We Are More Than a Strategic Communications Agency
Did you know HAVEN is a full-service agency? We do strategic communications and much more; check out our other services, such as brand positioning, PR and design, that will help your organization grow and propel your company to the next level.
[our work]
Inspired partnerships create purpose-driven, proven result
We helped Warn Industries celebrate their 75th Anniversary with an exciting social media campaign giveaway. Read more about how we built the campaign and how it did!
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We provide strategic marketing and communications work for one of the world-leading manufacturers in truck and Jeep accessories. Click here to learn more about how we helped them transform their marketing automation to improve the customer experience.
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Our team provides comprehensive branding, communications and marketing work for a global leader in bulk material handling and control systems. Click here to learn how we leveraged a newly defined brand story into a 122% increase in monthly sales leads.
View more
When the need for concise information became paramount during the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped Union County put the human angle into crucial public health information. Click here to learn about three campaigns we developed in response.
View more
Our team supported Gaston County’s emergency communications through the thick of the COVID-19 emergency. Click here to learn how we helped them build an evergreen public education campaign for the pandemic and beyond.
View more
We worked with the Gaston County Communications and Economic Development teams to develop a new logo that highlighted their economic opportunities. Click here to learn about the Gaston County logo and the story behind the brand.
View more
We partnered with Newtown, a unique town in Connecticut, to create a multi-faceted, award-winning rebrand for the city. Click here to read more about the rebranding effort and how our team leverages patented branding processes to build community.
View more
Our team partnered with Elite Touch Cleaning to identify their audience and develop an annual communication plan to grow their customer base and nurture new leads with relevant content.
View moreOur Strategic Communications Services
All problems start with communication. We help you solve them with our range of strategic communications services. We use our proven process, the Maven Method®, to help you clarify your message (internally and externally), make connections, and grow your brand. These services include, but aren’t limited to:
- Identifying Process Breakdowns: Most communication challenges start from process inefficiencies and breakdowns. We aim to identify and help tackle these first and foremost.
- Setting Measurable Goals: Momentum is key, and a big part of maintaining momentum is setting and hitting sustainable, measurable goals.
- Aligning Teams Around a Vision: A shared vision will help ensure that your messaging is consistent and that every stakeholder is pulling in the right direction.
- Creating Internal Communications Campaigns: Strategic communications, of course, mainly refer to external communications with your customer base, but it’s important to stay on top of internal communications as well. We ensure everyone is reading from the same page.
Interested in learning more about our full range of strategic communications services? Contact a Maven today to set up a consult!
Meet Our Strategic Communication Mavens
Our expert community of mavens has specific areas of expertise, and below, you’ll find those with the skills needed to position your brand for the future.
Our agency has more than 12 years of experience with a deeply experienced team on show below, with everything from logo design to videography and PR covered to ensure you’ve got the best team for the job.
Jeni Bukolt
Branding Maven & Founder
Jeni is fueled by curiosity, creativity and comedy. If you’ve met her, you know she doesn’t take herself too seriously and loves to laugh, but she is also extremely passionate about her work. Jeni’s belief that everyone is better together is the foundation of HAVEN Creative and its success. As its founder and fearless leader, she operates as the creative visionary for the agency. Her passion for creativity and storytelling guides HAVEN’s clients through a process that connects the dots between brands and their communities to tell their unique story. Jeni will be the first to admit HAVEN is a team effort and puts the same passion for connecting people into making Mavens who love building community as much as she does. While she may be a Maven at community branding, she is still learning how to wrangle and raise her 2 rambunctious boys and keep a plant (seriously any plant) alive. Fortunately, her husband has the green thumb.
Jessica Blackshaw
Media Maven
Jessica has always been known for her big visions and entrepreneurial spirit…her goal was to become President of the World at age six. While President of the World isn’t her title, Jessica uses that same visionary drive to implement inbound marketing and paid media campaigns for HAVEN’s clients. Jessica prides herself on treating each client’s project and budget as if it is her own – you can often find her searching for discount codes and negotiating rates to take her client’s budget further. She is committed to learning and truly understanding each client’s brand and business goals to ensure success and deliver exceptional service to all of our clients.
Ian Redman
Strategy Maven
Ian is a natural problem solver and tinkerer whose experiences in community politics and nonprofit management give him a unique experience to create solutions for HAVEN clients’ marketing needs. His passion for finding innovative solutions stems from his endless curiosity and a willingness to dive head first into a new challenge. Growing up, this manifested in Ian disassembling a few small household appliances (Sorry, Mom). Thankfully, he now focuses that energy into helping the HAVEN Creative team deliver impactful products and compelling stories.
Gemma Pisano
Design Maven
Some may say she’s a real gem! Creating eye-catching and engaging content is what makes Gemma’s heart happy. Her passion lies in “making things look pretty” and finding innovative ways to reach client goals. Gemma is a graduate of UNC-Charlotte where she studied Marketing, Communications, and Women’s and Gender Studies. Gemma’s experience includes email marketing, social media, and design. In her free time, Gemma can be found listening to a true-crime podcast, going on an adventure with her dog Luna, or crafting a new letter to one of her many global pen pals!
Why Would I Need a Strategic Communications Plan?
Strategic communications planning is key to success since advertising is useless without intentional communication strategies, and any dollar spent on advertising that doesn’t have a plan or data collection tools around it is a dollar wasted.
Other benefits of a strong strategic communications plan (both externally and internally) include:
How Our Strategic Communications Service Works
Our strategic communications service includes all of the elements your team will need to craft a successful communications strategy that stands the test of time.
Step 1
An initial meeting to discuss your current situation, budgets, targets, and introduce all key project players to ensure we are all aligned.
Step 3
Next comes the fun part: writing your story and building up the foundational elements of your brand tone of voice.
Step 5
Last but by no means least, it’s time for us to reveal the results. Typically, six months in, we report back on those key metrics to ensure the goals we set out in step two stay on course.
Step 2
We conduct a full market audit, including surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, to learn all about your brand and what makes it unique. This will then inform our next steps.
Step 4
We don’t leave you hanging after the initial steps are done! Next, we develop an ongoing plan of action and provide training to ensure that your branded communications continue to hit the levels required
Our Mavens follow this tried-and-tested proprietary method for getting the best results for our clients. Unlike a typical creative marketing agency, we don’t just write up a couple of articles, drop the mic, and walk away.
Learn more about us and what we do, or contact us below to learn more about our proprietary brand positioning process.
Awards/Accreditations
Our Results Speak For Themselves
Check out our range of case studies drawn from a wide variety of industries below.
We helped Warn Industries celebrate their 75th Anniversary with an exciting social media campaign giveaway. Read more about how we built the campaign and how it did!
View moreWe provide strategic marketing and communications work for one of the world-leading manufacturers in truck and Jeep accessories. Click here to learn more about how we helped them transform their marketing automation to improve the customer experience.
View moreOur team provides comprehensive branding, communications and marketing work for a global leader in bulk material handling and control systems. Click here to learn how we leveraged a newly defined brand story into a 122% increase in monthly sales leads.
View moreWhen the need for concise information became paramount during the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped Union County put the human angle into crucial public health information. Click here to learn about three campaigns we developed in response.
View moreOur team supported Gaston County’s emergency communications through the thick of the COVID-19 emergency. Click here to learn how we helped them build an evergreen public education campaign for the pandemic and beyond.
View moreWe worked with the Gaston County Communications and Economic Development teams to develop a new logo that highlighted their economic opportunities. Click here to learn about the Gaston County logo and the story behind the brand.
View moreWe partnered with Newtown, a unique town in Connecticut, to create a multi-faceted, award-winning rebrand for the city. Click here to read more about the rebranding effort and how our team leverages patented branding processes to build community.
View moreOur team partnered with Elite Touch Cleaning to identify their audience and develop an annual communication plan to grow their customer base and nurture new leads with relevant content.
View moreCheck Out Our Key Industries
Although we’re comfortable in pretty much every situation we’re put in, over the years, we’ve developed specific skills and specializations based on certain key industries.
Check them out below, along with industry-specific articles, testimonials, and case studies, and see where your company fits!
Strategic Communications FAQs
Strategic communications is all about crafting and sharing messages that hit the mark and help you achieve your business goals. It’s a smart, purposeful approach to ensure every piece of communication aligns with your brand’s objectives. Whether it’s on social media, through press releases, newsletters, or any other channel, strategic communications means getting the right message to the right audience at the right time. This way, you build a strong, consistent brand presence that truly resonates with your audience and keeps your business moving forward!
A strategic communications plan is like a roadmap for getting your brand’s messages out there in the most effective way. It’s a detailed guide that shows you how to share your key messages with your target audience while supporting your business goals. This plan involves figuring out who your audience is, what you want to say to them, the best ways to reach them, and setting a timeline for your communications. It also includes ways to measure your success to make sure your communications are on point. With a strategic communications plan, you can ensure all your messaging is cohesive, consistent, and super effective!
The principles of strategic communication are your go-to guidelines for making sure your messaging is clear, effective, and perfectly aligned with your goals. Here’s how to keep it on point:
- Clarity: Keep your messages simple and easy to understand. Ditch the jargon and use straightforward language.
- Consistency: Ensure that your messaging is consistent across all channels and matches your brand’s voice and values. This will build trust and make you recognizable.
- Relevance: Tailor your messages to what your audience cares about. Relevant communication resonates with and engages your audience.
- Engagement: Get your audience involved! Encourage interaction and feedback to build a two-way relationship and stronger connections.
- Transparency: Be open and honest in your communication. Transparency builds credibilityand trust with your audience.
- Purpose: Every piece of communication should have a clear purpose and align with your business goals. This keeps your efforts focused and super effective.
By following these principles, you can create strategic communications that effectively share your brand’s messages and achieve your goals!
A strategic communications consultant (that’s us!) is your go-to expert for crafting and delivering powerful messages that align with your brand’s goals. They dive deep into understanding your audience and help you develop a clear, cohesive communication strategy. This includes everything from identifying key messages and choosing the best channels to ensuring consistency across all your communications. They also measure the success of your efforts and tweak the strategy as needed to keep things on track. In short, a strategic communications consultant makes sure your brand’s voice is heard loud and clear, resonating with your audience and driving your business forward
