Communications Plan Workshop5:30 – 6:20 pm

MDCL 1008

COMPETITION

Welcome!Please take a seat

Elements of a Communications Plan1. Situational Analysis2. Target Audience3. Strategic Summary4. Strategies5. Messaging6. Timeline7. Budget8. Evaluation

Situational Analysis

Analyze your organization’s current situation (background, challenges, public perception, etc) and evaluate what you can do for them • Research• PESTLE• SWOT

SWOT Analysis - Strengths

Strengths• What does the company do well?• Does it have a strong public perception?• Is the company strong in its market?• Does the company have a strong sense of

purpose and culture to support the purpose?

SWOT Analysis - Weaknesses

Weaknesses• What does the company do poorly?• What problems could be avoided?• Does the company have serious financial

liabilities?

SWOT Analysis - Opportunity

Opportunities • Are industry trends moving upward?• Do new markets exist for the company’s

products/ services?• Are there new technologies that the

company can exploit?

SWOT Analysis - Threats

Threats• What are competitors doing well?• What obstacles does the company face?• Are there troubling changes in the

company’s business environment (technologies, laws, and regulations)

PESTLE ModelPolitical – what is the political situation, how does it

affect the industry? (taxes, duties, etc)Economic – prevalent economic factors? Supply/

Demand, exchange rate, inflation, etcSocial - cultural trends, demographics, population

analytics, etcTechnological – technical innovations that are likely

to pop up and affect the industryLegal - consumer laws, safety standards, labor lawsEnvironmental – environmental concerns

Target Audience

• Know your audience!• Define your publics

• Requires research• Demographic• Psychographics and lifestyle

Strategic Summary - GOALS

GOALS: broad strokes, higher-level concepts about what needs to be accomplished.

• They set out a general direction and are inline with the organizations mission.

• Think big picture!

Strategic Summary - OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVE: objectives are set under each goal to help make it a reality • Should be SMART

• Specific• Measurable• Attainable• Relevant• Time-sensitive

Strategies

A strategy is an approach to solving a problem or capturing an opportunity

Tactics

• Actions and materials implemented to carry out strategies.

• What channels, activities, events and/or materials will be used to effectively carry out your message?

Messaging

A good message is • Simple• Adaptable to any medium• Applicable to all messages in the campaign• Durable

Messages should• Be tied closely to your goals and objectives • Deliver information about the issue and

compel the target audience to think, act, or feel

Messaging

• Clear• Consistent• Tone and Appeal• Transparent

Messaging - Clear

Clear• Simple and clear• Avoid technical and unnecessary info• Passes the readability test

Messaging - Consistent

Consistent• All messages should be consistent with each

other

Messaging – Tone & Appeal

Tone and Appeal• Message should be reassuring, alarming,

challenging, or straightforward depending on the target audience

Messaging – Transparent

Transparent• Messages should also be truthful and

honest. Messages should be based on what the target audience perceives as most important to them

Timeline

The outline and time allotted for each strategy

Budget

The budget allocated for your materials, time, and employees, miscellaneous

Evaluation

• To measure the success of the plan and to evaluate whether objectives have been met

• This is an important step to determine• Strengths and weaknesses of the plan• Identify obstacles• Implement new approaches for future

success.

Upcoming Dates

Communication Plans are due Monday February 23rd, 2015Online & 1 hard copy in Dr.

Savage’s Mailbox,TSH 3rd floor

Team Photos (for top 5 teams)Wednesday February 25th, 2015Lyons New Media CentreNoon

Presentation Tips Workshop Wednesday February 25th,

2015MDCL RM 30245:30 – 6:20PM

StratComm Final PresentationsFriday March 6th, 2015Council Chambers (Gilmour Hall)10 AM – 3:00 PM