Whether you are tackling the interior of your home or your yard, successful spring cleaning often requires that you to look in places you would rather avoid. Dark places like the space behind the couch, under the seat cushions, or in the cobwebbed corners of the garage. 

You may not like what you find and there are definitely more entertaining things you could be doing on a warm spring day, but there is a certain satisfaction that comes from getting your house in order.

That same sense of satisfaction can be achieved when you take the time to ensure your company's communications are in good order. Unfortunately, many financial services companies, advisors, wealth managers, and employee benefits departments take a "set and forget it" approach to their written communications. As a result, materials often become stale and outdated. 

Whether it's a simple letter to acknowledge a new account opening, an automated message from your website, your website's home page, or even your voicemail messages, you want to create a consistent message and tone with all of your communications. To ensure this is the case, I suggest conducting an annual review of every communications touch point. Doing so can help you answer the following questions:

• Are we communicating the right messages to the right target audiences?
• Are we communicating our brand consistently?
• Do our materials communicate their message clearly and concisely?
• Do our communications have a friendly, informative tone?
• Are there additional messages or materials that could supplement our existing materials?
• Are there any materials that could be consolidated or discontinued?
• Are our automated communications streams up to date?
• Are any of our company's basic facts, such as email addresses, websites, or phone numbers, out of date?

We recently completed a long-term project for Fidelity Investments' Compliance Department that involved reviewing and updating the dozens of different letters, emails, and reminders that Fidelity sends to employees to ensure they comply with firm policies. During the course of this project, we found many opportunities to streamline communications, eliminate jargon, and communicate in a friendlier, more conversational tone.

When was the last time you reviewed the form letters, email templates, and brochures you send to your clients, prospects, or employees? When did you last view your website's home page from the perspective of a prospect or new customer? 

If the answer is never, now may be the time to step back and review every written communication you send to your customers, prospects, participants, or employees. Lay them out on a conference room table or tape them to the walls. Examine everything with fresh eyes.

In the end, I am confident you will find many areas that could be improved. And if you are fortunate enough to discover that your materials need no revisions, you will at least achieve some additional peace of mind. 

Of course, if you need an objective viewpoint or need help rewriting your materials, we're here to help.

Have you taken the time to conduct a communications audit in the past? Were you surprised by what you found? Share your experiences on our blog.