For more than four years I've been writing in this column about the many ways organizations use communication to help achieve their goals. I recognize that this concept of "strategic communication" might be unfamiliar to many readers for various reasons – from lack of management support for a formal communication program to a prohibitively small staff from which to draw resources for such an effort.

Here's a primer on the strategic use of communication. You might adjust some of the details to fit your organization's resources and culture, but these are the fundamentals:

Strategic communication starts with understanding the goals of your business. Any communication that does not support the achievement of business goals is peripheral and therefore holds minimal value to the organization. On the other hand, communication that helps achieve business goals is worth the investment of time, money and other resources.

Communication goals must align with business goals. A goal to achieve a certain number of visitors to a website is not a strategic goal because it focuses on communication outputs. However, a goal to convert five percent of those website visitors into paying customers is a strategic communication goal because it focuses on business outcomes.

Strategic communication relies on research. Understanding audiences – employees, customers, shareholders, or whomever – requires data gathered in a methodical way, not guesswork. The same is true about understanding the media that work best for reaching those audiences, the messages those audiences need to hear, and the timing of those messages. The best, most efficient way to gather such data is a communication audit performed by an outside expert in communication planning and management. In the absence of resources for an external audit, however, you should still conduct in-house research before beginning a communication program. It just makes good business sense.

Strategic communication is a specialized area, just as any other business function. You wouldn't turn over the company's financial books to someone who has no experience or training in accounting. You wouldn't entrust product management to someone who knows nothing about your products. Communication is just as specialized as sales, engineering, operations management, customer service or any other corporate function. When you hire a professional communicator – especially one who is accredited through a professional association – you get someone who combines tactical knowledge with an understanding of business strategy.

Communication effectiveness should be measured. Just as business leaders demand accountability for results from other business functions, the impact of communication on business outcomes can and should be measured. How to measure communication effectiveness is a hot topic among professional communicators these days. Journal articles, webinars and entire workshops address the subject. There is no excuse for not making an effort to demonstrate the business value of communication.

When practiced strategically, communication adds tremendous value to businesses as well as non-profit organizations. All it takes is a recognition that it can be done and the investment of resources to do it. The return on that investment can be great.

I'd like to hear from you about the aspects of strategic communication you'd like me to address in this column. Use the comment feature below to post your thoughts.

Robert J. Holland owns Holland Communication Solutions LLC in Mechanicsville. He works with Fortune 500 companies and small businesses to help them develop communication programs that support business goals. He is also available to speak to business groups about workplace communication. You can reach him at robert@hollandcomm.com, at www.hollandcomm.com, or by calling (804) 368-0312.