First 5 LA Communications Workshop II

Creating a Communications Plan:

A Roadmap to Success

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• Session 1– Research– Goals & Objectives– Target Audiences

• Session 2– Message Development– Strategies & Tactics

• Session 3– Plan Measurement– Evaluation Strategies

Curriculum Contents

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“If you want to know what consumers want, ask. That’s the foundation of consumer research, and that’s where the true wisdom lies. The trick, of course, is knowing what questions to ask. And knowing how to listen to the answers.”

Faith PopcornConsumer Trend Expert

Session 1 - Research

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• Research is the most important step in the development of a Communications Plan– Qualitative vs. Quantitative – Primary and Secondary– The Communications Audit– Surveys

• Formal scientific surveys• Informal• Focus groups

• Research is key to campaign and plan evaluation which will be discussed in Session 3

Session 1 - Research

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• What are your organization’s goals?– Strategic Plan– Mission/Vision/Values Statements

• Connect organization goals to Communication Plan goals

Session 1 - Goals & Objectives

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• Who do you want to deliver your message to?– Focus audience as much as possible– Define Target Audience through

research– Create profiles of Target Audience– Use Target Audience to test messages,

creative development

Session 1 - Target Audiences

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“People don’t buy products. They buy expectations of benefits.”

Roman & MassHow to Advertise

Session 2 - Message Development & Strategies

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• Your message should:– Be simple and concise– Relate who you are and why you exist

as an organization– Include a strong Call to Action– Be free of jargon and bureaucratic

language– Not be a slogan or tagline

Session 2 - Message Development

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• Creative Brief: a document that provides direction for message development, design and strategy development

• Creative Brief elements include:– Objective– Target Audiences– Key Benefits– Tone– Success metrics

Session 2 - Message Development

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• Budget is critical--dollars dictate strategy– Select the strategy that is most cost-effective

in reaching Target Audience

• Some effective strategies– Earned (Free) Media--PR– Events– Direct Mail– Media Buys– Strategic Partnerships– Internet (web sites, e-newsletters– Publications

Session 2 - Strategies

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Session 3 - Plan Measurement & Evaluation Strategies

“Marketing is a learning game. You make a decision. You watch the results. You learn from the results. Then you make better decisions.”

Philip KotlerKotler on Marketing

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• In order to determine success you need to establish a baseline

• Use the research you’ve conducted in the early stages of Communications Plan development to acquire baseline standards

• Review your strategies and tactics to make sure they are achievable and measurable

Session 3 - Plan Measurement

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• Create evaluation tools for your plan to measure specific campaign success

• An important element of an evaluation strategy is the Call to Action -- what do you want your Target Audience to do once they’ve heard your Key Message?– Call an 800 number– Enroll or sign-up for a service – Go to your web site– Return a coupon– Respond to a survey

Session 3 - Evaluation Strategies

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• Another important role of evaluation is accountability to:– Your board of directors– Voters– Clients/patients– Donors– The public

• Make sure your communicate your results!

Session 3 - Evaluation Strategies

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• And finally, measuring your plan allows you to identify problems and fix them

• “If you’re doing something that doesn’t work, change it. If it works, do more of it.”

Session 3 - Evaluation Strategies

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