How to Write a Communications Strategy

Establishing Your Objectives

Consider the long- and short-term goals of your organization. Whatever you do should be in support of these goals, so it is important to be clear on them. Indicate what your organization wishes to achieve on the communications front, such as increased media prominence, damage control, branding, etc. For instance, growth may be your company's long-term goal, while creating greater brand recognition locally is your short-term goal.

Define objectives that support your company's goals. Define your objectives as clearly as possible. Explain why each objective is relevant. Your goals should be specific enough that their success or failure should be easy to establish after they have been implemented. They should also be flexible enough to be adjusted in the case of possible changes. If your company is aiming to grow by means of establishing greater brand recognition locally, your communications strategy may be "Create brand recognition in those local communities that are less familiar with our product, in order to attract more vendors within those neighborhoods."

Identify the audience of your communications. Name the populations and individuals you are trying to reach, such as the general public, a media outlet, invested individuals, or others. Remember to consider all the stakeholders in your organization. List your audience. Of those listed, who is it most important to reach? Rank your list. For instance, while it usually makes sense to get more media exposure, there are times when it's even more important to communicate with key stakeholders. For instance, you may define your most important audience as community members within a few neighborhoods in which brand recognition for your company is especially low. When you have completed your draft, go back and make sure that you have a plan to reach all of the stakeholders you listed.

Translate your communications objectives into actions. Describe the activities you will undertake to achieve your objectives. It isn't helpful to present goals alone: lay out the work you will do to achieve them. Explain what you will do for media outreach, public relations, and customer care. If you are trying to drum up local recognition of your brand, for instance, your actions may be something like "Take out ads in local papers," or "Sponsor community soccer leagues."

Delivering Your Message

Consolidate your message into three main points. Your points should be concise so you can return to them many times. Put the most important point first. Explain how each point will be transmitted to each target audience. For instance, your message might be that your product is readily available, that it is more reliable than other options, and that it is appreciated by children and adults alike.

Create an engaging narrative. Communications is all about storytelling, and there's no reason the strategy should be any more dry than the narrative it will eventually produce. Craft a story arc with your presentation. Include human interest anecdotes, vivid narrative, and intriguing images. To define a narrative, position your company or your team as a hero embarking on a mission. Define the motives, risks, and benefits in terms of a hero's journey that will have a happy ending. For instance, you might say, "After succeeding in select markets in Dayton, Ohio, our company has reached a plateau. We have secured vendors within all of the University-affiliated neighborhoods, and our customers couldn't be happier. Sure, we have a loyal customer base, but many of our customers will move after a few years. How can we build greater brand recognition within the permanent residents of Dayton, enough that we can expand our operations to Cincinnati? To Columbus?" Follow this setup by laying out your plan, and detail the positive outcome you project.

Detail how you'll spread your message. Describe the forms that your messages will take and how they will be disseminated, including details about mailings, social media platforms, media destinations, etc. List any media contacts, public relations arrangements, social media services, etc. If your goal is to reduce coverage or scrutiny of your organization, identify specific methods for deflecting attention.

List your resources. Describe the resources or budget that you will use to support your communications strategy. This may include technology, teams or individuals in your company, anything you'll need to purchase and resources your company already has. Include projections of future costs. Verify any parts of the plan you are unsure of with those in charge of your company's budget.

Provide a timeline. Draw up a calendar detailing the proposed implementation of your communications strategy. Set definite benchmarks as barometers of progress. Make sure to leave enough time for the each part of the process. Ask, does this give us enough time for the project to be seen by everyone who has to see it?

Including Additional Strategies

Propose methods for evaluating the success of your strategy. Include information about any surveys you hope to conduct, results you hope to see at certain dates, responses you wish to receive from individuals or media organizations, etc. Ensure that there is a definite way to gauge whether your strategy has failed or succeeded. Identify ways in which your strategy can be adapted to changing conditions and how you will respond to feedback from within and from outside the organization.

Prepare for crisis. Include a crisis communications plan within your communications plan. Explain what will you do if this strategy goes wrong. List possible weaknesses you will be prepared to address. Make sure to include a plan for keeping your beneficiaries safe.

Specify your digital strategy. While you probably cover many digital platforms in your initial plan, you may want to draw up a specific strategy for increasing your company's digital presence. Identify the areas where you company needs to grow: is the website effective? Is social media being used effectively? How easy will it be for customers to react to your communications across platforms? Present this alongside your company's communications strategy.