Every communication carries a risk. Just ask a politician who failed to “stay on message” and ended up losing the election.

It doesn’t take much. Some ill-advised, off-the-cuff change in language can damage a public figure’s image overnight, making him or her seem dishonest, insensitive, or ignorant. Skilled politicians have a sixth sense about staying true to their core message and the “brand” they are portraying. They know it’s vital to their success.

Of course, it’s comparatively easy for a politician to manage the content of speeches and voter communications. It’s much harder to manage every communication that comes out of a large company, with customers of all ages and tech savviness. But you have to do it, for the same reasons that a politician does.

You also have to put your best foot forward when communicating with customers and prospects. You can’t be inconsistent, irrelevant or misinformed. They want to know who you are, what your strengths are, and whether you can deliver what they want. It’s all part of your “brand.”

Presumably you know why customers choose your products and services and how to talk about them. If you apply this knowledge consistently, across all communications channels, you create an outstanding customer experience and that will persuade, motivate action, and drive results. If not, it will be quickly forgotten if it gets noticed at all.

But “consistent” does not mean “one message fits all.” Customer needs and preferences evolve over time. Your messages must evolve with them, while maintaining the essence of your brand image. You have to deliver the right messages, to the right people, in the right delivery channel.

HP Exstream is a top-ranked multichannel Customer Communications Management (CCM) solution that allows you to create insightful, impactful, real-time customer communications. More than 850 companies around the world are now using Exstream to turn their customer communications from an obligation to a differentiator – one that grows their revenue and saves them money.

How do you drive better customer experiences? Find out more here.

Special Reports /

Watch your mouth &mdash; and your emails, texts and statement promos

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Watch your mouth — and your emails, texts and statement promos