There is an increasing need for strategic communications experts in Africa to shape the narrative of indigenous brands and help businesses thrive. To grow a career in strategic communications, you should be willing to invest in learning the required skills, undergo professional training and learn working frameworks that can be tailored to specific brand needs. This article is a guide to starting a career as a strategic communications professional.

You cannot support an industry or business with strategic communications, without taking the time to understand that business or sector. So, to be an effective strategic communications expert, you need to be able to listen, learn, study, read widely and immerse yourself in the relevant context in order to solve critical problems through communication. ~ Sola Abulu

A strategic communications expert understands how to develop communications strategies that supports a business, organization or even personal brands. Their work is to control the narrative and shape the public’s perception, proactively manage issues and crisis and ensure a positive brand image. This is not a social media manager, digital marketer or even a public relations professional. While public relations and communications interrelate, a public relations professional is more concerned with the brand’s image and promotion but a communication professional is concerned with messaging.

To be a communications expert means that an individual fully understands the industry and has the ability to resonate with various audience, also conveying complex messages in a manner that is simple and easy-to-understand.

What skill should a strategic communications expert have?

·         Effective verbal and written communications skills

·         Crisis management competencies. You can catch up on our last article on “Strategic communications as a critical enabler for crisis management”.

·         Analytical skills: A strategic communications expert knows how to interpret data and make informed-decisions from the evaluation.

·         An understanding of digital media channels and the kind of audience dominant in each. This determines the channels in communicating with a target audience.

·         Creativity: A strategic communications expert is creative and can tell stories to resonate with any given audience.

Catch up on our video resource on “Pathway to becoming a strategic communications expert”

As earlier stated, regular investment in professional training is a trait a strategic communications expert. If organizations want to be comfortable with professionals handling their strategic communications, they should be frequently trained to understand specific industry concerns and adapt to evolving trends/strategies. Some practice areas to be trained in include; media relations, digital communications, crisis management, etc.

Strategic communications experts can major in any of the following practice areas; public relations, corporate communications, media relations, and digital communications, etc.

Registration has begun for the next cohort of our strategic communications course where we will be sharing frameworks that can help expert in delivering results. Sign up here.

We answered the question “what is the importance of strategic communications?” in a previous article. You can also learn how to develop a strategic communications plan here.

• Becoming a strategic communications expert.

  • Be committed to continuous learning and development: Pursue a degree in communications, public relations or a related field and be ready to take up professional courses and specialized programs.
  • Seek mentorship opportunities
  • Build a strong network of industry colleagues by leveraging virtual/physical networking events
  • Gain practical experience through volunteering and internship positions
  • Leverage opportunities for career growth by staying informed on industry insights and engaging with publications and communications reports.
  • Gain membership into professional bodies, some of which includes Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and any other local, regional or international body.

  Strategic communications expertise is very crucial in determining and controlling a brand’s narrative. Investing in our career growth by gaining more knowledge of industry-related trends and insights can help us serve the organizations and clients we work for as strategic communications professionals.

  Sola Abulu will be having a virtual conversation on “The Importance of Citizen-Centric Communication in Public Sector Administration and Policy Implementation” on Friday, 28^th June 2024. Click here to learn about the event and mark your calendar to receive a reminder before it begins.

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  Sola Abulu & Associates is a strategy and communications consulting and training firm committed to enabling businesses, brands and organizations to achieve their objectives through strategic communications, organizational effectiveness and reputation risk management

  Chat with us for more information on our courses