What to consider when creating a communication plan.

Communication is needed to cultivate relationships

Effective communication is a crucial component for building and maintaining relationships, whether between individuals or between brands and stakeholders. A well-crafted communication strategy provides a clear direction and guides the tactical implementation of messaging (what, how, where, who, how much, why) to reach your desired goals.

Having a communication plan in place allows you to quickly and effectively communicate with your stakeholders in a variety of scenarios, including product launches, enhancing market position, or managing a public relations crisis.

Strategic communication involves the creation and implementation of marketing and media tactics to engage your target audience with a powerful and impactful message.

Here are 10 essential components of a strategic plan and a series of questions to guide you in creating an effective strategy:

Analysis of the company and current communication strategy

 It all starts with a thorough x-ray of the company.  Before you can determine where you want to go with your communication strategy, you need to know where your company is now.

Consider conducting a SWOT analysis as a starting point - assessing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

What has been achieved so far in terms of communications? How effective have previous communications been? What is going well? What can be improved? Are there potential opportunities you are missing?

Socio-economic context and competition

Context analysis helps to understand the environment in which the organisation operates, and then to correctly frame relevant messages to the target audience.

Setting the context requires a clear understanding of the values and culture as well as the resources and capabilities that the company has at its disposal to carry out key activities.

Understanding the needs wants and perspectives of the audience can help tailor communications and make them more effective. In addition, understanding the current market and industry trends helps to ensure that the organisation is positioned correctly in relation to immediate reality and key competitors.

Planning ahead and adjusting key messages and activities according to the context

Let's remember the beginning of the war, when communications people were polling LinkedIn, oscillating between communicating on social media and not communicating on these platforms out of respect for our neighbours.

Keep in mind that the public response can also change drastically depending on context and priorities, but especially depending on emotions. If last year they were reacting to one type of ad or message, now they may be sensitised to something else - in a situation where inflation has exploded, and the cost of living has risen considerably.

Communication objectives derived from business objectives

Business needs will guide how you think about and define your communication objectives. They should provide perspective and direction for the team responsible for implementing the strategic plan. So, make sure they have all the information they might need.

Examples of communication objectives include raising brand awareness, promoting awareness of a product or service, encouraging behaviour change or building trust and credibility with a specific audience.

 When setting these objectives, whether the communication direction will be external or internal, you should be realistic about implementation time, budget and resources, and also make sure the objectives are measurable.

Audience segmentation

The audience includes not only customers but also employees, partners, investors, government officials, media outlets and many other stakeholders (e.g. neighbours in the vicinity of the plant if applicable, the community, relatives of employees, etc.).

To convince your audience, you must first understand them. Who are the people you are talking to? What are their expectations? What are their beliefs? What do they like and what don't they like? How do these people spend their time? What motivates them? What problems and needs do they have?

Psychological segmentation involves grouping clients based on lifestyle, values and personality traits.

Behavioural segmentation involves grouping customers based on their behaviour, such as their buying habits and brand loyalty.

Keywords, key messages and communication pillars

What do you want to say and what would be relevant to talk about in front of an audience? What kind of information does the audience need to receive from the company?

Establish some content pillars (topics and themes that would be relevant) related to the product or service and the industry in which the company operates. Based on these pillars based on the expertise of the company and key representatives, build the editorial calendar.

Key messages, frequency, style and format depend on the channels selected. Content must be fit for purpose and tailored: either digital or traditional, social media or owned media, internal or external communication, etc.

Don't forget the important role storytelling plays in communication. A compelling narrative can help grab your audience's attention and make information more memorable. Facts and figures will not be remembered in the long run. Instead, stories and experiences will stick in people's minds because they create emotion.

Be real, human, and transparent in your approach. Use simple language that conveys an impactful message.

The budget

Maximizing success demands a well-funded plan. To ensure that your endeavours are met with the intended outcomes, it's crucial to first understand your available financial resources.

With this information in hand, you can then strategically allocate your budget towards the initiatives with the greatest potential for success.

Tactical actions

To effectively communicate with your target audience, a multi-channel approach is recommended. This can include a combination of:

·      Issuing press releases to relevant media outlets.

·      Hosting events to engage with your audience directly.

·      Utilizing media placement opportunities such as advertorials or banners.

·      Sponsoring or participating in events that align with your goals.

·      Conducting personal meetings with key influencers.

·      Leveraging online channels through social media campaigns and utilizing owned media platforms such as newsletters, blogs, and websites.

·      Running targeted paid online advertising.

Before implementing these actions, it's important to take preparatory steps such as updating your media list, providing media training for spokespeople, and ensuring that your social media channels are up-to-date and well-stocked with informative content.

Timelines

To ensure the success of your communication campaigns, it's critical to establish a detailed implementation timeline. This will provide the necessary time for your team to craft compelling messaging and ensure that your communication efforts are delivered on schedule.

When developing your implementation timeline, remember to include a buffer of several days to account for any unexpected challenges that may arise.

A key aspect of your implementation timeline is determining the frequency and timeline for distributing information. This will help you establish a clear and consistent schedule for communicating with your target audience.

Setting accurate metrics to measure your success

To assess the effectiveness of your communication efforts, it's important to establish performance indicators from the outset. This will help you determine whether your objectives have been achieved.

Consider tracking metrics such as:

·      Percentage of coverage in target media outlets

·      Advertising value of media coverage received (AVE)

·      Media share of voice compared to competitors

·      Analysis of key message penetration and tone of media coverage (positive, neutral, negative)

·      Website and social media metrics, including followers, likes, shares, reactions, etc.

·      Google Analytics data, including unique visitors, page views, time spent, and clicks.

·      Customer feedback and satisfaction surveys.

·      Online reviews on platforms such as Google or Facebook.

By regularly monitoring these performance indicators, you can gain a better understanding of the impact of your communication campaigns and make data-driven decisions to optimize your efforts.

Communication team

Ultimately, the foundation for a successful communication strategy lies with the team responsible for its creation and implementation. If your in-house communications team requires additional support, consider partnering with a reputable and experienced agency to maximize your results. With their expertise, you can be confident that your efforts will be optimized for success.

In the ever-evolving world of sustainability, it's crucial to stay on top of industry trends and quickly adapt to changes. This includes embracing new technologies, exploring new markets, and investing in socially responsible initiatives.

The evolving communication landscape

The landscape of sustainability is rapidly evolving, and consumer expectations are shifting along with it. Today, sustainability is becoming a key aspect of all business strategies, not just a few larger companies.

To remain relevant and competitive, it's essential to be open to new ideas and be willing to adjust or pivot as needed. By doing so, you can ensure that your company remains aligned with the changing needs of your customers.

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Lighthouse PR, based in Bucharest, and its management team sit on the EU SME Development board and the CMO Council. It is also a valued member of the prestigious Crisis Communication Network Europe.  It is the only member in Romania and SEE, with network offices in 14 countries across the EU.