We all want to achieve more this year in
our businesses. Communications and marketing is generally conceded to be an
important aspect of building a business. And everyone recognizes the benefits
of planning.
Yet few of us actually sit down and document any kind of plan for the communications and marketing aspects of our businesses on a regular basis. Especially those of us who lead small businesses that run lean. You know who you are. Your accounting, HR and marketing are all done by one person.
Yet few of us actually sit down and document any kind of plan for the communications and marketing aspects of our businesses on a regular basis. Especially those of us who lead small businesses that run lean. You know who you are. Your accounting, HR and marketing are all done by one person.
And
yet what you may not realize is that communications planning could be the
crucial missing piece in your bid to take over the world.
Luckily, despite what some marketing gurus would have you believe, it doesn't have to be complicated.
As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s difficult
to actually take over the world if you don’t have a plan for getting there. And
if you want anyone else to know about it,
that plan certainly needs to include marketing and communications.
Have you considered what the final vision looks like?
Do you understand the incremental steps it will take
to help you achieve world domination?
What is your timeline?
See? Planning is important.
Nevertheless, many of us meekly go forward,
incrementally improving (or not), slowly going nowhere of consequence for lack
of a plan.
So let’s change that and get you a communications plan.
I have seen a lot of people and businesses
struggle with where to start with planning. In fact the word ‘planning’ can
conjure images of spreadsheets, facilitators with fancy presentations, sweaty
brows and heated debate.
But the fact is, a plan is just this: Simple steps to get you where you want to
go.
It doesn’t have to be on a spreadsheet or
documented with graphics and bound in leather. It can be written on your pillowcase
mid-tryst for all the presentation matters. You just need to be able to
understand it in the morning.
AN
HOUR OF PLANNING IS ALL IT TAKES
A plan can’t happen without at least writing a few things down. So I’m challenging you to this: Block off an hour for yourself and see how far you can get through the following list of 8 steps to a communications plan. Try not to be a perfectionist, just get the ideas down on paper and you can refine later once it’s all there in front of you. Okay? Okay.
A plan can’t happen without at least writing a few things down. So I’m challenging you to this: Block off an hour for yourself and see how far you can get through the following list of 8 steps to a communications plan. Try not to be a perfectionist, just get the ideas down on paper and you can refine later once it’s all there in front of you. Okay? Okay.
Step
1: What exactly are you trying to achieve?
Picture your end result. Maybe your goal is
related to income or maybe you want to grow your audience and influence.
Identify solid numbers and paint a picture of what it will look like. Some
experts suggest even describing how you feel when you get there and what you’re
wearing, so if that works for you, go for it.
Step
2: When do you want to achieve it by?
Give yourself a date. Is it this year? 10
years from now? Whenever it is, it’s important to identify the time horizon so
you can create appropriate short-term goals. If you want to take over the world
by the end of the year, for example, you better get cracking. I’d recommend
considering your 10 year goals but also making sure you have a goal for a year
from now and focus on that.
Step
3: Who are your target audiences?
Based on your goals above, make a list of
the different types of people you need to reach in order to achieve your goals.
Ask yourself questions like if I’m going to sell my widgets worldwide, who are
the kinds of people who will buy them? There might be a few different kinds of
people and organizations in your audience list, the variety will depend on the
reach of your product or service. Narrow
it down to a manageable size (this will depend on you and your team). Maybe
focus on some this year and try a different set next year.
Step
4: What do they need to hear?
What is the actual message that you are
trying to get across to each audience? Some of this you know intuitively,
others might need to be researched through existing clients or other channels.
This is where your knowledge of your industry and audience can really come into
play. For example, if you are trying to improve your audience and “knowledge
leadership” as it is often called, your audience will need to hear evidence
that you are an expert in your field, that you have useful information to
share, that what you say is important to listen to.
Step
5: How will you reach your audiences?
Beside each audience come up with a few
different ways you might contact them. Does it involve a sales team? Direct
mail? Email marketing? Newsletters? Billboards? Online ads?Highlight the two or
three that feel the most doable, or the most impactful. It’s good to have some
that are easy to achieve to help get you moving, but sometimes an investment of
sweat or money is required for more noticeable results. If you don’t know what
will work you’ll have to take an educated guess and just try. Or speak to
clients (or potential clients) about what works for them.
Step
6: Make a list of action items with a time commitment attached.
It can just be a list. January I will
research 20 companies I think need my services. February I will call each of
those 20 companies and set up meetings. I will post two new blog posts every
month. Etc. Do this for each of the audiences you listed, trying to spread your
actions more or less evenly so you don’t get overwhelmed. Once the early
legwork is done, in building your lists of contacts, you may just need to
commit to regular messaging to keep your followers engaged.
Step
7: Measure.
How many opens do you get on your
newsletter? How many times are your blog posts shared? Did your direct mail
return as many inquiries as you expected? Make sure you create ways to measure
every activity (more on this later). Many communication tools come with their
own measurement tools, so there are no excuses for not measuring your efforts.
Plus, then you can show your friends how effective you are!
Step
8: Adapt and revise as needed.
Nothing is set in stone. Review, revise and
try again.
Everyone’s plan is structured differently,
and that’s okay. What’s important is that it’s something you believe in and can
make progress on, and that you are committed to.
So off you go now, it’s time to get even greater.