Alison Davis and I recently facilitated a workshop for the IABC Heritage Region and we ran out of time to answer all the great questions we received. So, I’m taking to the blogosphere to answer four of them. Here’s the fourth:

With so many channels, how do you determine which two or three are the most effective for your primary audiences?

Remember the expression, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? The same idea applies to communication channels. The effectiveness of a channel is driven by what an employee needs to accomplish.

To determine which channels are the most effective for your audiences, start by asking yourself: What are my primary audiences trying to do? Here are a few examples: 

• Employees want to understand our progress with the annual plan. 
• Customers want to know the latest offers. 
• Members of a community group want to know how you’re supporting the region.

Now that you have specific actions, you can make an informed choice about the best tool for the job. 

Or, even better, you can ask employees. Continuing with one of the examples from above, you could ask, “What is the best communication tool to help you stay up to speed on our progress with the annual plan?” You’ll likely get multiple ideas but look for a common theme across the responses. Perhaps employees prefer interaction and discussion when it comes to the annual plan, rather than an email from the CEO.

Here’s an additional layer to consider as you select communication channels: What’s your objective? Do you need to create awareness or build deep knowledge? Select the tool(s) that aligns with your communication goal.