automated and personal)
Phone calls and voicemail greetings
WhatsApp replies
Instagram comments and DMs
Facebook reviews
Website copy
Booking confirmations
Printed flyers and ads
Google My Business replies
Local newspaper classifieds (like in Queenstown’s community paper)
Even the out-of-office reply

Real-life example:

A building supplier in Cromwell has a sleek, professional website that positions them as “your trusted partner for reliable, on-time delivery.” But when a client calls the listed number, they get a rushed “Yeah, what do you need?” vibe. The trust starts to erode.

Fix it:

Create a simple master list of all communication touchpoints. Audit them for tone, responsiveness, and clarity. Make sure they all align with your brand voice and communication strategy.

2. Apply brand and visual guidelines everywhere

Having a brand guideline document isn’t enough. You need to make sure it’s showing up consistently, even in the smallest of places.

Here’s where things often get messy:

That friendly pastel-toned Instagram feed… paired with a default grey Gmail signature.
A curated TikTok feed… but highlight covers that look like placeholders.
A fun, modern logo… but invoices that still use Times New Roman.

Brand visuals and tone need to work together to build credibility, especially when people are comparing you with bigger, more established players.

Real-life example:

A yoga instructor based in Wanaka creates a calming, minimalist brand with nature-inspired colours and warm language. Her booking confirmation emails, however, are full of all-caps headers, robotic copy, and lack her logo. It causes unnecessary friction and undermines the brand she is trying to build.

Fix it:

Don’t stop at brand guidelines. Create a checklist of real-world applications: email signature, Instagram highlight covers, pricing PDF, WhatsApp reply template, voicemail message, etc. If a client sees your brand once, then twice, then three times, it should always feel like the same person is speaking to them.

3. Involve your team, and let them shape the strategy

The best communication strategy lives in the hands (and words) of every person who interacts with your audience.

Whether it's the receptionist, the delivery driver, or the freelance yoga teacher; they all represent your brand. But too often, they’re given a rulebook, not a seat at the table.

When you treat communication like a shared practice rather than a set of rules, it becomes more natural, and more powerful.

Real-life example:

A boutique building supplier in Queenstown asks every driver to sign off with a smiley and a first-name in delivery texts. A few drivers suggest adding location-based tips (“there’s a trick to unloading on a slope here!”). Suddenly, even the delivery updates feel like part of the brand. Clients love it.

Fix it:

Instead of just handing out brand voice guidelines, run a collaborative workshop. Invite your team to co-create ways they can express your brand in their daily tasks. Ask them: “How would you say this in your words, while still sounding like us?”