Navigating Company Changes with GraceIn the span of your career, there are many changes you might encounter—from rebranding or a shift in ownership to new hires. More often than not, change signifies growth. As your company evolves, communication is key to ensuring your entire network is aware of the changes. Open communication shows transparency and builds trust, so remember to be proactive rather than reactive. Of course, it’s important for change to be communicated to those outside the brand as well. This is where a well-crafted communications plan comes into play. Here’s how to get started:1. Choose your target audiences. Do this before crafting any messages. Chances are you’ll need to alert shareholders, clients, industry peers and partners, and employees. 2. Determine what you’re sending out. Messages aren’t one-size-fits-all, so chances are you’ll need to adapt different messages for each audience. Avoid industry-specific jargon when crafting your message. Messages should be specific, clear, and easy to understand. Speak to what is changing, why, and who will be affected. Be sure to end it by opening yourself up to ideas, suggestions, questions, and concerns.We chose to rebrand so our wedding production services had a chance to shine,” says Fabrice Orlando of Cocoon Events Management Group. “Reaching our target audiences of existing clients and industry peers was essential to our transition, as we wanted to assure everyone that we were still in the business of organizing luxury travel and events. We just wanted to showcase more of our ability to create gorgeous weddings in addition to what we were already known for.”Igal Sapir of www.100Candles.com faced a similar situation as they acquired another company. “It was important for us to have a seamless transition, so we chose our respective websites as the ideal platforms for reaching our target audiences,” says Sapir. “We wanted to ensure that previous customers of the business we purchased were still able to find their favorite products. At the same time, we wanted our past, present, and future clients to know we were taking on new lines of products.”3. Choose the right spokesperson. This is particularly important when communicating to employees. After sharing the news, you can gauge the overall feelings to get an idea of how the change was received. Conversations shouldn’t be limited to a vertical hierarchy—horizontal communication must take place to create an open environment of growth.4. Consider hiring marketing and communications assistance. Since you are still handling your company’s day-to-day operations, it may make sense to hire marketing and communications help to communicate change. Kevin Dennis of Fantasy Sound Event Services recently added B2B consulting services and found this to be helpful. “Look for someone detail-oriented, driven, and well-versed in social media and branding,” he says. “Make sure you’re 100 percent positive about what your brand is, and take the time to find somebody who fits the mold and will represent your brand well.”5. Use the right communication vehicles. Target your audiences through their most-used method of communication. For employees, it may mean a company intranet, for industry peers it may be networking events. Consumers may learn through your website, blog, social media, or newsletters, so be sure to keep everything updated with accurate information.With her partner, Melanie Marconi of BDI Events, co-founded Where Will They Stay?, a room-block procurement service as a side-gig to their main company. Communication played a key role in their branding strategy. “We decided to keep our two business audiences separate, so for Where Will They Stay?, we focused on communicating the news of the launch of our new service,” she says. “We did this by attending trade conferences, reaching out to our local planner colleagues, joining industry membership organizations, and working with a PR consultant to help us maximize a wider reach among bloggers and news outlets. We also crafted a few, small organic campaigns to help spread the word in the planner communities.”Sometimes, a personal touch can be the best solution, as Kim Sayatovic of Belladeux Events learned when splitting from her business partner. “Email and phone calls were my friend,” says Sayatovic. “I spent a lot of time reaching out to tell people about my new company. I also attended a lot of industry events.”6. Consider local, regional, and national press. Change is relevant and newsworthy, so once key audiences have been notified, consider the press push. Do your research and narrow down your options—it could be local news outlets, online niche publications, or major national press. Find the right contacts, as most editors will ignore pitches that don’t fit their beat. Keep your pitch short and sweet—enough to get editors interested without taking up too much of their time. Whether your pitches are picked up or not, maintain a strong promotional plan through your own platforms.7. Evaluate your efforts. It’s important to understand what success means to you. Everyone defines it differently, so ask yourself what a victory would mean. That way, you can track your progress along the way and get a good idea of what worked and what didn’t. There are plenty of tools that can help. Google Analytics and Iconosquare are great for tracking statistics for your website and Instagram, respectively, whereas TalkWalker alerts you of any new press.8. Keep things in perspective. With change, there will inevitably be challenges, but with the right perspective, you’ll see how the experience positively influences the evolution of your business. “We had to think in terms of a different business model—selling education and educational products is a totally different ballgame than renting chairs,” says Morgan Montgomery, co-founder of unique rental company Paisley & Jade, which launched an educational component.  “Ultimately, it’s challenges like that that continue to help us grow and make us good businesspeople.”Change is different for everyone, so never compare your efforts to others’ communication strategies. Stay true to your values, and do what feels best for your company, and you won’t go wrong.Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting, Richmond, Va.