You wouldn’t go somewhere new without pulling out the good old map, or these days firing up Google maps. This is what I tell my clients when it comes to their communications output. As a result, I’m increasingly creating communications and content plans rather than just the content itself, which I think is a much better investment. Here is some of the thinking I do before and as I am laying out the communications plans, and some topics I give my clients to think about so they can help me create something that really works for their business or organization.
Audience, audience, audience
No creative content matters if nobody reads it. Or worse if it’s a turnoff. This is why audience profiling and segmenting can be such an important aspect of the planning process. As a first step, I confirm and clarify the specific audiences, and often develop personas around them, complete with names and details (Sara is a 42-year-old mother of two who works as an accountant, does kickboxing on the weekend and buys cookies once a week would be a sample profile for a local bakery). This helps to get concrete with every platform you would map to Sara or initiative you would take for her: would Sara like this? I often tell clients to ask themselves. Her answer makes all the difference about what to take forward.
Set goals but not too many
I’m a fan of setting goals, but fewer of them, and checking in often to see how they are working. Generally, I think a year out for a communications plan, with quarterly check-ins on how various parts are working. Monthly and even weekly evaluations work nicely if we’re trying something new. Having too many goals can lead to dropping one if you get busy. If you really need to incorporate many elements in your communications plans, tier them so that you know which are core and which are nice to have.
The higher the level, the bigger the picture
Since I’ve also taught communications planning, I know that people who are new to it often tend to think small. While you’re focused on a year out, what could those plans lead to in five years? What are new experiments you could add to boost your brand? Are there new audiences who might also benefit from your organization’s output? All of these big picture questions are great to include in the planning stage.
Measurement but also experiment
I like to include one or two experimental channels in my communications planning. This might include a new audience segment or a new social platform. While I incorporate how to evaluate success through metrics, I feel like they can be a safety blanket so having one or two elements where you can just see the results in real time helps to potentially discover something new.
