7 Tips for Creating a Comprehensive Communications Plan

During the Association Media & Publishing Annual Meeting, June 25-27 in Washington, D.C., I’ll reveal what it takes to create a comprehensive communication plan. I will co-present on this topic with Meg White, managing editor of REALTOR Magazine.

Can’t make the session? Here’s a sneak peek on the 7 steps it takes to achieve a comprehensive communication plan:

1. Understand the competition. Where are your customers seeking information and solutions? What do your customers want, how do they want it delivered, and with what frequency?
2. Conduct an audit. What is the range of current communication modalities? Do messages reflect strategic priorities? Are people acting on communications?
3. Refine your strategy, priorities, and objectives. Are there significant gaps between the current state and desired future state of success? How will priorities be addressed, tying communications strategies to overall organizational strategy? Are sufficient resources in place in terms of people, culture, structure, process, and technology?
4. Define the content creation and production process. Are communications efficiently and effectively developed across all platforms? Is content personalized?
5. Develop an integrated distribution plan. How will content be delivered most effectively to target audiences? How can you achieve multiple communications across time and platforms?
6. Evaluate impact. How will you assess the effectiveness of the plan to ensure it is having the desired impact? What SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) should you include?
7. Evolve. How will you ensure there is ongoing alignment with shifts in customer needs, as well as the overall organizational vision and priorities?

By developing a comprehensive communications plan, you can establish your organization as the “go-to” resource for customers, find out for certain what types of content are going to make your association indispensable, and ensure your messages are received, remembered, and acted upon.