Corporate communications are how your business communicates both inside and outside of your organisation. Getting corporate communications just right is important as it helps you build trust among your employees, customers and stakeholders. It also helps to develop a consistent tone for your brand.

Read on to learn the main types of corporate comms and explore how to enhance your own with Adobe Express.

What are corporate communications?

Corporate communications are the ways in which your business communicates with the outside world – whether that’s clients, customers, investors or other stakeholders. It’s also the way you communicate internally to employees.

Maintaining the right tone of voice, language and professionalism across every touch point is essential. Not only can this help build trust and create an emotional connection among everyone who engages with your business, but it can also help your company navigate any friction such as negative experiences.

Below are a couple of ways your business may engage in corporate communications:

• On your company website
• Through promotional posters
• Via social media ads
• By creating and sharing engaging videos
• Through company emails – both internal and external
• Through company logos and assets
• Via client pitches or internal stakeholder presentations

Corporate communications aren’t just reserved for the digital world though. They can also take place in face-to-face meetings with clients, through customer service calls or when employees engage with your stakeholders.

What are the main types of corporate comms?

As mentioned, there are two main types of corporate comms – internal and external. Let’s explore the features of each in more detail.

Internal corporate communications.

Internal corporate communications pass along key updates and messages to employees, managers, executives and board members. The primary goal of internal corporate communications is to keep everyone who works within your organisation informed about the latest business updates and developments.

Internal corporate communications also help to foster a strong company culture by evoking trust in your business and ensuring you maintain a unified workforce.

There are lots of different types of internal corporate communications, including:

• Team chats on messaging apps
• Emails
• Business memos
• Company newsletters
• Company updates
• Informal chats
• Employee portals, such as the company intranet.

External corporate comms.

External corporate comms is the brand messaging your company offers to the outside world. It’s a big part of your company’s public image and shapes how people perceive you. The goal of external corporate comms can vary, from raising brand awareness on social media, to building relationships with stakeholders.

There are plenty of tools you can utilise to communicate with customers and clients. Key examples include:

• Social media posts - such as Facebook or Instagram posts
• Press releases
• Advertisements
• Digital marketing
• Presentations
• Events and conferences
• External newsletters
• Blog posts
• Customer emails.

Why are corporate communications important?

Corporate communications are important as they can help your business foster a clear, professional and consistent tone across every touch point. Getting your corporate communications right can also:

• Foster a positive internal company culture. Internal corporate communications help employees understand your vision, goals and values, which can help to foster an inclusive and transparent company culture.
• Keep staff in the loop with important updates. Regular updates via weekly newsletters, or company wide business meetings help you stay transparent and ensure everyone is on the same page.
• Build a positive brand and public image. Your external communications can help people learn more about what your company stands for. Clear and consistent external messaging can also help demonstrate a reliable and trustworthy brand.
• Attract and retain customers. External communication activities such as social media posts and targeted advertising campaigns can help you attract new customers. Regularly engaging with customers can also help develop brand loyalty.

How to boost your corporate communications.

Looking to boost your corporate communications? Here are five ways to help make your communications more impactful:

1. Outline your key objectives.

Understand what you’re trying to achieve from your communication strategy. If you’re just starting your business, your external comms may be focused on increasing brand awareness. While your internal communications may be focused on building a positive culture with new team members.

2. Understand your audience.

Understanding your audience is key to corporate communication. For example, if your target audience are Gen Z, it may be best to communicate with them via TikTok, as the average TikTok users in the UK are 18- to 24-year-olds.

3. Keep your brand voice and messaging consistent.

Maintaining a consistent brand voice is vital as it helps to build trust and recognition among your company. In a world where customers interact with many different brands a day, consistency can help your brand stand out.

4. Ensure messages are clear and relevant.

Ensuring your messages are clear and relevant helps foster a transparent and collaborative environment at work. Clear and consistent communication also ensures stakeholders, clients and customers can easily communicate with your brand without any friction.

5. Be real.

Sometimes corporate communications can sound a little too corporate. Don’t forget that people are the core foundation of your businesses. Your messages may be more likely to engage with employees if they have an honest and open feel. The same applies externally too.

Designing effective corporate content using Adobe Express.

Designing effective corporate content doesn’t have to be difficult. Discover five ways Adobe Express can help elevate your corporate communications.

1. Craft eye-catching web pages.

Easily craft eye-catching web pages with the free web page maker. Get started with a range of customisable web templates and themes, then add your own unique branding to frame your corporate comms.

2. Make on-brand posters for free.

Quickly and easily create posters for your external marketing comms in minutes with the free Adobe Express online poster maker. Choose from thousands of professionally designed templates to get started.

3. Create the right social media messages.

Boost your brand awareness with engaging social media ads using the Adobe Express Ad Maker. Choose from a range of templates for different channels and add in your own images to align with your brand.

4. Spread the word with professional videos.

Capture your audience’s attention with engaging videos. Whether it’s a training video to welcome new employees or a how-to video for a product launch, you can easily create and edit videos for a range of platforms. It’s also free to use, with no prior experience necessary.

5. Impress clients with professional presentations.

Elevate your external client communications with the free online presentation maker from Adobe Express. Create your own professionally designed presentations and customise with design assets and powerful generative AI tools.

Take your corporate comms even further with our AI template generator.

Take your corporate comms one step further with our AI template generator. Quickly and easily kickstart your social media post, poster and flyer designs with editable custom templates from the Generate template tool. Head to Adobe Express and log into your account to get started or create one for free.

Enter your prompt into the prompt field, such as ‘promotional poster for new product launch’. Click generate to watch your new poster appear. If you’re not happy with what you see, you can click generate again to show even more results. Then customise your new template with branding, text and more.

Try Adobe Express for free now

Good to know.

What are the benefits of corporate communications training?

Corporate communications training can have many advantages for your business. Not only can it help foster better communication among departments, but it can also help teams understand how to better communicate with stakeholders and customers. This can prevent potential miscommunications from escalating and can lead to better productivity among teams.

What are examples of corporate communications?

Corporate communications fall under internal and external strategies. Examples of internal corporate communications include sharing important company news and updates through company newsletters, emails and meetings. Examples of external corporate comms include engaging with customers on social media and creating posters or business cards to promote your brand, products or services.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 5 GB of storage. See our pricing page for details and to compare plans.