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 How many times have you tried to get the word out without clarity about who you are trying to reach or why? How many times have you been asked by higher-ups for better visibility without a clear goal in sight? This edition of Communications With Impact offer tips to develop an effective communications plan. Also check out the other resources. If you like what you've read, or if you have suggestions, please email me at news@amyplotch.com
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 | What are you waiting for? A guide to communications planning. | |
Your communications strategy is your playbook--a carefully thought-out, fully integrated system to use communications to advance your mission. With a solid plan, a small organization can wield influence and build a reputation larger than life. Without one, the same organization may struggle to recruit participants, engage donors and achieve its basic mission.
Developing a communications strategy doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here are some tips to get you started:
Start with your organizational mission and goals.
Ask "What are we trying to accomplish?" and "How do we want to be known?" Your communications strategy should aim to accomplish these long-term goals. Also consider your organization's immediate needs. You may decide that you need to raise more money or recruit more members or turn out voters for the election. A well-crafted communications plan incorporates both long and short-term goals.
Define your communications goals.
What do people need to know, feel and do in order to help you achieve your goals? Your goals should focus on creating change - a stronger reputation, more supporters, improved conditions for your clients. They shouldn't focus on the number of media placements or facebook friends you get.
Identify your target audience
Figure out who can help achieve your goal? Learn as much as you can about these people. How much do they know about your organization and goals? How much do they care about your issues? What makes them tick?
Develop your messages
Your messages should be simple, clear and consistent throughout the whole campaign. The messages should: · Define the issue and organization
· Connect it to the audience
· Point to a course of action
Brainstorm strategies
Think creatively about all the ways to reach-and interact with-- your audience? Where are they? What do they read? Watch? Listen to? How can you engage them? Be as creative as you can be here. Don't be afraid to suggest offbeat guerrilla tactics.
Evaluate your successes and adapt as you go.
Set benchmarks for success. Track your progress. Adapt as you go to expand the most effective tactics and drop the weak ones. |
| Resources I Really Like |
 How We Decide
I recently bumped into a 300-pound bear on a secluded hiking trail in British Columbia. In spite of reading all the warnings to quietly back away, I turned and fled. (Fortunately the bear had a similar reaction and ran in the opposite direction.) Emotional reactions that overtake analytical decision-making are a subject of Jonah Lehrer's book, How We Decide. Lehrer uses neuroscience to explain how and why we react when we have to think on our feet. How We Decide helps communicators understand the shifting winds of public opinion from a neuroscience perspective. Real-world stories about football players, explorers and grocery shoppers bring lessons to life.
Lehrer explains why it is so hard to change people's opinion, writing, "From the perspective of the brain, new ideas are merely several old thoughts that occur at the exact same time." Understanding the process helps readers makes sense of decisions that seem erratic at first glance. If you haven't read this book, check it out.
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| Check Out This Website |
 Makeitstick.org This new website redefines education-it's not just in school; it happens all the time everywhere. And in order to make learning stick, connect it with the real world. In other words, make it timely and relevant to students. The Make It Stick website is smart and easy to navigate. It gives educators, advocates and policymakers positive stories, research and tools to make a strong case for education reform that extends beyond the school day. A YouTube video on the home page makes the complicated topic easy to understand. Make It Stick's goal is new policies (and funding) that reimagine how, when and where young people learn. To be successful, the website needs to encourage lots of people to take action. The site does a great job educating and it offers plenty of opportunities to get involved. Will they succeed? I think they need a stronger social media presence to spread the word, build interest and drive traffic to their site. They also need to spark conversation online as well as offline. So far, the Facebook page isn't generating lots of discussion online, but there is great potential as America heads back to school. Check out makeitstick.org and let me know what you think. |
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Thanks for reading. If you have a communications challenge, or a resource to recommend, email me at news@amyplotch.com, and I'll review it for a future edition of Communications With Impact.
Sincerely,
Amy
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