Source : http://communicationplanstoday.blogspot.fi/2010/04/strategic-communication-plan-model.html
10 mistakes to avoid in creating a communications outreach plan
#1 Lack of research
How much or little do your constituents know about your organization? Do they like it? If not, why not? How can you attack your problem if you don’t know its size, depth and breadth? How can you chart a course to a better place if you don’t know where you are now?
You don’t have to do a Gallup poll, although some quantitative data would be useful. Interviews with your own staff who interface with customers will give you good insight. So will a few minutes spent with local opinion leaders you trust, and even some of those curmudgeons you avoid. You might also take a look at secondary research done for similar agencies that face common problems.
#2 Not targeting or mis-targeting the audience
To be efficient and effective, you can’t just “spray and pray.” You’ve got to aim. If not, you open your agency to even more criticism for wasteful spending. Is your target audience male or female, old or young, rural or urban, uneducated or well educated? Demographics dictate media selection. What media does your audience use to get information?
#3 Choosing the wrong media
You may like to listen to that radio talk show in the morning while you drive to work. Does your target audience like it too? Or do they spend their day on Facebook and Pinterest? You may think a fancy annual report similar to the one another (better funded) agency sends out would do the job. But, what if the report consumes 80% of your communications budget, and no one reads it?
Know your audience. Know what they think, what they read, where they congregate. Save money. Hit the target.
#4 Being non-strategic in your messaging
Think quality instead of quantity. It’s what you say, not how much you say. Does your communications plan tie to your strategic plan? To your mission statement? Do you have a set of key messages that will be repeated in various forms, media and contexts?
Everyone in the organization needs to know what to say. Develop your talking points before you face the media. Be proactive, not reactive.
#5 Not integrating across platforms
Your messaging and timing need to be coordinated in all media. What you’re saying in the news release or feature story on your web site should be integrated with the program you’re producing for cable-access TV, your town hall meetings, your newsletter, and the editorial calendar for your blog and social media. Leverage your media assets to get the best results.
#6 Monologuing, not dialoging
It’s not just “getting the word out.” It’s also about monitoring the word that comes in. Do you have a feedback loop? How closely are you watching or listening to it? Who’s responding to tweets and comments? Is it done promptly? Are only the good comments being shared in the organization, or do the complaints make the rounds too? How can you improve if you don’t know what needs improving?
I assume one of your goals is a better relationship with your constituents, citizens, supporters, customers, or whatever you call your audience. It takes both sides to make a relationship succeed. Make sure you’re having a dialog.
#7 Not developing strategic goals
How will you know if you’re succeeding? Are your goals based on tactical output (# of news releases, tweets, posts produced) or on results (# of releases that turned into news stories, changes in awareness and perception)? Do your communication goals tie to your organization’s strategic goals? Did sales, fund raising, or enrollment increase?
#8 Not measuring performance effectively
Are your goals measurable, or will you just “feel” your way along? How many Facebook “likes” mean success? How many retweets? If your research at the start of the campaign showed the awareness of your agency was X, how do you measure a change in awareness? Is success X+10%, or X+30%? Have you budgeted and planned for “summative” research?
How do you plan to act on the results of the measurement?
#9 Not allocating adequate resources
The point of planning isn’t to create a document that sits on a shelf, it’s to give direction to the people who will carry out the work. Do you have the right people to do the job? Do they have the tools they need? Is there an adequate budget? What good is a plan if your staff is already so overloaded that it’s impossible for them to carry out the communications activities? Would it be better to outsource the work?
#10 No champion at the highest level of the organization
If the communications campaign is driven at less than the CEO level, it won’t succeed. Communication is a fundamental responsibility of the top boss. It needs someone who has the authority to make things happen, who speaks for the entire organization, and who will get everyone on board.
This list comes from my own experience of developing scores of communication plans in the public and private sectors, and successfully managing their implementation. Even if you overcome all ten of the pitfalls I’ve listed, you’ll still have a lot of work ahead of you – but it’s worth it. Imagine what it would be like to operate your organization with less friction from opponents, more support from the media, and deeper engagement and better relations with your key audiences.
Source : http://beavercommunications.com/2014/07/08/10-mistakes-to-avoid-in-creating-a-communications-outreach-plan/
How much or little do your constituents know about your organization? Do they like it? If not, why not? How can you attack your problem if you don’t know its size, depth and breadth? How can you chart a course to a better place if you don’t know where you are now?
You don’t have to do a Gallup poll, although some quantitative data would be useful. Interviews with your own staff who interface with customers will give you good insight. So will a few minutes spent with local opinion leaders you trust, and even some of those curmudgeons you avoid. You might also take a look at secondary research done for similar agencies that face common problems.
#2 Not targeting or mis-targeting the audience
To be efficient and effective, you can’t just “spray and pray.” You’ve got to aim. If not, you open your agency to even more criticism for wasteful spending. Is your target audience male or female, old or young, rural or urban, uneducated or well educated? Demographics dictate media selection. What media does your audience use to get information?
#3 Choosing the wrong media
You may like to listen to that radio talk show in the morning while you drive to work. Does your target audience like it too? Or do they spend their day on Facebook and Pinterest? You may think a fancy annual report similar to the one another (better funded) agency sends out would do the job. But, what if the report consumes 80% of your communications budget, and no one reads it?
Know your audience. Know what they think, what they read, where they congregate. Save money. Hit the target.
#4 Being non-strategic in your messaging
Think quality instead of quantity. It’s what you say, not how much you say. Does your communications plan tie to your strategic plan? To your mission statement? Do you have a set of key messages that will be repeated in various forms, media and contexts?
Everyone in the organization needs to know what to say. Develop your talking points before you face the media. Be proactive, not reactive.
#5 Not integrating across platforms
Your messaging and timing need to be coordinated in all media. What you’re saying in the news release or feature story on your web site should be integrated with the program you’re producing for cable-access TV, your town hall meetings, your newsletter, and the editorial calendar for your blog and social media. Leverage your media assets to get the best results.
#6 Monologuing, not dialoging
It’s not just “getting the word out.” It’s also about monitoring the word that comes in. Do you have a feedback loop? How closely are you watching or listening to it? Who’s responding to tweets and comments? Is it done promptly? Are only the good comments being shared in the organization, or do the complaints make the rounds too? How can you improve if you don’t know what needs improving?
I assume one of your goals is a better relationship with your constituents, citizens, supporters, customers, or whatever you call your audience. It takes both sides to make a relationship succeed. Make sure you’re having a dialog.
#7 Not developing strategic goals
How will you know if you’re succeeding? Are your goals based on tactical output (# of news releases, tweets, posts produced) or on results (# of releases that turned into news stories, changes in awareness and perception)? Do your communication goals tie to your organization’s strategic goals? Did sales, fund raising, or enrollment increase?
#8 Not measuring performance effectively
Are your goals measurable, or will you just “feel” your way along? How many Facebook “likes” mean success? How many retweets? If your research at the start of the campaign showed the awareness of your agency was X, how do you measure a change in awareness? Is success X+10%, or X+30%? Have you budgeted and planned for “summative” research?
How do you plan to act on the results of the measurement?
#9 Not allocating adequate resources
The point of planning isn’t to create a document that sits on a shelf, it’s to give direction to the people who will carry out the work. Do you have the right people to do the job? Do they have the tools they need? Is there an adequate budget? What good is a plan if your staff is already so overloaded that it’s impossible for them to carry out the communications activities? Would it be better to outsource the work?
#10 No champion at the highest level of the organization
If the communications campaign is driven at less than the CEO level, it won’t succeed. Communication is a fundamental responsibility of the top boss. It needs someone who has the authority to make things happen, who speaks for the entire organization, and who will get everyone on board.
This list comes from my own experience of developing scores of communication plans in the public and private sectors, and successfully managing their implementation. Even if you overcome all ten of the pitfalls I’ve listed, you’ll still have a lot of work ahead of you – but it’s worth it. Imagine what it would be like to operate your organization with less friction from opponents, more support from the media, and deeper engagement and better relations with your key audiences.
Source : http://beavercommunications.com/2014/07/08/10-mistakes-to-avoid-in-creating-a-communications-outreach-plan/