Strategic Comm. Plan Template free essay sample

E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 177 Strategic Communications Plan Template Mission Statement 20- to 25-Word Organization Description Program Goals 177 E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 178 178 Strategic Communications Plan Template Strategic Communications Plan Outline Step One: Conduct a Situation Analysis A. Examine the External Environment B. Examine the Internal Environment C. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats D. Analyze the SWOT Step Two: Connect with Your Audience A. Audience Identi? cation B. Audience Pro? le C. Select Priority Audiences Step Three: Communications Objectives Step Four: Tailor Messages A. Persuasive Messages B. Put a Human Face on the Work Step Five: Develop Appropriate Strategies and Vehicles A. Evaluate Strategic Options B. Evaluate Existing Vehicles and Strategies C. Develop New Strategies and Vehicles Step Six: Evaluate Your Efforts A. Strategy for Evaluation B. Develop Outcome Measures Step Seven: Create a Timeline and Budget A. Develop a Calendar B. Communications Budget Sheet E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 179 Strategic Communications Plan Template 179 Step One Conduct a Situation Analysis A. Examine the External Environment Demographic Force: Who are the primary groups that bene? from the organization? Has there been a shift or change in the populations or the makeup of the communities you serve? If yes, what does that mean? If no, is that cause for alarm? Economic Forces: What are the sources of revenue for the organization? Is the ? nancial base suf? ciently diversi? ed? How do donors perceive the organization, and what does that mean for its ? nancial future (consider government funding, foundations, and corporate contributors)? Is the economy shifting in ways that will cause a growth or a decline in demand for services from the populations we serve? Technological Forces: What are the latest trends in business technology that might allow the organization to be more effective? What are the latest products or trends in online technology that could impact the work: program development, technical assistance, volunteer recruitment, training, education, and so on? How will recent trends impact the organization? Does the organization need to improve its technology to create better products, improve services, and/or conduct more cost-effective advocacy efforts? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 180 180 Strategic Communications Plan Template Political Forces: How do current political priorities in? uence the organization and its work? What will be on the national, local, and state political agenda this year? Could it affect the organization or the populations it serves? If the winds blow our way, what can we expect? If they go against us, what is the worst that can happen? Is there something we are not seeing? Social Forces: What social or cultural trends are occurring in the community, in the state, in the nation? What does this mean for the organization and its work? What social or cultural values are embraced by the constituents that we serve? Have these values changed recently? If so, why? Does that impact the organization’s relationship to its constituents? What is the mood of the nation? the community? What is the latest fear in society? What is the latest demand? What is the latest hope or solution being talked about? How could these fears, demands, and hopes impact the organization and its work? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 181 Strategic Communications Plan Template 181 B. Examine the Internal Environment Management Objectives: Is there a strategic plan that guides the work of the organization? Are there clear management objectives? Are staff members aware of the management objectives of the organization and what that means for their job performance? How do they relate to program objectives? Has the organization de? ned what each management objective means and why it is important for the organization’s success? Are there mechanisms for staff input or feedback? Human Resources: What expertise does the staff have? What knowledge base resides in the staff? Do we provide training for staff? Do we have staff expertise in all the areas on which the organization is focused? Do we have too many or not enough volunteers for the programs that require volunteer involvement? What additional staf? ng do we require? Financial Resources: Is the organization on sound ? nancial footing? Do its ? nancial resources covering existing activities? Does the organization pay its expenses in a timely manner? Does the organization have a reserve fund? Does the organization have a core group of supporters and donors? Does this base need to be expanded? diversi? ed? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 182 182 Strategic Communications Plan Template Physical Infrastructure: Does the organization have enough workspace for staff, consultants, and temporary workers? Is the space conducive to teamwork? Are there adequate light, air, and heat? Can people have a private conversation if they need to? Is the neighborhood safe for staff working odd hours? Is there room to expand if the organization takes on new programs? Technology Infrastructure: Do people have adequate computers and software to perform their jobs? Does the telephone system meet the needs of the organization? Are there other special equipment needs that should be addressed? How will these factors in? uence the implementation of our strategic communications plan? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 183 Strategic Communications Plan Template 183 C. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? What opportunities exist in the next 18 months? What threats exist in the next 18 months? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 184 184 Strategic Communications Plan Template D. Analyze Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats Opportunities Threats Unique opportunity for the next six months:  Challenge to address in the next six months: Weaknesses Strengths  E1BOTH_1 Step Two Connect with Your Audience 12/04/2008 A. Audience Identi? cation 185 Step 1. Review the following list and rate each audience in terms of its importance to your work (somewhat important, critically important, or not applicable). Step 2. Decide whether you have been effective or not effective at reaching out to them. Step 3. Rank the five most critical audiences for this planning process. Check the appropriate boxes. Step 1 N/A Somewhat Important Critical Not Effective Step 2 Effective Step 3 Rank the Top 5 Category Colleagues at other organizations Organizations with similar program interests and values or with whom we partner 185 Organizations that oppose our work Activists/advocates (against us) Clients Activists/advocates (for us) Board members Volunteers Staff Private foundations Corporate foundations E1BOTH_1 Donors 12/04/2008 Community leaders Community groups 186 Church groups Government of? cials/policy makers Nongovernment policy makers Parents Educators/teachers Corporations—senior managers Small business owners 186 Young people Health care providers Social service agencies Academic or trade press National press State and local reporters, editors, media outlets, speci? c programs Other audience(s) not on this list: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 187 Strategic Communications Plan Template 187 B. Audience Pro? le Audience _______________________________________________________ 1. Describe your audience: What are their concerns? What characteristics of your audience are important to your organization (e. g. , their education levels, income levels; family size, health issues)? 2. Why are they important to you? 3. Why should your audience care about your organization and its issues? 4. What do you want from this audience? 5. How does this audience receive information? 6. Are there particular individuals who have credibility or power over the target audience? What are their names? 7. Are there other individuals that can help you better reach this target audience? Who? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 188 188 Strategic Communications Plan Template C. Select Priority Audiences Review the previous list and select ? ve groups that you will focus on for your strategic communications plan. Indicate how they are important to your work and the desired action you would like them to take. Why Are They Important to Us? Provides coordination with similar projects around our mission. Identi? es resource needs and develops standard language on our issue. Audience EXAMPLE: NPO Desired Action How to work together and when we can work alone. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 189 Strategic Communications Plan Template 189 Step Three Communications Objectives Remember that communications objectives focus on changing speci? c knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors in the audience. Communications objectives have action verbs (e. g. , educate, teach, inform, provide, conduct, enlist, mobilize, discuss, promote, build consensus). Communications Objective 1 Target Audience: Select One: Desired Action: Target Date: State Objective: Inform Engage Motivate Maintain Communications Objective 2 Target Audience: Select One: Desired Action: Target Date: State Objective: Inform Engage Motivate Maintain Apply the SMART test. Are your communications objectives: Smart? Measurable? Appropriate? Realistic? Time-bound? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 190 190 Strategic Communications Plan Template Communications Objective 3 Target Audience: Select One: Desired Action: Target Date: State Objective: Inform Engage Motivate Maintain Communications Objective 4 Target Audience: Select One: Desired Action: Target Date: State Objective: Inform Engage Motivate Maintain Apply the SMART test. Are your communications objectives: Smart? Measurable? Appropriate? Realistic? Time-bound? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 191 Strategic Communications Plan Template 191 Communications Objective 5 Target Audience: Select One: Desired Action: Target Date: State Objective: Inform Engage Motivate Maintain Communications Objective 6 Target Audience: Select One: Desired Action: Target Date: State Objective: Inform Engage Motivate Maintain Apply the SMART test. Are your communications objectives: Smart? Measurable? Appropriate? Realistic? Time-bound? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 192 192 Strategic Communications Plan Template Step Four Tailor Messages A. Persuasive Messages Create a message for each of your priority audiences. It should have three parts. It should identify the issue and desired change, make it relevant to the audience, and provide an action step that the audience can take. Write your message as a complete sentence or two. Try to use the most persuasive language and use the word ‘‘you’’ at least once. Target Audience: _________________________________________________ Desired Change: _________________________________________________ Issue Why Should Your Audience Care What You Want Your Audience to Do, Think, or Feel Part 1 (Issue) Part 2 (Why Should Your Audience Care) Part 3 (What You Want Your Audience to Do, Think, or Feel) Now write a message combining all 3 parts as if you are talking to the audience. E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 193 Strategic Communications Plan Template 193 Persuasive Messages Create a message for each of your priority audiences. It should have three parts. It should identify the issue and desired change, make it relevant to the audience, and provide an action step that the audience can take. Write your message as a complete sentence or two. Try to use the most persuasive language and use the word ‘‘you’’ at least once. Target Audience: _________________________________________________ Desired Change: _________________________________________________ Issue Why Should Your Audience Care What You Want Your Audience to Do, Think, or Feel Part 1 (Issue) Part 2 (Why Should Your Audience Care) Part 3 (What You Want Your Audience to Do, Think, or Feel) Now write a message combining all 3 parts as if you are talking to the audience. E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 194 194 Strategic Communications Plan Template B. Put a Human Face on the Work Select an anecdote that puts a ‘‘human face’’ on the work that you do. Select a second anecdote that puts a ‘‘human face’’ on the work that you do. What do these anecdotes say about the work that you do? What emotions are they likely to trigger with your target audience? Are there any privacy concerns or other issues that should be addressed before you use these anecdotes? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 195 Strategic Communications Plan Template 195 Step Five Develop Strategies and Vehicles A. Evaluate Strategic Options Targeted Audience: _______________________________________________ Step 1. Review the strategic options under consideration and assign a numeric value (from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest) for the effectiveness of each strategy against the seven criteria. Responsive to Audience: 1 unresponsive, 5 highly responsive Appropriate Relationship: 1 inappropriate, 5 builds on our strengths Strategy Affects Perception: 1 emotional, 5 rational Strategy Affects Message: 1 no control over message, 5 we control message 5. Effort to Implement: 1 draws on our strengths, 5 will tax our capacity 6. Cost to Implement: 1 least expensive, 5 most expensive 7. Impact on Others: 1 no impact on others, 5 allows us to reach other targeted audiences 1. 2. 3. 4. Step 2. Decide which strategies are the most likely to give you the desired result with the target audience. Step 3. Rank order the effective strategies for this target audience and this strategic communications objective. E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 196 Strategy Responsive to audience Appropriate relationship Strategy affects perception Effort to implement Cost to implement Strategy affects message Impact on other audiences Total Rank order 196 Are all of these strategies designed to work in concert with each other and to be mutually reinforcing? E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 197 Strategic Communications Plan Template 197 B. Evaluate Existing Vehicles and Strategies Step Step Step Step 1. 2. 3. 4. List existing vehicles used by your organization. Identify priority audiences that could bene? t from these vehicles. Verify that each vehicle carries the right message. Verify that the vehicle is effectively reaching the audience. Step 2 Primary audience Step 3 Conveys our message? Step 4 Effective at reaching the audience? Step 1 Vehicles we use Face-to-Face Print Audio Video Web Site/E-mail E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 198 198 Strategic Communications Plan Template C. Develop New Strategies and Vehicles Communications Objective 1 Target Audience: State Objective: Which vehicles will you use, how will you use them, and why are they good strategic choices? Face-to-Face: Print: Audio: Video: Web Site/E-mail: Other: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 199 Strategic Communications Plan Template 199 Communications Objective 2 Target Audience: State Objective: Which vehicles will you use, how will you use them, and why are they good strategic choices? Face-to-Face: Print: Audio: Video: Web Site/E-mail: Other: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 200 200 Strategic Communications Plan Template Communications Objective 3 Target Audience: State Objective: Which vehicles will you use, how will you use them, and why are they good strategic choices? Face-to-Face: Print: Audio: Video: Web Site/E-mail: Other: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 201 Strategic Communications Plan Template 201 C ommunications Objective 4 Target Audience: State Objective: Which vehicles will you use, how will you use them, and why are they good strategic choices? Face-to-Face: Print: Audio: Video: Web Site/E-mail: Other: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 202 202 Strategic Communications Plan Template Communications Objective 5 Target Audience: State Objective: Which vehicles will you use, how will you use them, and why are they good strategic choices? Face-to-Face: Print: Audio: Video: Web Site/E-mail: Other: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 203 Strategic Communications Plan Template 203 Communications Objective 6 Target Audience: State Objective: Which vehicles will you use, how will you use them, and why are they good strategic choices? Face-to-Face: Print: Audio: Video: Web Site/E-mail: Other: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 204 204 Strategic Communications Plan Template Step Six Evaluate Your Efforts A. Strategy for Evaluation De? ne the purpose of the evaluation. What activities are you planning to evaluate? Will you be measuring communication activities or communication impact? Who is the target audience? Who will be on the evaluation team? List the measurable aspects of your communications objectives in the ? rst column and indicate how you intend to measure those aspects in the second column. E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 205 Strategic Communications Plan Template 205 B. Develop Outcome Measures Reexamine the communications objectives you created. List 3 measurable activities and 3 measurable impacts below. If need be, revise the communications objective to be sure you are measuring both impact and activities. Communications Objective 1 Activities to Measure: 1. 2. 3. Impacts to Measure: 1. 2. 3. State or revise the communications objective to demonstrate impact: Communications Objective 2 Activities to Measure: 1. 2. 3. Impacts to Measure: 1. 2. 3. State or revise the communications objective to demonstrate impact: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 206 206 Strategic Communications Plan Template Communications Objective 3 Activities to Measure: 1. 2. 3. Impacts to Measure: 1. 2. 3. State or revise the communications objective to demonstrate impact: Communications Objective 4 Activities to Measure: 1. 2. 3. Impacts to Measure: 1. 2. 3. State or revise the communications objective to demonstrate impact: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 207 Strategic Communications Plan Template 207 Communications Objective 5 Activities to Measure: 1. 2. 3. Impacts to Measure: 1. 2. 3. State or revise the communications objective to demonstrate impact: Communications Objective 6 Activities to Measure: 1. 2. 3. Impacts to Measure: 1. 2. 3. State or revise the communications objective to demonstrate impact: E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 208 208 Strategic Communications Plan Template Step Seven Create a Timeline and Budget A. Develop a Calendar Write the month, date, activity, and person responsible for each task involved in implementing each strategy. Note events, holidays, lunch dates, etc. Due date Person responsible Action/Task/Event/Holiday, Etc. E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 209 Strategic Communications Plan Template 209 B. Communications Budget Sheet Strategy/Tasks Target date Cost E1BOTH_1 12/04/2008 210