Specialist Communication - How Communication is Key

You are being connected.

We live in a world that is more connected than ever. We can check-in with friends and family living abroad within moments. We can get responses as soon as we send messages. We can even have conversations with AI that feel as real as talking to a person. This hyperconnectivity is exciting and isn’t going anywhere, but when we apply this to the digital content we put out there, a lot of the basic communication goals miss the mark. When it comes to digital content, like Instagram posts, online newsletters and reels, it takes time, skill and creativity to make captions that are really engaging, human and interesting to your customers.

What feels like a while ago now, I was a fresh-faced student studying French and Spanish at university. We spent hours pouring over our own translations, seeing how just one specific word could be translated a hundred different ways. Each of these translations could bring a whole new nuance and perspective to the text. Really, social media captions are no different. Just one word could make the difference between your posts being understood how you want, and being completely misinterpreted. When I work with clients, I think carefully about which slogans, lines, and words will be most powerful in which context. 

What does specialist communication mean?

Specialist communication comes down to taking a topic, and finding a way to paint this picture to your intended audience in the clearest, most precise way, whilst still maintaining all of the nuance and original message. When it comes to social media content, my job is to take some complex ideas (the products or services you sell) and find a way to communicate this to your audience in a way that they will easily understand. 

If the content manager doesn’t find a way to communicate this well, you risk making your audience feel like they aren’t part of the conversation, and we all hate that feeling.

Not too long ago, I decided to join my local running club, to get moving and meet some new people. Everyone was super friendly as I had hoped, but at one point, someone jogged up beside me and asked “Are you running this at your 10K pace or just shaking out after the weekend?”

I smiled and nodded blankly, but inside I was panicking. Did I have a 10K pace? Was I supposed to? What even is a shakeout?

That moment stuck with me. Not because anyone was being exclusive—they were all lovely— but because it was such a clear example of how communication can feel so natural to one group, and completely alien to someone else...

This example applies to every and any businesses whether they sell a product or provide a service. Your social media output needs to be accessible and clear, which relies on specialist communication to take your concept, and create content that can be absorbed by your intended audience. The words you use—whether you're talking to seasoned or first-time customers—have to land in the right way, with the right people, at the right time.

What actually is localisation? 

When we talk about content strategy, (what we’re posting, where we’re posting it, how often, and in what tone) it’s easy to focus just on the words themselves. But communication isn’t just about what we say; it’s about how those words land with the people reading them.

That’s where localisation comes in. In simple terms, it’s about making sure your content feels right for the people it’s meant for. And it goes way beyond just translating text. It’s about tone of voice, cultural references, emojis, visuals, humour—even tiny things like whether a thumbs-up feels friendly or a bit too casual. It’s all about helping your message feel natural, familiar, and trustworthy to the person on the other side of the screen.

This applies even if you’re not speaking to different countries. Localisation works on a smaller scale too, whether you're talking to Gen Z skincare lovers in Liverpool or small business owners on The Wirral. Knowing who you’re speaking to helps you shape content that actually connects.

When I studied Translation and Localisation, we spent hours digging into how one phrase could mean five different things depending on who you were saying it to. I think about that a lot when I’m writing digital content for clients. Something as small as swapping “Buy now” for “Find out more” can completely change how a post feels—one might feel urgent, the other more inviting. And those tiny shifts? They really matter.

There’s research behind it too. Mooij and Hofstede (if you’re into the academic side) looked at how cultural values shape marketing—and found that people are more likely to trust and connect with content that feels aligned with their own values and norms. It’s proof that it’s not just about getting eyes on your post—it’s about saying the right thing in the right way at the right time.

Communication helps your customers.

With all this in mind, the content I create for clients is never just generic or based on what’s trending. Every piece is shaped with care to reflect the values, goals and personality of the brand, and to land well with the people it’s actually meant for. Whether it’s an Instagram caption, a blog post explaining a service, or a set of visuals for a campaign—it’s all rooted in strategy, not guesswork.

I bring in my background in localisation and specialist communication to make sure each piece feels natural, human, and intentional. The goal? Content that connects. That feels authentic. And actually means something to your audience.

One of my favourite ongoing projects is with Emilia, a local jewellery designer whose work explores themes of family, memory, and light. Her collection, Generations in Focus, is inspired by personal photographs and her family's architectural legacy—specifically, a cinema designed by the first architect in her family in Crosby, Liverpool. She used this as a launchpad to explore film camera lenses, shadows, illusions, and light. 

When we started shaping her content, it became clear that a standard 'product-first' tone just didn’t fit. Her work isn’t just about the jewellery, but also about her family history and how memories pass through generations. To stay true to this, I formulate her copy to reflect that: more reflective, showing her personality, and the result? A voice that feels as thoughtful and interesting as her work itself.

For me, communication is something to be shaped thoughtfully, and adds depth to the visuals. You can’t really have one without the other. And if you’re a small business owner, here’s a question worth asking: is your content really saying what you think it’s saying? And maybe even more importantly—how does it make your audience feel?

If you’re curious to find out more, I offer free discovery sessions where we can take a look at your current content and communication style, and see how it could be even more effective in reaching your intended audience.