Don’t have money or a good team? In that case, success can only happen by chance of luck. Plan your communication strategically.
We already know that the beginning of any successful market communication is the setting of a strategy. The setting of a strategy entails defining clear and measurable goals, defining the means to reach the goal, and clearly communicating what you want and expect to happen along the way.
However, it often happens that strategic communication planning is shortened or skipped. Goals are often set too broadly, KPIs represent a wish list, and the choice of tool depends on personal preferences. Without careful planning, we often focus on the actions we want to take instead of the changes we want to encourage.
There are many reasons for not planning. We think it will be an obstacle to the development of creative ideas, it seems to us that we are doing it, although in reality we are not, or sometimes we simply forget about it in the midst of a hectic operation.
Nevertheless, if done correctly, planning improves the quality of work. It eliminates ambiguity, adds structure to complex processes, sheds light on the roots of challenges, and clarifies the path ahead. Planing contributes to efficiency, maximizes resources and generates additional income.
That’s why, as fans of good organization and structure, we bring you five tips for the planning process:
This is not about defining the number of press releases, influencers, events or the amount of texts. All of the above represent communication tools. Without other steps in the process – goals and quality inputs – tools alone will not contribute to the success of communication.
This means securing the necessary approvals on time – internally and externally. If you start budgeting early enough, you can allow yourself to scale it depending on the dynamics of project development, while allocating the necessary time for initial planning, collection of bids and post analysis.
Make sure that the relevant people are involved in the process from the beginning and that everyone knows what the communication goals are (and preferable the business and sales goals, as well). Collaboration between internal and external teams is key. When you have analysts, planners, creatives and management (agency and organizational) at the same table, you are more likely to approach the challenge from different angles and create a plan with as few unknowns as possible.
When planning, it’s important to take the time to step back and reflect on the process – ask the right questions, the most common of which should be “why?”. As people who are supposed to solve problems, we often rush to focus on individual challenges, but can’t come up with the right ideas without fully understanding that we need to change. Think about the context and depth of the problem before jumping to solutions.
Make sure all team members understand what kind of change you want to achieve with the communication you are creating, what the challenges are, and how you are going to persuade your target group to make that change. When using a strategic framework, communication and business goals, all of the data you can gather about the target group and the challenge you are facing will help you in this. The best ideas are found at the intersection of audience, market and brand (or organization). Without the coordination of these three factors, you are simply completing the task.
Time, budget and any ambiguities in communication are enemies of strategic planning that can be avoided if you follow the guidelines described above.
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