Communications teams have a hand in all communications coming out of or being circulated within their organizations. To successfully reach internal and external audiences with the right messaging at the right time, a comms team must be not only well-informed about and responsive to the company’s constantly changing needs, but also forward-thinking and strategic enough to meet its communication goals in the future seamlessly and confidently.
With so many audiences and responsibilities, planning ahead to tackle pressing issues, make needed improvements and preparing to help take the organization to the next level is key for comms leaders. Below, 12 members of Forbes Communications Council share the projects and initiatives their teams are busy tackling during quarter three this year to make the most of this slower season before the holidays and the end of the year.
1. Reimagining Our Bing PPC Strategy
With the boom of ChatGPT, our team is reimagining our Bing pay-per-click strategy. Because Bing has integrated with OpenAI’s technology to create a new level of search engine, Bing is no longer an afterthought. With this technology, we can help patients avoid endless searching, boost our website traffic and guide them to answers and care more quickly. – Jonathan Kaufman, Sage Dental
2. Getting Ahead Of Market Results From AI Use Cases
AI, baby! Right now, it’s all anyone can talk about, but I think real proof points will start to emerge in Q3. I want to be ahead of the market here—to talk not only about theoretical concepts, but also the actual results from the many AI use cases being built as we speak. – Bethany Hale, Newfront
3. Checking In On Annual Goals And Preparing For EOY Reports
Use Q3 to check in on the annual goals that were set at the beginning of the year, the progress made so far and the challenges that have arisen, which will help teams realign their end-of-year strategies to meet those goals and enhance results. Also, Q3 is an ideal time to start thinking about and preparing for the team’s end-of-year comms reports. – Maura Kennedy, Strategic Elements
4. Aligning Sales And Marketing And Homing In On Our ICP
For Q3 this year, my company decided to boldly take on new frontiers. We are dedicated to solidifying the sales and marketing relationship, homing in on our ideal customer profile and keeping everyone focused on the target markets identified. Now, more than ever, understanding that the work marketing puts in is an investment in a business’ plan for the future will matter. – Mollie Barnett, The SMART Co.
5. Refocusing On Events And Networking
For Q3, we are looking to refocus on events and networking. We are heavily vested in digital marketing, technology and AI and believe that connecting with our prospects and industry leaders face-to-face could lead to some wonderful growth opportunities and relationships. – Dana Nowick, The Spaventa Group
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6. Accelerating Relevant Content Creation For Buyers With AI
Creating truly relevant content for buyers is a top priority. To do so, we are exploring generative AI tools that can serve as content accelerators. We have so much great content available, and by leveraging AI, we can customize and iterate new versions of it much faster. AI will not replace original content creation, but rather increase the speed of production and the ability to do more. – Erica Morgenstern, Virgin Pulse
7. Assessing The Effectiveness Of Past Quarters’ Strategies
Q3 is assessment time. It offers an opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of the comms strategies that were put into place for Q1 and Q2. If things are going well, “onward and upward” is the mantra. If items aren’t landing as intended or, worse yet, are spiraling out of control, it’s time to switch things up in the vein of what proverbial eviction notices warrant: fast moves. – Shanita Akintonde, ShanitaSpeaks, LLC
8. Fine-Tuning All Holiday Communications In Advance
Q3 is the perfect time to fine-tune all holiday communications since they are right around the corner. The holiday season seems to surprise companies every year, as employees get distracted and there’s a lot that needs to be communicated to teams. If you plan your messaging in advance and have this ready to go while your team is not distracted by the holidays, it’s easier to implement and tweak. – Victoria Zelefsky, The Menkiti Group
9. Positioning Products For Launches And Highlighting Customer Wins
For us, Q3 is about product launches and customer wins. The first steps are to establish how we position the product, why people should care and what makes it unique and valuable. For communications about major customer wins, it’s about how the product helped the customer solve meaningful problems and showing what benefits were delivered—in a quantifiable way, when possible. – Tom Treanor, Snipp Interactive
10. Planning For Q1 2024
Right now, it’s all about planning for Q1 2024 (and really, 2024 in general). Planning several quarters in advance allows you to create a strategy that’s as thoughtful as it is flexible. You have enough data from this year to begin to formulate what you’d like to do and a good runway for the rest of the year to check in on the plan regularly as new developments happen. – Melissa Kandel, little word studio
11. Refine Messaging To Finish Q3 Strong And Set Q4 Up for Success
Q3 is critical for high-ticket B2B. When selling $100,000-plus deals, naturally, you are at the mercy of procurement departments, which can mean the average sales cycle lasts over six months. The month of September is the exception, as enterprise departments scramble to use up budgets. For B2B, this means July and August are the perfect time to refine messaging so that you can finish Q3 strong and set Q4 up for success. – Patrick Ward, Formula.Monks
12. Launching Educational Content For Our Target Audience
Q3 features World Entrepreneur Day, which is a day that celebrates our target audience. We’re planning on launching a variety of educational content—from articles and infographics to templates and how-to guides—to help position ourselves as thought leaders and experts. We have already started planning this project and researching key startup marketing terms people are searching for. – Roshni Wijayasinha, Prosh Marketing
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