Quick guide to your own communications plan

Do you need a communications plan for your small business? Or perhaps you are a business development professional that needs to fine tune a corporate message?

When results matter, sometimes you have to draft your own plan of action. Here are the salient points that will help you come up with your own plan. Remember: who, why, what and how.

The Who - Audience
Start out with a specific group of people in mind. There should only be the primary and secondary audience/target. In carving out the identity of your brand, you will know what market segment you want to penetrate.

To come up with the target audience, start with all stakeholders and narrow them down into groups – per demographic, interest, buying habit, etc. Find the key group that is directly affected or focused on this particular plan's goal.

The Why - Objective/Goal
Why are you doing this communications plan? A clear and specific objective has the best chance of being successful. Create only one goal per communications plan. If you have multiple goals to achieve, then these will require separate plans.

Imagine a group going for one single goal compared to a group trying to reach multiple goals. Who do you think will succeed first and completely?

Outlining a goal must include a timeline, setting a specific schedule of activities, events or advertising strategies.

The What - Message
This is the meat of the entire operation. The success of your message being absorbed by the right people rests on how it is presented. Does it clearly speak to your target audience? Is it creative? Does it inspire action towards your objective?

Consistency in your message is also vital. In the different media that you are going to be using, there should be one unified message that you want your audience to get.. one thought, one message.

You only have a few seconds to relay your objective, introduce your product and capture your audience. Make them count.

The How - Delivery Strategy
There are plenty of ways to spread your message. Traditional media is still reliable and digital media has exponential audience reach. Finding the customized mix of both media for your product can be a large factor to a successful communications plan.

Before deciding on a specific media, a certain amount of researching will be required. Look into the demographics in that media and compare with the demographics of your audience.

Measurement
Was your audience reached? Was your goal attained? Was your strategy effective? All aspects of the plan from conception to termination have a hand in the overall result. Assess each step and figure out what went wrong and what went right... and more importantly what you can take away from the experience.

Set up your own metrics for measurement, depending on the strategies employed and the media utilized. Some planners measure their progress at each stage. It gives current time feedback on whether or not your communications plan is going the path you want it. On the other hand, it will also tell you, early on, if there are adjustments to the overall plan that need to be made.

Evaluation is part of the plan. It will tell you if the entire effort and process was a success. It will also give valuable data and learning opportunities for your succeeding communication plans.

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