setting up a strategic communication plan

• Product overview
• All features
• App integrations

CAPABILITIES

• project icon Project management
• Project views
• Custom fields
• Status updates
• goal icon Goals and reporting
• Reporting dashboards
• workflow icon Workflows and automation
• portfolio icon Resource management
• Time tracking
• my-task icon Admin and security
• Admin console
• asana-intelligence icon Asana AI
• list icon Personal
• premium icon Starter
• briefcase icon Advanced
• Goal management
• Organizational planning
• Campaign management
• Creative production
• Content calendars
• Marketing strategic planning
• Resource planning
• Project intake
• Product launches
• Employee onboarding
• View all uses arrow-right icon
• Project plans
• Team goals & objectives
• Team continuity
• Meeting agenda
• View all templates arrow-right icon
• Work management resources Discover best practices, watch webinars, get insights
• What's new Learn about the latest and greatest from Asana
• Customer stories See how the world's best organizations drive work innovation with Asana
• Help Center Get lots of tips, tricks, and advice to get the most from Asana
• Asana Academy Sign up for interactive courses and webinars to learn Asana
• Developers Learn more about building apps on the Asana platform
• Community programs Connect with and learn from Asana customers around the world
• Events Find out about upcoming events near you
• Partners Learn more about our partner programs
• Support Need help? Contact the Asana support team
• Asana for nonprofits Get more information on our nonprofit discount program, and apply.

Featured Reads

• Project planning |
• Why a clear communication plan is more ...

Why a clear communication plan is more important than you think

More often than not, clear communication can make or break successful projects. Clear communication in project management isn’t just about where you should be communicating—it’s also about which team members should be receiving which types of messages.

The good news is, creating an effective communication plan isn’t difficult. All you need to do is define your communication channels and align on when team members should use each. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to set up a communication plan and show you a template so you can create your own.

What is a communication plan?

Sharing a communication plan can give your team clarity about which tools to use when and who to contact with each of those tools. Without a communication plan, you might have one team member trying to ask questions about work in a tool that another team member rarely checks. Rather than being able to clearly communicate and move forward with work, each team member would end up frustrated, confused, and disconnected from the work that matters. Then, if they don’t have clear insight into who is responsible for each channel, they might end up reaching out to an executive stakeholder with questions that person can’t answer. What started out as a simple miscommunication has spiraled into three frustrated team members—and all the while, work isn’t moving forward.

What should a communication plan include?

Your communication plan is your one-stop-shop for your project communication strategy. Team members should be able to use the communication plan to answer project questions like:

What communication channels are we using? What is each channel used for?

When should we communicate in person vs. asynchronously?

What are the project roles? Who is the project manager ? Who is on the project team? Who are the project stakeholders ?

How are important project details, like project status updates, going to be communicated? How frequently will these be shared?

What shouldn’t be included in a communication plan?

A communication plan will help you clarify how you’re going to communicate with your project team and project stakeholders—whether these are internal team members that work at your company, or external stakeholders like customers or contractors.

A communication plan in project management is not a PR plan. This plan will not help you align on your social media strategy, identify a target audience, or establish key messages for different demographics. If you need to build out those plans, consider creating a  social media content calendar  or a  business strategy plan .

The benefits of a communication plan

Obviously  clear communication in the workplace  is a good thing. But do you really need a written communication plan to do that?

In a word: yes. A good communication plan can help you communicate the right information to the right project stakeholders. Executive stakeholders don’t need to be notified about every project detail—similarly, every project team member might not need to be on a conference call with your external partners. By clarifying where and how you’ll be communicating, you can reduce the guessing game and unblock your team.

Less app switching

We recently interviewed  over 13,000 global knowledge workers  and found that the average knowledge worker switches between 10 apps up to 25 times per day. Instead of focusing on high-impact work or even collaborating effectively with their team members, knowledge workers are sinking hours into simply trying to figure out where they should be communicating.

A communication plan can eliminate this guessing game. For example, if your team knows that you only communicate about work in a  work management tool , they can search for key information there—instead of digging through document folders, Slack messages, and multiple email chains. Similarly, when you know that a team member is only tangentially working on the project—and is only being looped in during high-level status reports—you won’t bother them with a question about when the next  project deliverable  is due.

We have created communication guidelines around what software or what tools are best for what. Asana is for action, Slack is for quick responses or answers to things that are floating around. Email is more official and mostly external facing. By doing that, and creating the proper communications guidance, it really helps reduce the noise.”

Increased collaboration

Team collaboration isn’t an effortless process that happens by itself—it’s a skill that you and your team have to build. One part of creating effective  team collaboration  is clarifying your team’s communication conventions. That’s because a big barrier to effective collaboration is feeling comfortable communicating—especially if you work on a  remote or distributed team . If your team feels unsure because they’re still trying to figure out how or where to communicate, they won’t be fully comfortable talking to one another.

Your communication plan is a chance to clarify where team members should be communicating. Depending on the level of detail, you can also include when team members should be communicating—and clarify team conventions towards setting “Do not disturb” mode or snoozing notifications.

By providing these guidelines, you’re effectively removing one of the biggest barriers to easy communication and collaboration between team members. When team members know where to communicate—and just as importantly, where not to communicate—they can be confident they’re sending the right message at the right time.

Less duplicative work

Currently, knowledge workers spend  60% of their time on work about work  like searching for documents, chasing approvals, switching between apps, following up on the status of work, and generally doing things that take time away from impactful work. Part of this work about work is not knowing where things should be communicated.

If team members don’t have a clear sense of where information is shared—things like your  project plan  or  project timeline —then they’ll have to dig through multiple tools or ask several team members just to find the right information. As a result, team members who are unclear about where they should be communicating about work also have a harder time simply finding existing work.

Work about work leads to more manual, duplicative work and less clarity overall. In fact, according to the  Anatomy of Work Index , we spend 13% of our time—236 hours per year—on work that’s already been completed. By sharing your communication plan, you can give your team clarity into exactly where work lives, so they don’t have to spend all that time finding it themselves.

How to write a communication plan

A communication plan is a powerful tool—but it’s also relatively easy to create. You can create a communication plan in four steps.

1. Establish your communication methods

The first step to creating a communication plan is to decide where your team will communicate—and about what. This includes when to use which tools and when to communicate live vs. asynchronously. Live, synchronous communication is communication that happens in real time. Conversely, asynchronous communication is when you send a message without expecting someone to reply right away. We all use asynchronous communication every day without realizing it—most notably, every time we send an email.

As you define your communication plan, identify what to use each tool for. For example, you might decide to use:

Email to communicate with any external stakeholders.

Slack for synchronous communication about day-to-day updates and quick questions.

Asana to communicate asynchronously about work, like task details, project status updates , or key project documents.

Zoom or Google Meet for any team meetings, like project brainstorms or your project post mortem.

2. Align on communication cadence

Now that you know where you’ll be communicating, you also have to identify how frequently you’ll be communicating. Your communication cadence is your action plan for updating different stakeholders about different project details.

For example, you might decide to schedule:

Weekly project status updates posted in Asana to all project stakeholders and sponsors.

Monthly project team meetings to unblock any work or brainstorm next steps.

Asynchronous project milestone updates in Asana as needed.

3. Add a plan for stakeholder management

Running a successful project often depends on getting stakeholder support and buy-in. At the beginning of the project, you’ll do this during the  project kickoff meeting —but it’s also critical to maintain stakeholder support throughout your project.

Take some time as you’re drafting your communication plan to detail when to communicate with each project stakeholder, and about what. Some people, like your key project team members, will be communicating about this project regularly—maybe even daily. Other project stakeholders may only need to be looped in during project status updates or maybe just at the final readout.

By listing out how you’ll be managing communication with stakeholders, you can ensure they’re being contacted at the right time about the right things. The communication they recieve should answer questions at their level of detail and with a focus on business results and overall, high-level impact.

4. Share your communication plan and update it as needed

Once you’ve created your communication plan, it’s time to share it with your project team. Make sure your communication plan is accessible in your central source of truth for all project information. We recommend using  Asana  to track all project communication and work, so you can talk about work where you’re working.

If any changes impact your project communication plan, make sure you update it and communicate those changes. That way, team members always have access to the most up to date information.

Example communication plan

Communication plan template

Description of communication.

What type of communication is it?

How often will you be communicating?

Which tool will you be using? Is this synchronous or asynchronous communication?

Who is receiving this communication?

Who is in charge of sending out this communication?

Good communication starts with a communication plan

Clear communication can help you send the right message at the right time. Empower effortless collaboration while also ensuring every team member is being looped in at the right times. That way, your team can spend less time communicating about work and more time on high-impact work.

Related resources

How Asana uses work management for employee onboarding

4 ways to establish roles and responsibilities for team success

Cost control: How to monitor project spending to increase profitability

How to use a feasibility study in project management

6-Step Guide to Crafting the Perfect Communication Plan

A communication plan is a key to developing an effective and consistent messaging strategy.

It helps guide the process of setting measurable goals for your strategy, profiling your target audience and creating and successfully delivering your message.

What is a Communication Plan

Components of a Communication Plan

Steps to communication planning, step 1 – perform a situation analysis, swot analysis, pest analysis, perceptual map, step 2 – identify and define objectives / goals, step 3 – understand and profile your key audience, step 4 – decide the media channels and create a strategy, step 5 – create a timetable for publishing, step 6 – monitor and evaluate the results, common mistakes to avoid when creating communications plans, faqs about communication plans, what’s your approach to writing a communication plan, what is a communication plan.

A communication plan outlines how teams can communicate important information to key stakeholders. It highlights what information should be shared, when, to which audience and via which channels.

Having a solid communication plan in place will help ensure that the communication objectives of your organization are met and that all assets that you send out are aligned with the core communications strategy of the company.

In marketing and public relations, communication plans are used to plan how important information about products and services will be communicated to target audiences, including customers, clients, media and the general public. Companies also use communication plans to maintain consistent and effective internal communications within the organization. These may include internal newsletters, intranet updates and team Wikis. In project management, communication plans are used to highlight how information will be communicated within teams and relevant stakeholders, throughout the lifecycle of the project. Overall, communications plans offer a structured approach to plan, implement and evaluate communication efforts to optimize the effectiveness of communications.

Use this communication plan template to develop your strategy and deploy it.

Why is a Communication Plan Essential?

Clear communication is the backbone of any successful initiative. A communication plan ensures that everyone is on the same page, reducing the risk of confusion, missed deadlines, and unmet expectations. It fosters trust, ensures transparency, and can be the difference between project success and failure.

Who Should Use a Communication Plan?

A communication plan isn’t just for large corporations or project managers. It’s for anyone aiming to streamline interactions, whether you’re a small business owner, a team leader, or an individual looking to improve personal projects. Understanding your audience and tailoring your communication strategy to them is the first step.

When Should You Implement a Communication Plan?

The best time to implement a communication plan is at the onset of a project or initiative. However, it’s never too late. Whether you’re starting a new project, revamping an old one, or looking to improve ongoing communications, a well-structured plan can make a difference.

Where Does a Communication Plan Apply?

While often associated with business projects, communication plans apply everywhere: from community events, educational programs, to personal projects. Any scenario that requires organized communication can benefit.

Your communications plan should include the following key elements.

1. Target Audience

Who is Your Target Audience? All strategic communications should be directed at a specific audience. Accordingly, the message you send out should be tailored to their level of knowledge, understanding and trust in your brand or organization.

What is the Context of Your Message? The next step is to define the context of your message. Identify key events that may be significant to the audience that you are aiming to reach. The context defines what should be included in the message and how your audience will relate and respond to it.

3. Outcomes

What Do You Aim to Achieve with Your Message? The outcome of your message is the ‘call to action’. Define what people need to know, believe and do after receiving the message. Create a ‘message pyramid’ with an attention grabbing headline, followed by ‘reasons why’ and proof points. This helps the audience understand your core message and then consider the proof points which are relevant to their context, and there by act based on your call-to-action.

Which Media Channels Will You Use? Media are the channels through which your message is communicated. These may vary depending on the content, context and audience of the message. For instance, if you want to reach a younger tech-savvy audience, you may choose a social media platform that may be popular among them.

5. Messengers

How Will You Choose Your Messengers? The primary messenger may not always be the most ‘effective’ messenger. The messenger’s ethos should resonate credibility, status and power, expertise and relationship.

Why do most companies get their CEOs or members of the senior management to conduct new product launches or convey important product information? It is because audiences tend to have confidence in people with big titles who have an influence in the organization. They are also experts in their subject area and have a strong relationship with the company.

6. Measurement

How Will You Measure Success? It is important to cultivate strategies to measure the effectiveness of your communications. Include KPIs for your communication activities and document the results. This also helps build a repository of information which will be useful when planning future communications activities.

Whether you are creating a marketing communication plan or a strategic communication plan, the following steps will help guide you.

Situation analysis helps assess the capabilities of and health of things in an organization. It’s the ideal way to understand the current status of your organization’s communication.

You can gather as much information as needed from conducting an audit .

To gather relevant information from situation analysis, you can consult departmental heads, process owners and other internal staff members.

In a situation analysis, you need to examine both the internal and external environments. To do so, you can use the following tools

You can use a SWOT analysis to examine the strengths and weaknesses within your organization, and opportunities and threats that you can find in your external environment.

With a PEST analysis , you can examine political, environmental, social and technological factors, all of which exist in the external environment of your organization, but can have a significant impact on the way things run in your business.

One good competitor analysis technique is the perceptual map. It helps you make sense of how your customers perceive the brands of your competitors in the market compared to yours.

Once you know where you stand, you can find your direction. The next step is to define your goals.

Think of what outcomes/results you want to achieve from your communication plan. These will become your goal/s as you develop your communication plan.

Make sure that the goals you select are SMART :

Who are you creating this communication plan for? Understanding your audience and their requirements, characteristics etc. is key to creating an effective message and delivering it successfully.

Your key audience could be within your organization or your customers. Either way, you should gather information on them and create simple audience personas.

These personas could include a variety of data that ranges from their age and gender to the challenges they face.

As you conduct research on your target audience you would get to know that their requirements and preferences are diverse.

It’s clear that you won’t be able to reach all of them through one media channel or retain their attention with one type of content.

Consider the most effective channels you can think of when creating your media channel strategy. Make sure to select the ideal channel when you are targeting different audience segments.

When do you want your audience to hear your message and how often? Have a content calendar or create a Gantt chart outlining a timeframe for your publishing strategy.

You may also need to take the resources available to you into consideration. If you have one content writer, publishing quality blog posts on a daily basis would be ineffective.

Constantly monitor and track your results in order to understand whether you are any closer to achieving your goals. If you have failed, proceed to mark it down so you can make necessary improvements next time.

Creating a communication plan for your non profit organization? Check out this resource for some great tips.

Overcomplicating the Plan

Trying to include too many channels or too much information may complicate the plan. This can lead to confusion and dilute the effectiveness of your messaging. Stick only to key messaging and channels that are most effective in reaching and engaging the target audience.

Not Considering the Timing

Timing is crucial in communication planning. It is important to consider the timing of the messaging and ensure that they are aligned with key events or milestones. Don’t send out important communications during periods of high volume or noise, such as during holidays or major news events.

Not Adapting to Changes

Communication plans should be adaptable and flexible to changes in environment or audience. It is important to regularly review and update plans to keep up with emerging trends (to make sure that your plan stays relevant and effective). Failing to adapt to changes may cause missed opportunities and ineffective messaging.

How often should a communications plan be updated?

A communications plan should be updated regularly to reflect changes in the organization’s goals, priorities, audiences, or external environment. The frequency of updates will depend on the pace of change in the organization and the industry. A good rule of thumb is to review the communications plan annually and update it as needed. However, if there are major changes in the organization, such as a merger, acquisition, or crisis, the communications plan should be updated immediately to ensure that communication is timely, accurate, and effective.

How can an organization measure the effectiveness of its communications plan?

An organization can measure the effectiveness of its communications plan by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) related to its communication goals and objectives. These KPIs may include website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, media coverage, customer satisfaction surveys, or sales figures. By tracking these KPIs over time, the organization can assess whether its communication activities are achieving the desired results and make adjustments as needed. It’s important to set realistic goals and benchmarks for each KPI and to ensure that the data is collected consistently and accurately. Additionally, feedback from stakeholders, such as customers, employees, and investors, can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the organization’s communication activities.

A successful communication plan will get your message delivered across to your audience effectively while ensuring that you are on track to accomplishing your business objectives.

Follow the simple steps above to create a winning communication plan. If you have any other tips, do share them with us in the comment section below.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

More Related Articles

Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

How to Create a Communication Strategy [+ Free Templates]

Published: February 09, 2021

There are certain characteristics that should be at the core of any successful business. For instance, every business should have a great product or service, awesome employees to keep the internal engine running, and loyal customers who support through purchases and advocacy.

There also  has to be underlying elements to help establish the aforementioned characteristics. And one of the most necessary is clear and effective communication.

Communication is at the root of every interaction for businesses. Without transparent communication at every level, there's more room for error, and — depending on the magnitude of the error — it can make or break a business.

But, while 89% of people feel communication is extremely important  for work, 8 out of 10 people rate  their own business' communication as either average or poor.

Developing a communication strategy for your business will help you understand how your company best communicates, internally and externally, and can give you measurable results to better understand the efficacy of your communication tactics.

Crisis Communication and Management Kit

Manage, plan for, and communicate during your corporate crises with these crisis management plan templates.

• Free Crisis Management Plan Template
• 12 Crisis Communication Templates
• Post-Crisis Performance Grading Template
• Additional Crisis Best Management Practices

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

In this post, we'll explain how to create a communication strategy and plan for your business to ensure efficient, cohesive communication with colleagues and customers alike.

What is a communication strategy?

A communication strategy is a process developed by the appropriate stakeholders to identify where communication efforts need to be improved. The next step in this process is to ideate and select measurable actions that will be used to develop a communication plan  to achieve your desired outcome.

How to Develop a Communication Strategy

• Use a Communication Plan template.
• Determine current and potential problems.
• Select key stakeholders who need to be involved.
• Understand your audience and what matters most to them.
• Brainstorm your ideal results, and then work backwards.

1. Use a communication plan template.

HubSpot's Communication Plan Templates are a great resource to help you develop actionable steps without having to spend too much of your time on this task.

Your communication plan  will clearly go through all of the steps you need to take to address the challenges you're up against — like completing an audit, setting SMART goals , and understanding how long each step in your plan will take. Depending on your overall strategy, you may develop multiple plans to be carried out to meet the needs of different audiences.

You'll want to break your plan into steps so you can easily make and measure progress on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Additionally, as you're creating your communications plan, you'll need to factor in a working timeline, potential budget, and ensure you're delegating tasks to the appropriate team members.

Over time, you want to be able to reflect on what changes have been made and if these changes are actively contributing to helping you achieve your ideal results.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

The 2024 State of Marketing & Trends Report: Data from 1400+ Global Marketers

Mastering Social Media for Nonprofit Promotion: Insights and New Data from Experts

The AIDA Model: A Proven Framework for Converting Strangers Into Customers

Demystifying Marketing's 6 Biggest Mixed Messages of 2024 with Jasper's Head of Enterprise Marketing

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Strategies & How to Improve Your Digital Presence

9 Pivotal Marketing Trends to Watch in 2024, According to Experts

Diving Deep Into Marketing in Construction (My Takeaways)

11 Recommendations for Marketers in 2024 [New Data]

The Top 5 B2C Marketing Trends of 2024 [New HubSpot Blog Data + Expert Insights]

5 Marketing Trends That Might Not Survive in 2024 [HubSpot Research + Expert Insights]

Manage, plan for, and communicate during a corporate crisis.

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

How To Effectively Communicate Your Strategic Plan To Employees

You’ve developed your objectives and identified the elements of your strategic plan.

When implementing a Balanced Scorecard or any type of strategic plan, there’s one thing many organizations tend to forget: No matter how good your strategy is, it won’t work if your employees don’t know how to align with it, or worse, if they simply don’t know about it. Your internal communication strategy can therefore truly make or break your efforts.

With communication being such a prominent driver of strategic success, you may find it helpful to develop a communication plan to ensure information is being disseminated effectively at all levels.

In this article, we’ll explain the goals and main elements of a strong strategic communication plan, and discuss how you can overcome some of the main challenges you’re likely to face as you work to get everyone on the same page.

What Is a Strategic Communication Plan?

A strategic communication plan is a written plan outlining communication to your team on your organization's objectives. This plan is deliberate with messages and tactics used to help engage employees with your strategy and fuel performance success for your organization.

In his book Balanced Scorecard: Step-By-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies, Paul Niven outlines common objectives and key elements for developing an internal communication strategy.

Common Objectives

Before creating a plan, Niven recommends putting some thought into your rationale for doing so. What is the overriding objective of your communication strategy? Is it to:

• Build awareness of the Balanced Scorecard, or strategic plan, at all levels of the organization?
• Provide education on key Balanced Scorecard concepts to all audiences?
• Generate the engagement and commitment of key stakeholders in the project?
• Encourage participation in the process?
• Generate enthusiasm for the Balanced Scorecard and strategic plan?
• Ensure that team results are disseminated rapidly and effectively?

As an example, Niven provides Nova Scotia Power’s communication objective:

“To present the concepts of the Balanced Scorecard to the key constituents involved in both sponsoring and providing input to the implementation, and to provide all involved with regular updates regarding the team’s progress during the implementation.”

This objective clearly states who communication should be directed to and what the content should say, both of which will serve as guideposts for all future strategy-related communications.

Key Elements For Your Strategic Plan

When formulating a communication plan, Niven recommends the “W5” approach to determine the key elements of your plan: who, why, what, when, and where.

‍ Who refers to both the target audience and the communicator. Depending on the scope of your implementation, you should define the appropriate groups to be involved in the process. These groups make up your target audience. After the target audience has been specified, a communicator should be assigned to each group with the task of effectively disseminating the message.

‍ The why and what in this equation can be understood as the purpose or message. The communication plan’s purpose is to convey the original objective behind implementing the plan. This could take the form of a common objective listed above, such as “generate the engagement and commitment of key stakeholders in the project.” What are we doing and why? We are implementing the communication plan to generate engagement and commitment from key stakeholders.

‍ When should you communicate the message? The needs of your target audience will determine the necessary frequency of communication. If you are unsure about the amount of communication needed, it is always better to err on the side of too much. In his article “Leading Change,” John Kotter says, “without credible communication, and a lot of it, employees’ hearts and minds are never captured.”

‍ Where and how are you supposed to communicate? Effective communication often takes a large amount of effort and, more often than not, the message needs to be repeated several times. In order for employees to fully understand the strategy and the ways in which they contribute to success, Dr. Robert Kaplan suggests communicating the plans “seven times in seven ways.” This might mean making use of brochures, speeches, newsletters, videos, company website or intranet, workshops, etc. Any channel that has the ability to reach the target audience could be used; it could even take the form of internal blog posts at your organization.

Communication is a two-way street, so don’t forget to ask for feedback from others and to provide it as well. Remember, communicate effectively and communicate often.

Claim your FREE 41-page Strategy Execution Toolkit for enhanced strategic performance

5 obstacles to strategic alignment –and how a communication plan can overcome them.

Have you ever been at work and overheard (or been directly asked), “Why are we doing this project?” or “Why did we stop focusing on this activity?” These seem like innocent questions, but as a strategy manager or executive leader, you might start to worry. The answers are in your strategic plan, and whether it was just rolled out last week or is in your plan from three years ago, your team should be using it as a resource for these kinds of questions—not operating in the dark.

If this situation sounds familiar, it’s time to take a step back and look at whether everyone understands your strategic plan. Below are five things that could be standing in the way of getting your teams to understand and adopt your strategy, as well as ideas on how to overcome them.

Obstacle 1: No Interaction With The Business Strategy

If you polled everyone in your company, how many people could name the key themes or priorities in your strategic plan without going to the intranet? If the answer is just a few, you may not be doing enough to make employees aware of it.

It’s common for teams to learn about a strategic plan via an orientation session or executive memo, which likely happens only once a year or quarter. Most employees don’t interact with the strategy or have any knowledge of it beyond this communication, making it easy to forget.

Try the following to increase team interaction with the strategy:

• Print your five strategic plan themes on business cards. Ask people to carry it with them—this is called a “pocket strategy.”
• Dedicate internal communications to themes and initiatives. For example, post your five themes in the break room, share success stories in meetings, and shower attention on individuals and projects that represent key areas of the strategic plan.
• Draw a strategy map like the one shown below and post it on the intranet and office walls (perhaps in the shape of a house or other recognizable, catchy graphic). Software like ClearPoint can help you consistently publish your results on your intranet.

Obstacle 2: No Connection To The Business Strategy

Employees may be interacting with strategic initiatives every day, but that doesn't mean they understand how their role connects to the strategy itself. If team members struggle to make an association between their daily work and the five-year direction of the organization, they won’t understand or remember much of the strategic plan.

To help connect employees to the strategy:

• Using the business cards from your pocket strategy above, ask teams and departments to circle the themes they contribute to most and write how they contribute. Share these cards in internal meetings.
• Have your executive leaders highlight the contributions of one team or department per month, giving shoutouts to work that is directly supporting the strategy.
• Draw clear linkages between work plans, budget, and strategy. This will connect all of your department activities to the strategic plan. (This isn’t easy, but here’s an article that can help.) ClearPoint has alignment reports to help visualize the connections.

Obstacle 3: Weak Links Between Current Activities And Future Strategy

Strategies are typically visions five years into the future of an organization. Should you wait until the end of those five years to reevaluate your strategy? Obviously not, but some organizations end up in this boat purely by lack of foresight. If you’re not consistently linking what your organization does currently with your long-term vision of the future, it will weaken the relevance of your strategic plan.

Try the following to help link current activities with future strategies:

• Create and discuss Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and targets. Start with a five-year target, then work backward to create KPIs for each year (including the current one), sharing metrics and results along the way.
• Explain how projects link to your strategy. For example, when you are investing in modernizing your infrastructure, explain how recent innovations connect to the strategy.
• Meet regularly and share progress results in real time. ClearPoint has workflow automations to ensure making updates is easy and painless.

Obstacle 4: Lack of motivation to get involved with business strategy.

Sometimes just talking about a strategy isn’t enough—you need to sell the idea of it to get buy-in. Your executives might be pumped after long and lengthy strategy discussions, but anyone who wasn’t involved in the higher-level thinking might require some motivation to get on board. You’ll need to find ways to engage everyone and get them excited about making the plan work.

The following tactics can help motivate your employees to execute strategy:

• Discuss and implement metric-focused incentives. For example, a group that hits KPI targets might be rewarded with bonus pay or an office celebration.
• Drive ownership by assigning individuals to update and report on various elements or components of your plan.
• With ClearPoint, you can have visibility directly into your strategy with our Teams integration, and you make updates without leaving Teams.

Obstacle 5: Lack of opportunity to provide feedback on the strategy.

Strategic plans are devised by leadership teams, but employees are the ones who carry out the daily work. To get and maintain buy-in from them—and perhaps gain some valuable perspective your leaders haven’t thought of—give everyone opportunities to react, ask questions, and contribute feedback.

• Keep them in the loop with frequent performance updates. At ClearPoint, for example, everyone stays up to date on strategy progress via weekly emails.
• Ask for feedback during team meetings. Your employees are best-positioned to know why things are going the way they are.

Communicating Your Strategy To Your Biggest Skeptics

In a previous post, we identified the four types of strategy skeptics you’re bound to run into and how to help them get on board with your plan. But what do you say to those individuals if they need that extra “nudge”?

1. Complex Chris

Chris thrives on making processes far more complex than they actually need to be. When Chris creates a complex report or process, he enjoys the feeling of accomplishment and likes being depended upon.

‍ “What should I say to help Chris simplify his processes?”

‍ You may consider sending out a pre-read of your reports so no one in management is confused or frustrated with complicated information during a meeting. On top of that, you’ll need to remind Chris that the number-one goal of strategy reporting is to provide clear, relevant information necessary to the management team so they can make decisions.

Express to him that the information he provides should be relevant, reliable, and clear. For example, explain to him that charts shouldn’t take more than 5-10 seconds to decipher—and that data tables shouldn’t have an overwhelming number of columns or rows. You also may want to give Chris a simple standard he needs to adhere to based on what he’s in charge of. That alone could prevent unnecessary complexity.

2. Doubting Deb

Deb doesn’t ever feel comfortable with the data being presented and brings her doubts up regularly—making it difficult for everyone in the department to stay on the right track.

‍ “What should I say to help Deb trust the data?”

‍ Presenting information as consistently as possible may help Deb benchmark results month-to-month and feel more confident overall. If Deb still isn’t confident in your data or results despite this, it’s time to turn the tables and begin asking her some questions prior to your next report. Pull Deb aside and ask her to walk through some of the metrics she’s skeptical about.

Explain to her that you want to be sure your data is valid and bring up any of her solid ideas from previous meetings. You may also want to implement a few rules on when someone can voice their doubts regarding the data validity. For example, tell Deb that it’s fine to bring up concerns before the meeting, but not during.

Once you’ve explained where your data comes from, Deb will either be satisfied and agree with the validity or you’ll get insight into her real concerns about data validity. For example, Deb may tell you that she’s skeptical because your data sources aren’t open for everyone in the organization to view. In that case, you may want to consider ways to be more transparent with your data. (Note that if you use good reporting software, you can add your formulas and data sources online next to the charts.)

3. Forgetful Fred

Fred doesn’t ever follow through on his offers to assist with an initiative, which makes it very difficult for everyone else to do their job successfully.

‍ “What should I say to help Fred complete his tasks on time?”

‍ Fred needs to be held accountable for the task he was assigned. The next time Fred misses a deadline or “forgets” he was assigned to a particular project or initiative, take the time to explain why accountability is such a critical part of a successful strategy implementation. If this issue persists, you may want to consider implementing software that will assign out ownership of measures and projects. This may help Fred complete his work in a more timely fashion.

4. Siloed Sarah

Teamwork isn’t something that comes easily to Sarah, and she doesn’t see the point in working with other departments.

‍ “What should I say to help Sarah work well with others?”

‍ Creating cross-functional teams can help Sarah step outside of her comfort zone. Give her some real-life examples of how working on a cross-functional team improved a process or helped an organization or department come up with a new idea.

For example, if you’re a municipality, tell her a story of how someone in parks and recreation worked with someone in the police department to develop a process for communicating which parks need maintenance for issues that could cause safety hazards. Or, if you’re a software-as-a-service organization, you probably have a story about how someone from the development team helped automate the solution to a problem your sales team was working through.

Note: If you use ClearPoint , you could make Sarah a “collaborator” on multiple projects so that she can see her connection to other work that relates to the strategy.

Communicating Your Strategy: 5 Important Lessons

Included in the May–June 2007 Balanced Scorecard Report is an article written by business writer Lauren Keller Johnson called “Common Sense in Strategy Communication: Four Lessons from Canon USA.” (This article was obtained from the Harvard Business Review store.)

In her article, Johnson discusses four lessons that can be learned from the way Canon USA communicated its strategic plan throughout the company—a strategy that won them a place in the Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame. These lessons are highly applicable to any organization, so we’ve summarized them below (and added one more of our own!) so you can avoid some of the initial bumps in creating your own strategic communications plan.

Lesson #1: “Don’t rely on written communication alone”

Present the strategic plan in many different ways.

‍ Your employees all absorb information differently. So, for example, if you only use posters to convey your communication strategy and have some employees who aren’t visual learners, those employees won’t be affected. Or, if you only send an email explaining the strategy in a long, drawn-out way, employees who routinely ignore long emails won’t be affected. Case in point—be sure you present your strategic plan in many different ways. You should use a mix of video, audio, visual, and written strategy communication to employees so everyone can learn about the plan in the way that is best for them.

‍ Be creative with how you present your plan

‍ For example, Canon USA created “Strategy in Action: Canon Americas’ Strategy Playbook.” This playbook featured a color-coded version of the corporate strategy map and was designed by a graphic artist who had worked for USA Today. Consider doing something similar in your organization for a unique spin on your communication strategy.

Lesson #2: “Make your message clear and relevant”

Define your strategic terms.

‍ For example, if “customer” is one of the key terms in your strategy, consider defining it outright. In other words, don’t assume your employees know exactly who your customers are and why you’re targeting them.

‍ Use crystal-clear language

‍ Using industry-specific acronyms may seem “smarter” or “easier”—but it is actually just the opposite. For example, the Canon USA strategy map doesn’t talk about “maximizing ROA.” Instead, it encourages employees to “find ways of lowering the cost of doing business,” “work together,” and “make Canon number one in all businesses.” Additionally, try to cut out any useless, jargon-laden phrases like “leveraging talent” or “optimizing strategy.”

Lesson #3: “Keep communication flowing in both directions”

Develop venues for bottom-up communication.

‍ Do your employees know you want them to provide you with feedback? If you don’t have any defined venues for this bottom-up strategic planning communication, they probably don’t. Or, at the very least, they don’t know how to go about providing you with that feedback.

Consider the best avenue for constructive feedback based on your organizational structure and put it into place as soon as possible.

Lesson #4: “Tap into the workforce’s vision”

Be open to suggestions from the workforce.

‍ It’s one thing to have a strategic plan—and another thing entirely to find out how that plan is affecting your employees. If the leadership team is able to put themselves in the shoes of lower-level employees and see the strategy at work from their perspective, the leadership will be more willing to consider new and updated solutions to problems.

‍ Be flexible

‍ After you set your strategic plan, you need to be willing to make adjustments when necessary. Be sure to stay in tune with what is and isn’t working properly, and realize that you may need to step back and alter your strategic plan based on the feedback you’re getting.

Last but not least is a lesson that stems from our own experience, which is:

Lesson #5: “Make your progress visible”

Meet regularly.

‍ Provide a continuous stream of information to keep people interested and engaged. It isn’t enough to touch on strategy only once every six months, or even once a quarter. Instead, bring it to the forefront frequently. Encourage departmental teams to meet once a week to review their KPIs and discuss departmental strategy in connection with the organization’s overall plan. As an organization, try to meet monthly.

‍ Keep it simple

‍ The more frequently you communicate results the simpler your communications should be—you can’t expect people to spend hours analyzing Excel spreadsheets every week. (Nor do you want to be stuck in a loop creating them!) Make use of a streamlining strategy software tool like ClearPoint.

Not only will it enable you to share visually attractive dashboards that show the most important KPI statuses at a glance, but you’ll also leave the hard work of generating reports to the software, which does that automatically and distributes reports on a predetermined schedule.

Simplify Your Strategy Communication Plan With Clearpoint Strategy Software

Bringing a strategic plan to fruition is a complicated endeavor; our mission is to simplify the process so you can get the job done. Not only do we provide an easy-to-use platform to communicate your plans and progress, but we also simplify the tasks associated with strategy reporting.

Using ClearPoint, you can:

• Create strategy maps for your company and departments, and share them with employees.
• Communicate progress by creating different KPI dashboards for various audiences.
• Use visual status indicators to show performance at a glance.
• Generate reports automatically on a predetermined schedule.
• Automatically distribute reports to the intended audiences on a schedule.

See ClearPoint Strategy in action! Click here to watch a quick DEMO on the software

All those capabilities allow you to make strategy information visible and transparent for everyone in your organization—the stuff of strong communication. If you make it easy for your employees to both access the strategic plan information and provide you with constructive feedback, you’re going to see far more strategic success.

Interested in taking a tour of our software? Contact us and let us know what time works best for you. We can’t wait to show you around!

Master Strategic Communication with ClearPoint Strategy Software!

Implementing a Balanced Scorecard or any strategic plan is only effective if your employees understand and align with it. At ClearPoint Strategy , we provide the tools to help you develop a strong communication plan that ensures your strategy is known and embraced at all levels of your organization.

Ready to enhance your strategic communication? Book a demo with ClearPoint Strategy today and discover how our software can streamline your communication efforts.

Book your FREE 1-on-1 DEMO with ClearPoint Strategy

Strategy communication faq:, what is a strategic plan.

A strategic plan is your organization's long-team goals and highlights how you want to grow in specific categories. The strategic plan lists objectives and goals for each area your company would like to grow, and lists initiatives the organization will take to meet their goals.

How do you use visuals to make your communication more engaging?

Design a strategy map, or design a visual showcasing your main objectives to improve engagement with strategy. Research indicates that communicating with visuals helps increase retention of information!

What can leaders do to communicate their commitment to the strategy?

Leaders can show their buy-in to the strategy by continuously bringing up the strategy in discussions.

Who is the target audience when communicating strategy?

Communicate your strategy to employees, stakeholders, and potential investors to highlight the direction you hope to see the company grow. Depending on the target audience, how you communicate your strategy will change.

Can you publicly communicate your strategy?

Yes, many large organizations publicly communicate their strategy and use their strategy to attract more buyes.

What are the benefits of sharing your strategy?

By sharing your strategy, you build trust within your team and allow them to feel connected to company goals. This will make it easier to meet your goals and make your vision and reality!

Daniel Giglio

Dan works for the customer success team, supporting all activities related to helping ClearPoint customers achieve their goals.

Table of Contents

Latest posts.

An Expert Playbook to Successful Strategy Management

Unlocking Operational Efficiency with ClearPoint Strategy

Strategy Management Software: What Makes ClearPoint Strategy Different?

Melissa Russom

Communications Strategist

9 Steps to a Strategic Communications Plan

Does marketing frustrate you?

Maybe you’re a communications manager and feel overwhelmed on a daily basis… Or,  you’re a nonprofit leader who sees that sizable allocation for marketing, but you can’t really tell what you’re getting out of it…

A strategic communications plan will help align your marketing and communications efforts with the organization’s overall goals and provide the team with the direction it needs to create a real impact.

Here’s my 101 on the key components of a strategic communications plan (with the abridged write-up below). And, here’s a plan template to help get you started when you’re ready.

Key components of a strategic communications plan

Organizational goals.

Where is your organization going? What are the top priorities for the next 2-3 years? This is your north star.

Communications objectives

How can communications advance those organizational goals? Just like finance, programs, human resources… communications isn’t an independent entity. It exists to serve. Decide what are the achievements you want to strive for in marketing and communications that support the direction of the organization as a whole. I find 3-4 priorities to be the sweet-spot for a small communications team.

Who are the people you need to help achieve those goals? It may be teachers, nurses, legislators, donors…it depends on who you are and where you’re going. Identify these segments of people, then get to know them. Create personas based on their behavior and preferences so you can communicate from their point of view (not yours).

You know who your audience is and now you must be crystal-clear with what you want them to know and what you need from them. This isn’t a script for every engagement, rather it’s an underlying theme for all communications (from you and your non-communications colleagues).

Tactics are the activities you will be carrying out through the year (or maybe 6 months works better for you). These are the social media campaigns, newsletters and donation appeals, but also the CEO meetings, program webinars and other communications activities that may not be driven by the comms team (but need to be included). Your mix of tactics will vary depending on audiences and objectives.

The best way to keep yourself and your team accountable to any plan is to schedule it. With a communications plan, a schedule also ensures coordination across all departments. It saves the organization from bombarding the same audience with various messages all at once.

Responsible person

Who is taking responsibility for this tactic? A communications plan is not an action plan for the communications team to tackle on their own. Think of the communications director as a conductor – someone who leads and coordinates the team, but not necessarily the one playing every instrument. Communications is an organization-wide effort, but busy colleagues need to know their role.

What is this tactic going to cost you both in money and hours? When you look at the resources required to implement a particular tactic, you may rethink it. Do you need a website overhaul? Will you need a consultant to manage data? What are printing costs?… You know better than anyone that your resources are limited. It’s time to figure out where you’ll get the best bang for your buck.

If this is your first communications plan – good news: you only have to start from scratch once! Track the success of your tactics. For example: Did you achieve what you set out to achieve with that Facebook campaign? By measuring success (and defining what success is), you’ll know if it was a worthwhile effort and something you should continue.

This is a high level overview to get you started thinking more strategically about your communications – thinking about what you want to achieve rather than what you plan to do. 

Creating a communications plan can be a game-changer for you and your organization – and I want it to be easy!

I created a template and populated some of the content to give you a simple starting point.

Go get ’em!

Get my free template

Share this:

One thought on “ 9 steps to a strategic communications plan ”.

• Pingback: Donor Personas: The Secret to Strategic Nonprofit Communications - NeonCRM - Staging

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from melissa russom.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Resources: Blog | Polly

9 Steps to Build a Strong Communications Plan (With Templates)

This 9-step internal communications plan with templates for team engagement will help you have more intentional, strategic, and frequent communication.

Internal Comms

That’s where an internal communications plan template comes in. With an effective plan, there’s no more stumbling around in the dark—instead you have a clear roadmap guiding you towards success.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

What is a communications plan?

Why you need a communications plan.

• How to improve your internal comms in 9 steps
• 9 templates to support your internal comms plan

Let’s take a closer look at communications plans and how having a template can make the whole process easier.

Your communications plan is a guide that sets out what your goals are and how to achieve them. It’s a roadmap for how to lead communications and deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time.

A communications plan might sound like a communication strategy, but the two are different. A strategy gives you the top-level on why something should happen, and the plan is the action plan beneath it. It’s a practical document that guides your team members on exactly what to do.

There are lots of different types of communications plans, including:

• Marketing communications plans
• Project management communications plans
• Crisis communications plans
• Internal communications plans

In this guide we’ll focus on how you can connect with your internal audience using a communications plan template, but the tips and strategies translate well to other types of plans too.

Having a strategic communications plan makes it easier to:

• 🎯 Invest your efforts into internal and external communication that matches your goals
• 🗺️ Give your team direction on how, when, and where to communicate
• 🙌 Make communication more intentional, strategic, and frequent
• 😀 Remove confusion and avoid miscommunication in the workplace
• ⚒️ Identify the best tools and resources to support your communication strategy
• 📣 Communicate effectively with different groups—including team members, key stakeholders, and the public

An action plan for how you’ll deliver internal comms shouldn’t be a “nice to have” but an essential if you want to rally your team behind your mission, communicate clearly, and foster a thriving culture.

9 steps to better internal comms

It’s almost impossible to lead communications in an environment where you have no plan. But coming up with a strategic plan takes time and effort. A good communications plan can help you get closer to your goals more quickly.

Fast track your way to success with these steps, and then use the templates in the next section to make your comms plan even better.

1. Audit your current communication efforts

Before you jump into coming up with an exciting action plan, first review where you’re currently at. Examine all of your current internal communications and evaluate what works, what doesn’t, and what you can improve.

Use survey results and insights to understand which channels work for your audience, how often they’re likely to engage, and which types of content and messages resonate with them the most. At the same time, get to know what they don’t like, and which channels never get engagement—so you can avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

2. Define your target audience

For your internal communications plan, your audience is going to be your employees. For other types of plans, this might be project stakeholders, members of the public, or potential investors.

Within your audience, think about their demographics, contact preferences, and personalities. Not everyone is alike, and your plan needs to consider that you’ll need to use different channels and communication styles to reach everyone.

3. Set communication goals

An effective communications plan needs a goal to steer you in the right direction. A relevant SMART goal gives you a target to aim for, a guide to follow, and metrics you can use to measure your progress.

When trying to figure out what your communication objectives are, look at your business objectives and mission statement first. Next, consider your current challenges and what deliverables can help you improve them. You might decide to set a specific goal to increase employee morale by X% if you notice a lack of engagement, or to combat low morale and increase your eNPS score by X points. You can add in wider supporting goals too, like to make everyone feel like they’re being seen and heard or to make your internal communications more inclusive .

4. Choose the right communication channels

The channels you choose will depend on the purpose of your plan and your target audience. While you might lean heavily on social media, email marketing, and press releases for a new product launch or marketing campaign, your internal communications strategy and action plan calls for a different approach. Instead, focus on channels like internal email newsletters, team building games , team chat apps, employee recognition software, and team meetings .

5. Define your voice and key messages

Internal communications can often feel like they’re generic and lack personality, warmth, or connection. Take some time to review your brand voice and key messages so your team members feel aligned with what you’re trying to say.

Consider your brand and company culture, and what it means to be part of your team. Think about the type of language you use, your brand’s personality, and how you can bring this out in the words, phrases, and imagery you use. Use your style guide as a reference point, and develop a series of key messages and talking points that share relevant information in a way that feels authentic.

6. Set a communication frequency

Sharing messages with your team members infrequently means team members can’t feel connected to your message, and might resist engaging. Communicating too often can make people feel overwhelmed and can lower engagement too. Getting the communication frequency right is a careful balancing act, but one worth investing energy in.

Review past feedback and survey results to get a feel for how often your team members want to hear from you. Apply this information to different channels, and come up with a plan that feels realistic and reasonable. This could include a monthly email newsletter, weekly pulse check-ins , and instant updates in Slack channels for anything urgent.

7. Assign team members

For your communications plan to work, you need the right resources in place. Before you deliver your plan, take a moment to assemble a project team of talented people whose job it is to help deliver the best internal comms possible.

Think about who you have on your communications team currently and what they excel at. Use their strengths and skill set wisely, and give them the communications materials and budget they need to make great things happen. Consider whether you need to outsource or grow your team, or if you can offer opportunities for other employees to get involved in the process.

8. Invest in the right communication tools

If you want to streamline internal comms and make the whole experience more engaging, invest in Polly. Our collection of internal comms and employee engagement features helps you check in with team members, gather feedback, and use this data to create even better employee experiences .

Connect with your team members in real-time or async in the tools they already use, like Slack or Microsoft Teams . Raise your response rates with easy-to-use and engaging polls and surveys , capture anonymous feedback with a Suggestion Box , and use Workflows to scale up your entire feedback process.

9. Review your communications plan

Even the best plans need to be reviewed over time. Aim to sit down and thoroughly review your action plan at regular milestones to make sure it’s still relevant and engaging.

Review your progress so far, and measure which channels, messages, and moments made the biggest impact. Think about whether you need to lean more heavily on one communication method, or if you should explore adding others—like a podcast or video series. Use employee surveys to get feedback from your audience, and use this to help you improve your strategy and action plan further.

9 of the best Polly features and templates to support your internal communications plan

Polly isn’t just the best employee engagement app. It’s also home to lots of expertly crafted templates that help you get closer to your internal communications goals. Each of these features or templates gives you the foundation for better internal comms—whether you’re sending a weekly check-in or a quarterly employee engagement survey.

Increase consistency, engagement, and results with our favorite features and communications plan templates.

2. Suggestion Box 

3. Remote pulse check-in template

4. Employee NPS (eNPS) template

5. Meeting feedback template

6. Weekly team check-in template

7. Meeting prep template

8. Ask me anything (AMA) template

9. Quarterly employee engagement survey template

Improve your internal communication with Polly

Increasing employee engagement isn’t an easy task, but there are ways you can make it easier. With a strategic internal communications plan template and the right tools, you have a great place to start from.

If you want to make a big impact with your internal comms, bring Polly aboard as your co-pilot. Our employee engagement app helps you build connections, gather insights, and create a more rewarding employee experience—all from within the digital spaces your team calls home every day.

Written by Nicola Scoon

Nicola Scoon is a freelance writer that's passionate about employee engagement and better workplace experiences. She draws on her experience in internal communications to help companies create content that empowers, encourages, and motivates people to create better experiences for all.

Continue reading

7 Audience Engagement Strategies for Your Next Meeting

11 Strategies to Help You Run More Interactive Meetings

10 of the Best Employee Engagement Strategies To Try in 2024

50 Unique and Intriguing Would You Rather Questions for Work

Employee Experience

Add Polly to:

How to Write a Strategic Communication Plan Template

• May 1, 2022

Content Manager at SocialBee

We know why you are here, and we are prepared with both a communications plan template and a guide that will help you every step of the way.

Communication plans are great strategies that will not only take your branding objectives to the next level ,  but will also help you manage PR crises without damaging your image.

In this material, we will walk you through the benefits of a communication plan template and we will show you what are the steps you need to take in order to build your very own communication strategy. Are you ready?

Streamline your business communication planning with our easy-to-use template.

What Is a Communications Plan?

Communications plans are documents that outline the messages a business promotes, the  audience  meant for those messages, and the channels of communication. 

A strategic communications plan is a way to organize all your company’s messages in one place, define your goals , and ensure you maintain a consistent and positive image.

Moreover, it works as a foundation that will help with managing certain crises your company might face, pitching new ideas to your stakeholders, creating an effective communication strategy for a product launch, and more.

The Benefits of a Communication Plan

Before we get into how to write a strategic communication plan, let’s see how such a document can benefit your business.

Here are the advantages of a communications strategy plan:

• It improves client and stakeholder management
• It defines the communication process
• It creates a positive brand image

1. It Improves Client and Stakeholder Management

A well-written communication plan will help you improve the level of communication with both internal stakeholders and external audicences, as you will be able to convey your message through multiple channels.

2. It Defines the Communication Process

By having a communication plan, you will also be able to set communication objectives for your company and assess progress.

Writing a clear communication plan will help you identify:

• What  you need to communicate
• How  you should share your message
• Who  is the recipient
• Which  channels are best for sharing certain messages

Also, this way, you will discover the unique characteristics of your intended audience. Consequently, you will understand their point of view better than ever before, and communicate with them more effectively.

3. It Creates a Positive Brand Image

An effective communication plan has a positive impact on your company’s image because it makes sure that every message you share with the public is correct, on-brand, and consistent on every communication platform.

Additionally, with the help of a communication plan, you can handle crises much more effectively. In fact, big brands have a designated crisis communication team ready to go in case of a social media controversy.

Having a crisis communication plan and planning ahead of time for emergency situations will allow you to manage the public perception better. Also, rushing your response in critical situations without clearly thinking it through will allow other mistakes to slip through and make the situation worse. 

How to Write a Communications Plan

Now that you know what a communication plan is and how it can benefit your business, let’s get into the real reason why you are here — learning how to write an effective communications plan.

These are the steps you need to take to write a marketing communications plan:

• Audit Your Current Communications Strategy
• Set Communication Goals
• Define Your Target Audience
• Develop Your USP and Mission Statement
• Find the Best Communication Channels for Your Marketing Efforts
• Assign Roles to Your Team Members
• Identify Your Key Stakeholders
• Write Down Key Dates for Your Communication Strategies
• Craft Key Messages for Your Audience
• Outline Your Communication Methods and Campaigns
• Put Your Communication Plan in Action
• Monitor and Adjust Your Communication Strategy

1. Audit Your Current Communications Strategy

Before you create your communication plan, you need to run a situational analysis of your current communication strategy.

Here is what you need to evaluate when it comes to your marketing communication strategy:

• Communication channels – List all the different channels you communicate on both online and offline with your audiences (partners, clients, project stakeholders, customers, etc.).
• Communication materials – Make an inventory of all your marketing materials. Include anything from flyers to social media graphics, digital brochures , as well as your permanent branding guidelines (color scheme, fonts, logos, etc.).
• Tone of voice and communication style – How would you describe your communication style? You can use several adjectives to define it. 
• Results and performance – Which messages and communication platforms had the best/worst results. Add screenshots and links to understand the situation better.

To gather all this relevant information, you can go to the analytics you have for each communication channel, send surveys to your customers, partners, and stakeholders, and hold in-person meetings with your project team.

In addition, you can perform a SWOT analysis and discover both internal and external advantages and disadvantages:

👍 Strengths – Define what you do well, your best resources, and the aspects that give you an advantage over your competitors.

👎 Weaknesses – Focus on the critics you receive from others, the resources you lack compared to your competitors, and the areas that need improvement.

📈 Opportunities – Identify the opportunities and market trends that will allow you to transform your strengths into growth opportunities.

❌ Threats – Discover the external factors that can prevent your business from growing.

2. Set Communication Goals

Turn your business goals into specific communication goals. This way, your business needs will guide the way you think and write your communication goals. As a result, your chances of staying on track and enhancing your company’s performance will increase. 

Your communication goals need to provide perspective and direction for you and your team. So, make sure you offer them all the details they might need. 

When in doubt, respect the SMART goals structure:

• S pecific – State what you want to accomplish and how you plan to do it.
• M easurable – Mention how you plan to measure your progress.
• A chievable – Be realistic, and set goals that are achievable based on your company’s resources.
• R elevant – Write communication goals that align with your business needs.
• T ime-bound – Keep your team accountable by setting a clear deadline for your goals.

Here is an example of a SMART communication goal:

“Improve customer satisfaction in the next 6 months by replying to every review, comment, email, and message within 24 hours.” 

To measure success, you will have to check the reviews and feedback you receive as a result of your new initiative.

3. Define Your Target Audience

In order to write effective key messages, you first need to understand your target audiences . This doesn’t only include your customers but also your employees, partners, investors, government officials, media outlets, and more.

As a result of your research, you will be able to craft perfectly tailored messages while also discovering their preferred communication channel. Feel free to ask for feedback and suggestions that will improve their experience as well as your collaboration. Also, keep an eye on the way they communicate and try to match their approach.

When it comes to customers, you can generate multiple demographic details straight from your SocialBee dashboard. Based on the information you gather, you can create detailed buyer personas — fictional characters with the traits of different segments of your target market.

Get information about your audience from a single dashboard.

Start your 14-day free SocialBee trial now!

In this way, you structure all the audience data and make it easier for you and your team to remember. 

Here is what a buyer persona should contain:

• Demographic information
• Behavioral traits
• Pain points
• Buying habits

The goal is to reach the right people with customized messages that will resonate with them.

4. Develop Your USP and Mission Statement

Not all businesses are built the same. And this is a good thing.

Your unique selling proposition is very important for your communication plan, especially when it comes to your promotional content. Why?  Because you have to rely on that unique quality to differentiate your business from the competition and give your customers a reason to purchase from you.

To develop your USP, you first need to answer the following questions:

• What do you provide that your competition doesn’t?
• What customer issue do you solve through your business?
• Why should your customers choose you and not your competitors?

Furthermore, while your USP works as a way to make your brand stand out from the crowd, your mission statement provides meaning and purpose to your company.

A great mission statement reflects your customers’ values and provides an additional reason to invest in your products.

Image source

Let’s say you sell sweets. Your USP is that you don’t use sugar in your products. So, in your mission statement, you could state that through your business, you aim to provide healthy and delicious dessert alternatives and improve your customers’ lifestyles without compromising the taste of your sweets.

5. Find the Best Communication Channels for Your Marketing Efforts

It’s not only essential to know how to communicate with your audience, but also to discover the channel that you should use to reach them. Moreover, for better results, you need to keep your communication separate. 

For instance, with your stakeholders, you can plan online or in-person meetings and provide project reports regularly. Whereas, with media outlets, you can move your communication to email. All you need is to have the contact information of several relevant journalists and nurture your media relationships on this channel.

The same goes for the rest of your audience segments. The more you customize your communication to fit your audience’s needs, the more success you will have.

However, when it comes to your customers, you have more options. You can get creative with your communication when promoting your business. 

These are the main communication channels you can use to connect with your customers:

• Content marketing
• Search enginge optimization
• Email marketing
• Influencer marketing
• Affiliate marketing

A. Content Marketing

Your communication plan wouldn’t be complete without including your content marketing strategy.

In fact, did you know that 70% of customers would rather learn about a business from an article or blog post than from advertisements? So, it’s safe to assume that content marketing is quite a big deal.

This marketing strategy is used to attract, engage, and maintain customers by creating and distributing relevant content (articles, videos, social media posts). 

Apart from this, content marketing helps businesses establish themselves as credible and authoritative sources of information, build brand awareness and stay top-of-mind.

So, make sure you include your social media platforms, your blog, and other content creation platforms (Youtube, Udemy, etc.) and give details about your communication strategy on all of them.

Don’t forget that with SocialBee you can create, edit, schedule, and share content on all your social media platforms from one user-friendly dashboard. 

Connect all your social media profiles with SocialBee to share content faster and easier than ever before.

Besides, SocialBee can generate automatic social media posts whenever you publish a new article, making the most out of your content marketing strategy.

Don’t miss out on a 14-day free SocialBee trial !

SocialBee: Your AI-powered social media management tool

B. search engine optimization.

To optimize your communication plan and make sure your customers see your content, you must perform search engine optimization.  Statistics show that 68% of website traffic is generated by search engines, a great insight for businesses.

A good practice is to make a list of all the keywords your audience may use to search your products and services and add them to your communication plan. As a result, you will have them ready to use whenever you create content for Google.

Make sure to use keywords and key phrases that match your customers’ search intent, and combine both short-tail and long-tail keywords into your strategy.

Moreover, add them to your titles, headings, meta descriptions, image alt text, and body text.

C. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to not only generate new leads, but also nurture your relationship with your existing customers. You should also know that email marketing has an average ROI of $36 for every dollar spent.

It’s an essential part of your communication plan, so ensure you create a messaging strategy that will gain you more website traffic and keep your audience in the loop regarding company news, promotions, and newly posted blog articles.

D. Influencer Marketing

Amplify your messaging strategy with influencer marketing .

This marketing practice is used to generate brand awareness, gain trust, and improve sales.

The key is to find relevant influencers from your industry that your audience looks up to. 

Aside from that, you need to pick people that fit your image and share the same values if you want influencer collaborations to work. As a result, you will have a partnership that seems genuine and addresses the right audience.

Make a list of online personalities that you could collaborate with, and add them to your communication plan in the timeframes when you assume you will need a boost in visibility and sales.

E. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is another practice you can use to share your message with a larger audience. It involves paying other bloggers to promote your business on their website through link insertions, product/service reviews, and articles.

Besides, it’s an affordable way to generate traffic, boost sales and brand awareness, and build authority within your industry. 

6. Assign Roles to Your Team Members

You know your audience, and you picked the communication channels you will use, so it’s time to assign some roles to your internal communications team members.

For example, when it comes to communicating with media channels, you will need to assign a team member to prepare press releases and keep in touch with journalists.

Make sure you add your key team members along with their roles in the communication plan. This is useful for everyone on the team because:

• They know what their responsibilities are ahead of time.
• They know who to go to in case they need help or information.

7. Identify Your Key Stakeholders

As a business, you will have to run and manage multiple projects. And for some of them, you need the support of your stakeholders for your communication method to be successful. 

As you can imagine, this means that you need to maintain a fruitful and transparent relationship with your stakeholders. 

This is why you should add them to your communication plan. You should also include all your project deliverables, stakeholder information, and the main ways you plan to keep in contact.

8. Write Down Key Dates for Your Communication Strategies

Every business has peak moments throughout the year when their sales increase and the demand for their product rises, like flower shops during Valentine’s Day.

Some of them are obvious, while others require a little more digging through the data. So, start looking at your sales history from the past year and identify your most profitable intervals.

With this information, you can adjust your communication planning and improve the way you communicate with your customers. Plan some promotions, create new email campaigns, run ads , and basically do anything that can increase the visibility of your business.

Furthermore, you should also research holidays or international celebrations you can use to promote your brand.

Acess the calendar template and start planning your holiday posts with ease.

9. Craft Key Messages for Your Audience

For this step, you have to keep your audience in mind at all times. It’s essential that you create key messages that fit the needs and desires of your customers.

To customize your messages accordingly, you need to answer the next questions:

• What should your audience know about your company?
• What language and communication style would your audience prefer?
• What are the main benefits you should highlight?
• What values resonate with your customers?

Make separate sections for each segment of your audience and add your key messages into your communication plan.

We advise you to create a messaging matrix in order to define your communication strategy for each. This requires you to separate your audience into segments and create categories of key messages and channels you will use for that group.

For instance, let’s say you sell skincare products and your two main target audiences are young girls between 14 and 20 and women between 30 and 45. The girls encounter problems like acne and dry skin, while the women see signs of aging such as wrinkles and depigmentation.

So you decide to address their issues and promote products that will provide a solution. With the girls, you can communicate on Instagram and TikTok, while with the women you can go for platforms like Facebook. 

10. Outline Your Communication Methods and Campaigns

Your action plan is the meat of your communication strategy.

In order to establish the main activities of your communication plan, you first have to follow these three steps:

• Align your communication plan with your marketing calendar
• Create communication campaigns
• Plan activities to achieve your communication goals

A. Align Your Communication Plan With Your Marketing Calendar 

Take a look at your marketing calendar , and find out what your marketing team has planned to improve your company’s performance. Then create your customer communication strategy to increase the results of those marketing initiatives.

B. Create Communication Campaigns 

To organize all your marketing activities and keep track of your progress, you must plan different communication campaigns throughout the year.

This is what you need to establish when creating communication campaigns: 

• A theme or a goal that provides purpose and direction.
• Strategic activities that will help you achieve your goals.
• Clear dates for the beginning and the end of your campaigns.

C. Plan Activities to Achieve Your Communication Goals 

The activities you include in your communications plan should be aligned with your internal and external communication goals. After all, you want to accomplish them in a certain time frame.

That being said, your communication tactics should deal with the following aspects:

• Where will you share your message
• How will you communicate it
• When/how often will you communicate

11. Put Your Communication Plan in Action

Now that you included all the necessary elements in your communication plan, it’s time for action.

It’s a good idea to share your plan with your team and go over it together to ensure that everybody is on the same page before you implement it.

12. Monitor and Adjust Your Communication Strategy 

Your communication plan is a work in progress, it’s not a finished product. So, establish a few monitoring tactics that will allow you to track your success and identify mistakes that affect your business’ growth.

Gather all your analytics, create reports, and hold meetings with your team to gain feedback and find solutions for potential issues. You should also use the communication goals you previously set to find out if you are on the right track.

Communication Plan Examples

To give you a better idea about how you should structure your strategy, we prepared three examples you can take inspiration from:

• A project management communication plan from VENNGAGE
• A strategic communication plan from Lean Methods Group
• A communication plan example from TemplateLAB

First, we have a project management communication plan from VENNGAGE . You can see that it has a deadline, an assigned project manager, business objectives, tools, audience information, and messaging frequency. Also, the nice colorful design is a plus.

The next communication plan template is from Lean Methods Group , and it provides details about:

• Media or vehicle
• Assigned team member
• Feedback mechanism

This last example is a communications plan template from TemplateLAB that contains information about audience segments, key messages, means of communication, and deadlines for each initiative.

Although these are great documents you can use in your communication plan creation process, we have an alternative that will save you hours of work.

So, make sure you access our free template below, make a copy, and add your magical touch.

Make the Most Out of Your Communication Plans

Now that we went through what a communication plan is, its benefits, and the necessary creation process, we reached the end of this article. However, it’s only the beginning of your work.

But don’t worry, our template is waiting for you, ready to aid in your business strategies and give you a head start on the competition. Just access it below and let us know if you enjoyed our communication plan example!

Article written by

Content writer at SocialBee

Related articles

How to Build Your LinkedIn Network as a CEO

How to build your LinkedIn network—have you got it figured out yet? With LinkedIn’s massive pool of over 922 million

How to Get Verified on X (Twitter) in 2024

Do you want to learn how to get verified on Twitter (now X) and show the world your account is

Level up your social media game with exclusive resources delivered straight to your inbox

Proudly supporting

Out of post ideas? Get our social media calendar

Access 500+ content ideas, post examples, and Canva templates.

Use SocialBee’s Free AI Post Generator to create content for your social media profiles.

• Customizable tone of voice
• Several content variations to choose from
• 1000+ pre-made AI prompts

• Design for Business
• Most Recent
• Presentations
• Infographics
• Data Visualizations
• Forms and Surveys
• Video & Animation
• Case Studies
• Digital Marketing
• Design Inspiration
• Visual Thinking
• Product Updates
• Visme Webinars
• Artificial Intelligence

15 Communication Plan Templates for Professional Use (2024)

Written by: Orana Velarde

Communication plans can help you deliver information timely and effectively to stakeholders in various situations — from a PR crisis to a new product launch. They are excellent tools to share with your team and prepare them to communicate properly in any given situation.

If you're intimidated by the idea of creating a communication plan from scratch, it's okay. You can simply use a pre-designed communication plan template to speed up the process.

We've put together a list of 15 professional communication plan examples for various use cases.

The best part?

You can edit these communication plan templates online and download them or share them with your team.

Here's a short selection of easy-to-edit Communication plan templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more below:

Just choose the category from the list below that best describes your needs and start designing a successful communication strategy.

15 Communication Plan Templates for Professionals

Template #1: strategic communication plan, template #2: crisis communication plan, template #3: it communication plan, template #4: project management communication plan, template #5: internal communication plan, template #6: event communication plan, template #7: simple communication plan, template #8: change management communication plan, template #9: stakeholder communication plan, template #10: donor communication plan, template #11: school communication plan, template #12: emergency communication plan, template #13: marketing communication plan, template #14: product launch communication plan, template #15: diversity and inclusion communication plan, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Before you start scrolling, here’s a video on how to create attractive documents with Visme to get your creative juices flowing.

Strategic communication plans are essential documents that corporations, organizations and companies use to maintain stable and constant communication with their audiences. Below is an example of a communication plan template you can use to streamline communication.

This sleek strategic communication plan uses contrasting desaturation with bright colors to bring attention to the content. The placeholder sections in the table of contents include:

• Executive Summary
• Situational Analysis
• Demographics

Adding your content is easy as all you have to do is copy and paste into the template and adjust as needed. If you want to add pages with a type of graph or more text content, just duplicate a page. Use the same colors as the rest of the design to have a balanced look and feel.

And if you’re short on time, you can use the Visme AI document generator to generate your communication plans or any other document in a matter of seconds. Just type in your prompt, provide a bit more context, select your preferred design and watch the tool produce your first draft in seconds.

Check out how the AI document generator tool works.

Every startup, company or enterprise is bound to have a moment of crisis to deal with. It could be an unhappy customer or a global pandemic. For that reason, you need a crisis communication plan to specify actionable practices in any crisis.

Create your own Communication Plan with this easy-to-edit template! Edit and Download

With crisis communication plan templates like this one, all involved parties have access to the necessary information. Our designers have put together a collection of pages and sections to get you started, including:

• Crisis Communication Policy
• Crisis Command Center Team
• CCC Activation Hierarchy
• Media Liaison

To personalize your brand’s communication plan, simply change the colors and fonts using your Brand Kit . If you need more pages for more key messaging sections, it’s easy to duplicate the pre-designed pages and add your content.

You’ll need to adjust the layout a bit, so the pages don’t look the same. Change the image background for another and customize the text boxes and icons to match your content.

Here’s another great example of a communication plan. Share your project ideas and future goals effectively with our easy-to-use IT communication plan template. It's designed to help you choose the right communication channels and strategies for your IT projects.

The communication template has a bold dark and red design theme that sets a powerful visual tone. With eye-catching visuals and straightforward layouts, this template makes it simple to present your project proposals, timelines, and resource allocation.

Collaborating with your team becomes a seamless experience, ensuring that your message is conveyed accurately and efficiently to all stakeholders.

Upgrade your project communication with this attention-grabbing dark and red-themed IT communication plan template, and make a lasting impression while conveying your ideas and goals with impact.

Is your team working on a project together and you need to keep everything in check and on track? Are you looking for a way to let everyone know what needs to be done and when?

This project management communication plan sample is just what you need as the basis of your action plan.

Be clear and direct about what needs to be done, by whom and when. Putting it all in this project management communication framework template is going to create transparency within your team.

Your job as a project manager is to make sure everything is taken care of correctly and on time. When you use project communication plan templates like this one, your success rates go up.

Use the table of contents in this project management plan to outline all necessary information and key messaging. Explain how and when deliverables are to be expected and who are the key stakeholders in the process.

Link to collaboration channels and give instructions on how to use them best. Give instructions on how to name files and where everything is stored in the cloud.Use the Visme workflow tool to assign and manage each task, set deadlines and review and approve projects—all within your workspace.

Working on a project together takes careful planning. A project manager needs to ensure that everyone knows what’s expected of them and who to contact about different things.

If you’re a project manager or are in charge of an internal project for your company, this internal communications strategy template is just what you need to keep the team on track.

Our professionally designed internal communication plan is easy to use and customize with your content. The sections are separated as follows:

• Stakeholders
• Implementation
• Team Involved

If you plan to share your communication plan as a digital PDF, add links to the respective pages. This way, the reader can navigate to their desired content from the table of contents .

Use the timeline feature in the implementation section to visually schedule the tasks for the project. If you need to make the timeline longer, simply duplicate the page. Customize the colors and fonts for your brand using your Brand Kit.

Simplify the process of planning, organizing, and executing your events with our outstanding event communication plan template.

This complete communication strategy template comes equipped with step-by-step instructions, enabling you to seamlessly coordinate crucial event particulars, create detailed timelines, and ensure your guests are well-informed, all within a single platform.

Featuring captivating visuals, contemporary fonts, and customizable color schemes, this template not only enhances the functionality of your event communication plan. The rich blend of serene blues, pristine whites, and vibrant pinks also adds an aesthetic touch that will leave a lasting impression.

Add flipbook effects so readers can interact with the document as if they are reading a book. Make event planning a breeze while keeping everything visually appealing with this versatile template.

Communications planning doesn’t always need to be complicated. A simple communication plan will do the job for any small project. All you need for effective communication is the key messaging and the relevant links to the preferred communication channels.

This corporate communication plan template is simple and keeps things to only two pages. It effectively uses icons , progress bars and a table format to visualize possible situations of crisis and the appropriate response to each situation.

You can remove the cover page and download your communication plan as a single-page infographic . Or you can add more pages to turn it into a more comprehensive document.

If you’ve ever had to change something inside a company, you know how difficult it can be to it seamlessly. Change can be about a piece of software, a physical working location, a process or system.

A change management communication plan will help everyone involved in the transition by making sure they’re all on the same page.

This change management communication plan designed by our Visme designers uses placeholder content for a change in CRM. The sections apply to any type of change and are:

• Summary: What is changing and why?
• Stakeholders: Who is involved in the change and how?
• Phases: How will the change take place with the help of a timeline?

This is the perfect communication plan template to help your team change something seamlessly without affecting other aspects of your work.

When working on your plan, use Visme’s shortcut tool to easily find anything you want in the editor. Simply type forward slash (/) on your keyboard and search bar will appear. Type in a keyword to easily find design assets, tools and features in the Visme editor.

Having many stakeholders aiming for the same goal requires good organization and planning. Make sure everyone’s on board with this stakeholder communication plan example.

This professionally designed template offers all the pages you need to organize the information for your stakeholders. Share everything they need to know about your company, the goals, objectives, changes, projections and more.

Plus, share all relevant information like the dates for team meetings, a project roadmap , and the manager’s phone number.

If you need more pages than the template provides, simply duplicate and add your content in text boxes. Also, maintain a visual balance in the general look-and-feel of the page.

To keep the communication plan easy to read and understand, link to longer content with popups or external hyperlinks. Make sure to share the finished communication plan as a digital PDF file.

A well-planned donor communication strategy is essential to the success of any fundraising campaign. With our user-friendly template, you can impress your donors and streamline your fundraising efforts. This comprehensive tool includes easy-to-follow sections for outlining your donor engagement strategy, establishing effective communication channels and tracking the progress of your campaigns.

Our template features engaging graphics and icons, sleek fonts, and customizable colors that not only make it visually appealing but also allow you to tailor it to your organization's unique branding.

Every part of this template is customizable. With Visme’s intuitive editor, you can change colors, fonts and more to fit your branding. Elevate your fundraising endeavors and make a lasting impression on your valued supporters with this visually captivating and user-friendly template.

Ensuring that all communication levels are clear and concise within a school setting can be difficult without a communication plan. That's because precise instructions and direction are often essential for teachers, staff, parents and managerial positions.

Our school communication plan sample was created especially for you by our Visme designers. The three main sections cover communication strategies at three different levels:

• Academic Communication
• Staff Communication
• School-Wide Communication

Customize the tables with your school colors and input your specific information into the cells. Make your communication plan interactive by adding links to the correct communication channels for direct messaging and virtual or in-person meetings, and then share it online.

An effective emergency communication plan is vital for ensuring the safety and well-being of your team members. When a disaster strikes, a well-structured and thorough plan can ensure swift, coordinated responses and minimize risks.

Prepare your organization for emergency situations by sharing proven methods and solutions with this invaluable template. This stunning and user-friendly template simplifies the process, allowing you to outline essential procedures, contact information, and crucial resources. It provides indispensable guidance to your personnel in times of crisis, ensuring they are well-prepared and can respond effectively when needed most.

What makes this template shine are the striking images, visuals and design elements. In Visme’s library, you’ll find tons of visuals and design assets to communicate your ideas. Feel free to swap the template color theme to match your branding.

Need help writing or proofreading content for your plan? Visme’s AI writer is your handy assistant. All you need to do is write an accurate prompt that reflects your need and watch the magic happen.

Marketing and social media campaigns are successful when everyone involved knows what their part is in the process and what their tasks are. Setting every team member up with the information they need to reach a common goal is the primary purpose of this marketing communication plan.

This marketing communication plan example has a colorful, modern feel. Circles form a big part of the visual layout, making the content easier to digest and more interesting to look at.

In this marketing communication plan template, there are four sections for your key messaging:

• Goal and Objectives
• SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis page is a practical guide to see where your project has weaknesses and what strengths will pull it through. On the last page, you’ll find a timeline to help keep every team member on track of their tasks and in what timeframe.

Easily customize the template to match your brand by using your Brand Kit. Share the template with team members to get feedback and collaborate on the final design. Track how many people have viewed or taken action on your plan using our analytics feature .

When launching a new product, it’s good practice to work as a team. The best way to make sure all the pre-launch tasks are taken care of is to create a product launch communication plan.

In the six pages of this attractive product launch communication plan, you can lay out all the steps for your product’s pre and post-launch activities.

Use the timeline page to explain in detail what needs to happen. Specify which communication teams take care of what tasks, like the press release and influencer outreach emails.

Use hyperlinks to more in-depth content for specific teams and don’t forget to share the links to relevant communication platforms.

Use the sections set up for you in the template or create your own. Your key messaging will probably be similar to this but it’s easy to personalize or add more.

• Launch Phases
• Pre-Launch Activities
• Post-Launch Follow Up

Make sure to include the steps for recording post-launch metrics as these are just as important as the ones done pre-launch. Plus, measurable insights can help with other product launch projects in the future.

Achieving diversity and inclusion in the workplace requires a clear and comprehensive communication plan. A plan will serve as a strategic framework to promote diversity and inclusion initiatives across your organization.

This remarkable, fully customizable template is your compass for systematically advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization. The template has a clean and creative design layout with high-quality images and graphics that add visual excitement.

The eye-catching images are carefully selected to support your narrative and enhance the overall aesthetic of your plan. With its captivating design, you can effortlessly engage your entire workforce, presenting your vision, initiatives, and progress with impact and clarity.

There are multiple options for sharing your plan with stakeholders. You can share it online with a link or embed it on your website or landing page. Alternatively, you can download it in multiple formats.

Design Your Own Communication Plan Online

Creating a communication plan is easy when you have practical and inspiring templates to guide you. To get started with designing your communication plan, simply choose the template that best fits your vision and input your content.

If you're new to Visme, use one of the free templates and adjust the content accordingly. That said, you’d be surprised at what you can do with a premium Visme subscription .

With a premium subscription, not only will you get access to premium templates and graphic assets, you'll also be able to create any type of visual — from documents and presentations to infographics, charts, surveys, social media graphics and more.

You'll also be able to download your designs in multiple formats, from image to PDF to HTML5, work in collaboration with your team, create a Brand Kit and much more.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free Visme account today and create a great-looking, comprehensive communication plan to share with your team.

Are you still weighing your options about creating a communication plan? Hopefully, the templates on this list inspired you to take a look and give them a try.

But you might still need a little help deciding if this is a suitable document for what you need. That’s why we’ve put together the most common questions asked about communications plans.

Q1. What is a communication plan?

A communication plan is a strategic document that shares coordinated, consistent and directed messaging for achieving a specific goal, such as managing a PR crisis or successfully launching a new product.

A communication plan can be printed, sent via email as a PDF or shared as a live online link. A well-structured and effective communication plan is the single most crucial factor of project management in any industry and for every use case.

Q2. What is the purpose of a communication plan?

The primary purpose of a communication plan is to deliver consistent information about a shared goal. It keeps everyone on the team on the same page about what needs to be done, how and when.

A communication plan solves many problems that teams usually face when there’s no clear direction for everyone involved. With a clear communication plan, everything is explained in detail and easy to follow.

All communication needs are laid out in detailed sections covering topics from goals and objectives to timelines and schedules . A communication plan brings together all the communication channels into one single document. From there, team members can spread out through relevant links and supplementary documents.

Q3. What’s included in a communication plan?

Every communication plan example is different, just how every project is different. But what remains the same across the majority of communication plans is the relevant and strategic information.

A standard communication plan includes sections like:

• Short and long-term goals for the project.
• A set of key messages to be explained in detail, separated into sections.
• Strategies for communication, both in-house and outbound.
• Details about the people involved in the project.
• A schedule and timeline for specific events, deadlines and reporting.
• Further communication methods.
• Specific instructions about your company’s communication process.
• Strategies for measuring success.

Apart from the list above, a communication plan must also include details pertinent to the specific project. If there are folders or systems that people need to access for the project’s success, list them and explain how to use them.

Q4. What is the first step in communication planning?

The first step in communication planning is to define the goals you and your team want to achieve. Outline both short and long-term goals so it’s easier to plan the project as pieces of a whole.

Following the goals, set the objectives. Explain how you plan to achieve these with the help of timelines, schedules, and tables. Include a list of involved stakeholders and links to further means of collaboration.

Q5. What are the key messages of a communication plan?

A communication plan’s specific key messages will depend on what you want to achieve and who your target audience is. Your key messages are the most essential communication points for any particular project.

For example, let’s say you’re creating a communication plan for a product launch. The key messages would cover;

• The goals and objectives of the product launch.
• The reason and story about why this product was created and what problem it solves for people.
• A timeline of pre-launch activities including who will be contacted for outreach and what information will be shared with them.
• What messaging and visual strategies to use for social media and advertising.

An excellent way to make sure all key messaging is clear is to add each one as an item in the Table of Contents.

Q6. What’s the best tool to create a communication plan online?

If you want to create a communication plan that makes an impact, use Visme! Our professionally designed communication plan templates will look amazing with your content and be super easy to customize.

With a Visme communication plan, you can include data visualizations using data from a Microsoft Excel sheet. In fact, if you’ve been creating project communication plans in an Excel spreadsheet, it’s time to upgrade your communication efforts!

Knock your team out of their seats with your impactful communication plan!

Head over to Visme's professional document creator and look through the template library, or click on any of the communication plan template buttons in the list above.

Q7. How to Write a Communications Plan

• Audit Your Existing Communication Plan: Before you put pen to paper, do a situational analysis of communications in your company. The goal is to identify gaps, problem areas and opportunities for improvement.
• Set SMART Goals: Based on the audit results, highlight SMART goals you want to achieve with your communications plan. An example of a SMART communication goal would be to improve client response time to complaints from six hours to three hours within the next 2 months.
• Identify Your Target Audience: Are you working with media outlets, customers, partners, investors, employees, customers or the government? Understand who your intended audience is. Consider their demographics, interests, needs, and communication preferences. This will help you tailor your messages and select appropriate channels.
• Communication methods, both in-house and outbound.
• Team members responsible for delivering communication
• Escalation plan
• Communication channels
• Choose appropriate and effective channels: Consider using a combination of channels such as email, meetings, presentations, the intranet, newsletters, social media, or face-to-face interactions. Adapt your channels based on the nature of the message and the preferences of your audience.
• Assign responsibilities: Determine who will be responsible for executing different aspects of the communication plan. Assign roles and responsibilities to team members or stakeholders involved in the process. Clearly define each person's tasks and deliverables.
• Set a timeline for execution. It's important to have a rough estimate of the time required for each step in implementing your strategy. For example, if your plan involves sharing information from top-level management to employees, it's wise to consider the duration it will take to go through the chain of command.
• Regularly review and assess your communication plan's performance : Evaluate the effectiveness of your messages, channels, and activities. Identify areas for improvement and make adjustments accordingly.

Q8. What are the Top Communication Planning Tips?

When it comes to communication planning, here are some tips to ensure effective and successful communication:

• Define clear objectives and identify the target audience: Whether it's providing information, generating buy-in, or addressing concerns, having clear objectives will guide your communication strategy. Understanding who your target audience is will help you tailor your communications to their needs, interests, and preferences.
• Be consistent and transparent: Maintain consistency in your messaging across different channels and ensure transparency throughout the change process. Share relevant information, progress updates, and any challenges or risks involved. This helps build trust and credibility with your audience.
• Engage leaders and influencers: Leverage the support of influential leaders and stakeholders within the organization. Engage them early on and involve them in the planning process to help drive change and promote a culture of open communication.
• Establish a feedback loop: Create channels for employees to share their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. Actively listen and respond to feedback to build trust and engagement.
• Evaluate and Adapt: Gather feedback, track engagement, and assess whether your communication objectives are being met. Use the insights gained to adapt and refine your communication plan as needed.

Q9. How to Use Communication Plan Templates

To effectively use communication plan templates, follow these steps:

Choose a suitable template: Select a communication plan template that aligns with your specific needs and goals. Visme has a comprehensive library of templates that provide a comprehensive structure and include sections relevant to your project or initiative.

Gather relevant information: Collect the necessary information to complete each section of the template.

This may include objectives, target audience details, key messages, communication channels, timelines, budgets, and evaluation methods. Refer to existing documentation, conduct research, and consult with stakeholders as needed to gather accurate and relevant information.

Customize the template: Tailor the template to fit your specific requirements.

• With Visme's intuitive editor, you can easily modify section headings, add or remove sections as needed, and adapt the content to align with your project or organization.
• Customize the visual elements of the template to match your branding or style guidelines by adding your logo, adjusting colors, and modifying fonts.
• Access a rich library of images, videos and design assets to make your plan visually appealing.
• Automatically generate and incorporate captivating images, art, and graphics into your plan using Visme’s AI image generator .

Share and collaborate: Share the completed communication plan with relevant team members and stakeholders using Visme's collaboration features . Encourage them to provide feedback, input, and suggestions for improvement.

Implement and monitor : Implement the communication plan and monitor the progress and effectiveness of your communication efforts. Make adjustments as needed based on feedback, data, and changing circumstances.

Create a effective communication plans in minutes with Visme

Trusted by leading brands

Recommended content for you:

Create Stunning Content!

Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.

About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

Be your organization's hero.

Encourage collaboration and teamwork with a recognition program that is effective and enjoyable! Book a demo now to take advantage of some incredible offers!

Strategic Communications: A Comprehensive Guide for Organizational Success

Discover the power of strategic communications in this comprehensive guide.

Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.

There are 300 more icebreaker questions at the bottom of the article.

Strategic communications operates at the crossroads of public relations and corporate communications, presenting a sophisticated, thoughtful approach that extends beyond simple information broadcasting. Rather than just transmitting information, strategic communications involves meticulous planning, crafting, and deploying of a comprehensive message dissemination strategy. This unified method of sharing information serves to strategically mold and direct both internal and external communications in a way that upholds and augments an organization's goals and reputation.

What is Strategic Communications?

Strategic communications is the systematic creation and dissemination of carefully crafted, targeted messages, designed to shape public perception and provoke desired actions. It's more than just information distribution; it’s about formulating and delivering a holistic, unified communication strategy that leads to a common understanding and perception. Such a methodology requires precision in crafting messages, careful selection of delivery channels, and perfect timing to ensure alignment with an organization's overarching ambitions.

The Purpose of Strategic Communications

Strategic communications plays a crucial role in bolstering an organization's credibility, reputation, and overall image. By intentionally designing and disseminating targeted messages, organizations can establish meaningful connections with their audience, fostering enhanced trust and loyalty. It's a method of nurturing shared understanding, fostering collaboration, and inspiring collective action towards common objectives. In essence, strategic communications is all about purposefully managing all communication aspects with a clear, pre-defined goal, ensuring every message supports the organization's objectives.

Why is Strategic Communications Important?

Strategic communications is a cornerstone of organizational success, illuminating the mission, vision, and strategic objectives of an organization. By making these critical elements comprehensible and widespread, organizations can enable their employees and external stakeholders to harmonize their actions and decisions with the organization's strategic direction. Strategic communications offer a framework ensuring all disseminated messages are clear, consistent, and genuine, thus nurturing a positive organizational image and fostering strong stakeholder relationships. They serve as the compass guiding all stakeholders towards a common vision and mission.

How to Create a Strategic Communications Plan

The journey towards developing a strategic communications plan involves a few critical steps:

1. Understanding the Organizational Context - This initial phase involves gaining an in-depth understanding of your organization's current situation, goals, values, culture, and external environment. A SWOT analysis can be instrumental in identifying communication-related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Simultaneously, a stakeholder analysis can help recognize key audiences and comprehend their needs, perceptions, and influence.

‍ Action Item: Conduct a SWOT analysis and stakeholder analysis.

‍ Stakeholders: Employees, customers, investors.

2. Formulating the Strategy and Plan -Insights from the analysis phase lay the foundation for developing a strategic communication plan. This includes pinpointing the target audience, crafting resonant messages, and choosing the most effective communication channels. Upon devising the plan, it's time to set the strategies in motion.

‍ Action Item: Create a detailed communication matrix.

‍ Stakeholders: Marketing team, public relations team, senior leadership.

3. Evaluating the Communication -After executing the strategies, it's essential to assess their effectiveness. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be identified to measure audience engagement, message reach, and overall impact. Feedback collection and analysis help understand the reception and influence of the messages.

‍ Action Item: Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) and use analytics tools.

‍ Stakeholders: Communications team, analytics team.

4. Managing the Plan Over Time - Based on the evaluation, strategies may need refinement. The communication strategy should therefore be reviewed and updated regularly to maintain its ongoing effectiveness and alignment with evolving organizational goals and context.

‍ Action Item: Regularly revisit and update the communication plan.

‍ Stakeholders: Senior leadership, communications team, human resources.

Unleashing the Potential of Strategic Communications

Capitalizing on the power of strategic communications means ensuring messages are clear, consistent, and authentic. Clear messages are free from jargon and easily comprehensible, consistent messages align with the organization's brand, mission, and strategic direction, and authentic messages resonate with audiences, establishing credibility and trust. By upholding these three aspects in all communications, organizations can leverage strategic communications to mold perceptions, inspire actions, and attain strategic goals.

Common Mistakes in Strategic Communications

As you embark on your strategic communications journey, it's essential to recognize common errors that can obstruct your path. These pitfalls, while preventable with careful planning and vigilance, can compromise the effectiveness of your communication strategy. Here are ten common mistakes to avoid:

• Neglecting the Audience : Not understanding or considering your audience can lead to disconnected and ineffective messages.
• Inconsistent Messaging : Inconsistent messages can confuse your audience and dilute your brand identity.
• Lack of Clear Objectives : Without defined goals, your communications efforts can lack direction and purpose.
• Ignoring Feedback : Overlooking feedback can result in missed opportunities for improvement and growth.
• Failing to Measure Effectiveness : Not measuring the impact of your strategic communications can result in wasted resources and efforts.
• Overcomplicating Messages : Using jargon or complex language can alienate your audience and make your messages harder to understand.
• Not Adapting to Change : The external environment and audience preferences can change over time. Failing to adapt your strategy accordingly can lead to ineffective communications.
• Not Prioritizing Internal Communications : Overlooking the importance of communicating with your employees can hinder alignment, engagement, and performance.
• Not Being Transparent : Lack of transparency can erode trust and harm your organization's reputation.
• Underestimating the Power of Listening : Focusing too much on transmitting your messages and not enough on listening can limit your understanding of your audience and their needs.

Tips for Success in Strategic Communications

Achieving success in strategic communications requires more than just an understanding of the process. It's vital to follow best practices that can boost the effectiveness of your communications. Here are ten tips that can lead you towards success:

• Know Your Audience : Understand your audience's needs, expectations, and perceptions to tailor your messages effectively.
• Be Consistent : Ensure your messages align with your brand identity and overall strategic objectives.
• Set Clear Goals : Define what you want to achieve with your communications to guide your strategy and measure its effectiveness.
• Embrace Feedback : Actively seek and incorporate feedback to fine-tune your communications and improve effectiveness.
• Measure Your Impact : Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to understand what's working and what needs improvement.
• Simplify Your Messages : Use simple, straightforward language that your audience can easily understand.
• Adapt to Change : Be prepared to adjust your strategy based on changes in the external environment or audience preferences.
• Prioritize Internal Communications : Regularly communicate with your employees to keep them informed, engaged, and aligned with your objectives.
• Be Transparent : Build trust and protect your reputation by being open and honest in your communications.
• Listen Actively : Listening to your audience can provide valuable insights to inform your strategy and messages.

Common Q&A

Despite thorough understanding, you may still have some questions about strategic communications and its effective implementation. In this section, we've compiled ten commonly asked questions and their answers to resolve any remaining queries or doubts:

Q1: How often should I review and update my strategic communications plan?

‍ A1: Reviewing the plan every quarter can help ensure it remains aligned with your organizational objectives.

Q2: What are some effective channels for strategic communications?

‍ A2: The choice depends on your audience and the nature of your message. Common channels include email, company intranet, social media, press releases, and face-to-face meetings.

Q3: How can I ensure consistency in my communications?

‍ A3: Create and adhere to guidelines for your messaging, tone, and visual branding. Regular audits can help maintain consistency.

Q4: Can I use strategic communications to change public perception of my organization?

‍ A4: Yes. Strategic communications can influence perceptions by consistently delivering clear and authentic messages that align with your brand identity.

Q5: What role does feedback play in strategic communications?

‍ A5: Feedback is crucial for understanding how well your messages are being received and what impact they're having. It can provide insights for improving your strategy.

Q6: How can I measure the effectiveness of my strategic communications?

‍ A6: Key performance indicators (KPIs) can help measure the success of your communications efforts. These could include metrics like audience engagement, message reach, and changes in perceptions or behaviors.

Q7: What should I do if my strategic communications efforts aren't working?

‍ A7: Analyze your strategies and feedback to identify what's not working. You may need to adjust your messages, channels, timing, or overall approach.

Q8: How can I make my messages more engaging?

‍ A8: Use storytelling, include visuals, and make your messages relevant and relatable to your audience. Simple, clear language also helps.

Q9: How important is internal communications in a strategic communications plan?

‍ A9: Very important. Internal communications help align employees with your organization's objectives and foster a sense of engagement and belonging.

Q10: How can I improve transparency in my communications?

‍ A10: Be open and honest in your messages, share both successes and challenges, and promptly communicate important news or changes.

In conclusion, strategic communications is more than just a tool - it's a powerful catalyst that shapes public perceptions and influences behaviors. It's not merely about what an organization communicates, but how it communicates that sets it apart. Strategic communications foster trust, encourage transparency, and align stakeholders with organizational objectives, driving success. Navigating the intricacies of the modern information landscape, strategic communications help organizations distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace. The substantial benefits of strategic communications make it an investment worth considering for any organization aiming for success.

Start your FREE workflow automation today!

Tour Assembly now with no credit card or – book a demo

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

Latest articles

Integrating Recognition Programs with Your Company Values

Top strategies for aligning employee recognition programs with your company's values and mission for an impactful work culture.

Creating a Culture of Continuous Feedback in the Workplace

Discover how continuous feedback transforms workplaces. Foster growth, collaboration and agility with these essential strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is assembly soc 2 compliant.

Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.

What's the ROI for employee recognition?

There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.

Does Assembly offer longer-term contracts?

Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs. The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.

Does Assembly offer onboarding support?

We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.

Is there a free version of Assembly?

Yes. We offer a completely free plan for up to 50 team members. This plan is intended for teams or organizations that are looking to get started with an employee engagement tool. Keep in mind, this plan is limited in features. All customers can open an Assembly account for free and get started without a credit card. Then you can change plans as necessary.

How much do rewards cost?

At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis. The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.

Does Assembly offer discounts?

We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist. For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

How do I cancel my plan if needed?

If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist. If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at [email protected].

What customizations are available?

Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!

Who can give or receive recognition?

While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here .

What integrations are available?

Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.   Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.

What's your average adoption rate?

That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.

Must rewards be set up to use Assembly?

They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.

Are points required to use Assembly?

No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.

Could find the answer you are looking for?

Please schedule time with an expert and we will help you to get all your questions answered

May 1, 2019 11:31 am

Share on: Facebook Twitter

A smart communications plan is essential to the success of any rollout.

Whether you’re looking to launch a capital campaign, announce a new program or implement a new service, you’ll need a communications plan to help you deliver the right message to the right audience to achieve optimal results and return on investment.

Developing a communications plan can seem like a daunting task, so we distilled the process down to six steps to help you get started.

1. Set Clear Goals and Objectives

A common pitfall for building a communications plan is jumping straight to the tactics. Goals and objectives are the roadmap of a plan and help you clarify the results you want to achieve with your tactics.

More specifically, goals are long-term in nature and can be viewed as the final destination on the roadmap. Generally, a plan will have up to three goals.  Objectives are specific, measurable outcomes or results that an organization plans to achieve in a given period.

To ensure you hit your goals, your objectives need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, or SMART:

2. Identify and Prioritize your Target Audience(s)

Once your goals and objectives are established, the next step is identifying who you want to deliver your message to. As you begin to identify who your audiences might be, it’s important to consider who they are, both in a demographic sense and a behavioral sense. This is where the target audience comes into play.

Here are a few thought starters to help you pinpoint your target audience:

• What groups or individuals do you need to engage to help you reach your goals?
• Who would benefit most from your offerings?
• What actions do you want the audience to take?
• Who do you generally engage in your programs, projects, and initiatives?
• What challenges hold supporters back from contributing?
• What characteristics do your current supporters share?
• What characteristics does an ideal supporter embody?
• How are individuals finding your organization (e.g. social media, events, word of mouth)?

While identifying your target audience(s) may reveal several groups, consider prioritizing three or four audiences.

3. Craft a Compelling Message

Each target audience has distinct motivators and barriers; therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to messaging often falls short. No matter who you’re writing for, though, keep messaging clear, concise, personalized and jargon-free.

Compelling messages are comprised of four key elements that need to be tailored to each audience:

• Key message: The core takeaway you want to deliver to your audience
• Secondary messages: Supporting messages that enhance the key message
• Proof points: Factual evidence that affirms what you say is true
• Calls to action: Actions you want your audience to take

4. Develop Integrated Strategies and Tactics

Now it’s time to bring the communications plan to life! This is accomplished through integrated strategies and tactics. Strategies are a unique approach for pursuing one or more communications goals, and tactics are the methods you employ to execute against the strategy.

The PESO model is a great framework to reference when building out your communications strategies and tactics:

• Promotional efforts that involve paying for placements on third-party channels via social media ads, sponsored posts and native advertising
• Buzz generated by the public (e.g. the press or your audience) through methods such as PR and word of mouth
• Content on social media channels designed to drive engagement between a brand and its audience
• The channels you have complete ownership of such as your website, blog, events, etc.

When developing tactics, it’s important to remember the 80/20 rule, which entails allocating 20% of social media content for direct asks (e.g. donations, event registration, etc.) and dedicating 80% for building community through engaging content.

5. Build a Better Budget

After crafting integrated strategies and tactics, the next critical step is to build a feasible budget. Budgeting gives you visibility into the costs associated with implementing your communications plan. In addition, establishing a budget is essential for containing costs and identifying opportunities for efficiencies. Lastly, budgets are a fundamental resource for assessing your plan’s return on investment.

To build a budget, you’ll need to consider the following:

• Does your organization have an existing budget allocated for communications activities?
• How much will each line item in the tactical portion of your plan cost?
• If applicable, what were the projected vs. actual costs for previous campaign implementations?

Your budget should serve as a guardrail to help keep your plan on time and track, so don’t be afraid to tweak your tactics to ensure budget alignment.

6. Create an Actionable Timeline

The final step in any plan development is mapping activities against a timeline. Timelines are essential for helping you stay the course when transitioning from the planning phase to implementation. Create a monthly or quarterly timeline, taking into consideration major events and holidays you want to leverage (e.g. fundraising campaign launch, company anniversary, Giving Tuesday, New Year’s Day, etc.).

Developing a smart communications plan before launching a campaign, program or service is integral to setting expectations and ensuring success. With these six steps, you’re all set to get started on planning. Don’t forget to make the plan your own by tailoring the steps to best achieve your goals!

Tags: the additive agency strategic communication marketing ROI communications plan PESO model SMART objectives

Chinny is a Strategist at the Additive Agency. When she’s not partnering with purpose-driven brands to advance business and social change, she's out and about exploring NYC on foot (or bike!).

May 16, 2024 12:32 pm

We are proud to have partnered with Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) to develop the name and...

in Clients in the News by The Additive Agency

April 11, 2023 11:27 am

We’re thrilled to share that our partners at FHI 360 have launched their new organizational...

in Clients in the News by John Boudreau

October 18, 2022 10:47 am

The Challenge of Complexity: Irrespective of sector, whether it’s healthcare, education,...

in Our Thoughts by Hayley Berlent

More From Forbes

Navigating success: a strategic communication guide for 2024.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

EVP of Communications & Brand at Vector Solutions , a technology company, leading corporate communications, brand, and public relations.

When it comes to meeting—or surpassing—your goals for the coming year, clear communication and a strategic communication plan will help set you and your team up for success. The specifics may vary depending on your industry, but some of the most important include how you are communicating with your employees about your organizational mission and values, the why behind the what of your short-term and long-term goals, various skills training and professional development opportunities, and how you evaluate employee competencies and respond to identified issues.

Prepare For A Productive Year

An intentional plan for how you will communicate with your team goes a long way to keeping your company healthy. By embracing and executing the following communication trends, you can help ensure that 2024 is your most productive year yet.

1. Map Out Your Mission

It’s nearly impossible for your team to be able to work toward and achieve a common goal if they don’t even have a clear sense of what those goals are. To help your employees understand your company story, who you are, and the factors that play a role in achieving said goals, your team members should possess more than a passing knowledge of your mission statement gleaned from an initial orientation. Making your mission and values key players in the day-to-day workings of your company will better align your team in purpose and action.

Microtraining and regular reviews of specific information help people commit that information to long-term memory—especially, neuroscience tells us , when those lessons are spaced out over time. Use this principle to your benefit by making consistent efforts to communicate your mission to your team, connecting it to stories of impact to help it truly take root in the minds of your employees. Include visuals like infographics, slideshows and media clips to help make such stories leave an even greater impression.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

Another important strategy includes linking your mission and values to each specific team role. This is a surefire way to give your team members a vision for how they fit into the overarching plan, why their work matters and why they should be invested in achieving company goals.

2. Clearly Communicate Training Plans

Employees are more likely to continue working for a company that demonstrates to its employees they are highly valued and bring a lot to the table. One of the best ways to do this is through career growth and training opportunities. Companies that invest in the professional growth and development of their team members are more likely to have those employees feel connected to the work they do, which in turn can help empower them to a greater level of productivity. In fact, according to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report , 94% of respondents said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career.

Remember, when you’re communicating training plans, that plan should include a level of personalization to your specific team members, their roles, their personal goals and how they fit in with the company’s goals. This can be achieved through regular check-ins, group sessions where people can share their concerns and passions, and more.

Another important tool is an effective learning management system that allows you to streamline employee training, progress, professional development goals and completions. A reliable technology solution that can help you easily track, record and communicate training opportunities with your employees makes the process of filling in skill gaps and pursuing professional development a great deal more clear.

3. Practice Performance Management Transparency

No one can fix a problem if they don’t know it exists. That’s why communicating how your performance management process is intrinsic to helping your team produce at their highest level. Evaluation is a powerful tool in shaping and developing your employees, but without the benefit and clarity of effective communication, it can do more harm than good.

Employees who understand when, how, why and in what manner they are being evaluated will be able to better receive deserved praise and also learn from their mistakes or identify skill areas that are perhaps somewhat weaker. An open and clear system of evaluating competencies also allows you to foster a more collaborative relationship with your employees. They are not being ambushed or graded on an unfair, unclear scale. With an evaluation process that is clearly and transparently communicated, your employees have the power to work with their managers to better understand how they can improve their performance and progress in their careers.

4. Link Data To Future Plans

Communicating clear-cut data and numbers as a way to support decision making and the plans you have for the future of your organization is an effective way of gaining the confidence of (and buy-in from!) your employees. By sharing this kind of information throughout your company, you communicate that everyone on your team has the right to see and understand where you are headed and why you want to go there in the first place.

Overtly linking data to business outcomes will also help make your ongoing plans more concrete for everyone and—with more of your team on the same page as to what your goals are and why they are what they are—you will increase the likelihood of succeeding.

Clear Communication Paves The Way For Superior Planning

A communication plan that empowers your employees allows them to see how they fit into the larger picture. It also allows them to understand the role that they play and why a greater investment can go hand in hand with achieving their own professional and career growth dreams. This means never neglecting one-on-ones, larger town halls and regular reminders of your company policies regarding important subjects like training and performance management.

Ultimately, taking the time to communicate your plans, policies, purpose and passion with a greater level of clarity and through effective and efficient training opportunities will pave the way for achieving your 2024 goals.

Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Corporate Communications Plan: The Roadmap for Success

How many of your employees are active on social?

Successful companies are strategic with the way they communicate. In fact, developing a corporate communications plan can be one of the most important ways to build a stronger brand.

Trust is created by the ways that businesses share authentically about themselves and how they respond to difficult situations.

Communications teams benefit from putting a lot of effort into the way they craft messaging and tell stories about their brand. And those that are most equipped to handle challenges and adapt to change are the ones that have plans in place.  

A 2019 study showed that 96% of people think the businesses they deal with could improve when it comes to communication and project management. So clearly this is something more businesses need to address!

Let’s explore what successful corporate communications plans include and have in common, and how they can benefit your organization.

What is a Corporate Communications Plan?

A corporate communications plan is the framework for how a business shares messages internally and externally. You can think of it as the roadmap for how a company communicates with their stakeholders, employees, customers, the media, and regulators. 

Part of the plan includes what information to share, who the target audience is, how frequently to provide updates, and what channels are the best to relay these messages.

Having a plan in place shapes how a company will handle communications during times of crisis, change, and launches of campaigns and new products.

What Are the Types of Corporate Communications?

The two main types of corporate communications are:

Internal Communications: How a business shares information with its employees, leadership teams, managers, and board members. 

The interactions can be formal modes of communications such as all-hands meetings to discuss strategic initiatives and performance, updates about organizational changes, company newsletters , and internal memos about policy changes. 

Or they can also include more informal communication like using messaging apps to collaborate, welcoming new hires, celebrating work anniversaries, or sharing details on winning new business.

External Communications: Any information shared outside of the organization. 

Whether it is a formal press release or branded content on social media, these communications build the company’s public image and impact the perception of a brand and its products or services. 

Marketing, content, and advertising created by the company to promote it are included as external communication methods. 

Press releases and financial reporting are another way that companies share messaging about the organization with the outside world.  

Why is Having a Corporate Communications Plan Important?

Corporate communications plans lead to sharing clearer and better messages with your target audience. 

Whether that audience includes your own employees or potential customers, you want to be heard in the right place and at the right time. Setting up a framework to achieve that is essential. 

Sometimes you might be thrown a curveball, and a communications plan will help your business be prepared for any unexpected changes or crises that come your way. 

Surprisingly, a JOTW Communications Survey showed that 59% of communicators say they have a communications strategy drafted, but only 45% admit to having a documented crisis communications plan.

Having a plan in place will also allow for speedier recovery to any public relations issues. For example, responding to negative feedback and being open about mistakes can build trust with your brand and get you back on the right track in the eyes of customers and potential clients.

Communicating effectively and transparently shows that your brand values engagement by taking a proactive approach to be included in conversations about your brand or industry. 

A corporate communications plan for internal communications will also help define and build a transparent company culture. This can improve employee engagement by keeping team members included in conversations about where the company is heading and what it values.

If there are sudden changes on a team, you’ll be better able to communicate the changes in a way that makes employees feel comfortable and cared for if you have a plan for how to share that information first for those immediately affected and then across the company.

What Should A Corporate Communications Plan Include?

It takes time and consideration to develop an effective corporate communications plan. You’ll want to include details for the objectives, approach, and tracking measures for the goals of your messaging.

In simple terms, you’ll want to include the who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Here are the elements your corporate communications plan needs:

• Target Audiences – these are the groups of stakeholders that will be receiving the messages. They could be employees, customers, media members, investors, leadership teams, and managers. Age, location, job level, interests, and lifestyle are all helpful to know about the receivers of your messaging.
• Objectives – most communications are created with a call to action or a desired outcome in mind — these are your ultimate objectives or goals. They should be tied to your overall organizational goals to drive business outcomes.
• Message content – what you want to say and what you are trying to help your readers understand. Tone and personality are important to formulate in your message to get your reader’s attention.
• Distribution strategy – the channels and venues that your communications will be delivered on are an important aspect of the communications plan. Paid, earned, owned, and shared media channels have different benefits for reaching audiences.
• Frequency – how often you will be sharing or updating content to reach your target audience. This will depend on your team’s budget and resources, as well as an understanding of your target audience and being mindful of attention fatigue. 
• Measures of evaluation – how you’ll know if your communications were successful. These should be highly attached to your objectives and goals so that you can track progress and understand areas for improvement.  

How to Create a Corporate Communications Plan

You can follow these steps to design a corporate communications plan that is thorough and takes into account the many facets that go into a successful communications strategy.

1. Establish goals

Pick 3-5 measurable goals for your communication plan. They could be connected to brand awareness like increasing website traffic or generated a certain number of new leads.

Or they could be related to employee engagement, such as increasing the employee satisfaction score on your next survey or increasing the number of shares of branded content.

2. Set a clear process

Knowing the steps involved to launch a communications campaign and having teams on board with the process will ensure that your plan is scalable.

Document the steps involved from content creation to distribution to collecting feedback and share those with any teams that are included in the action.

You should also define clear roles for who will be involved in creating the communications and which stakeholders need to be involved for approving messages and compliance.

3. Identify and segment targets

Take time to think through who your target audience will be and how they may be different. Knowing your audiences can help you tailor your content and tone to appeal to audiences.

Use customer analysis and social listening to determine your audience’s preferred social channels and the best forms of content to encourage visibility of your content.

The way your company shares information with employees will likely be different than how it presents to the board or investors so it’s important to segment your audiences.

4. Develop key messages

Craft the copy and creative materials needed to effectively communicate your messaging. Think about what you are trying to articulate and how it could be conveyed in the clearest and understandable way for your target audience.

The content-type should also be considered — should the message be shared in a meeting or email or video? How can the audience react and ask questions about the announcement? These are all questions to consider when creating the content for both internal and external communications.

5. Choose a channel strategy

You’ll need to determine the channels and frequency of your communications to meet your goals. 

For example, if your communication strategy is for internal communications you’ll evaluate whether an email or meeting is the best way to share the news. 

Do teams prefer shorter, weekly updates or to get more information at the end of the month? Get feedback from your audiences to determine what makes the most sense for your communication cadence.

6. Measure objectives and progress

Before you start implementing your plan, think through how you can measure success for your communications with metrics like reach, open rates, and engagement.

That way you will be set up to continuously improve your content strategy and messaging. 

Collect feedback from employees or customers on how to improve your messaging and enact these changes so that you are don’t run the risk of turning off or disengaging your audience.   

Want expertly crafted content to help refine your marketing, social selling, and recruiting strategies? Sign up for our newsletter and get a copy of our Personal Brand Starter Kit. 👇

What are the Main Channels for Corporate Communications?

Companies have many software platforms and tools to choose from that can help streamline communications. You’ll want to use a mix of communication channels to achieve different goals.

For external communications, social networks, media publications, and videoconferencing are some of the most effective ways to reach potential customers and grow brand awareness. 

All of the content that you publish on your website reflects the values and goals of your brand and can be a powerful way to make connections by providing valuable resources to potential buyers.

For internal project communication, email and messaging apps are the easiest ways for people to collaborate at an organization. They make it easy to share files and resources, get input from colleagues, and track project status updates. 

Internal blogs, company newsletters, and intranets are some examples of methods that companies have used to keep employees informed and connected.

For building company culture and employee engagement, internal enterprise social networking platforms provide a more flexible and easy to use way to share company content. 

Employee advocacy for corporate communications

Employee advocacy platforms like EveryoneSocial make it easy to link to external social networks, bridging the gap between internal company conversations and sharing them externally to strengthen brand engagement.

Press releases are important tools for sharing announcements and launching new products. And those efforts can be amplified when you have employees that want to share that content to their own networks, as well.

Beyond externally distributing communication messages, EveryoneSocial has unique features that keep your people engaged, connected, and informed — no matter where they are working. 

For example, some features for communications include: 

• Internal newsletters
• Push notifications
• Mobile apps
• Real-time messaging
• Follow company employees
• Tag employees on important info
• Read-only content

Want to learn more about how Everyone Social can be used to improve your corporate communication plan? Schedule your demo with us and we’ll share how some of our enterprise customers are communicating better by enabling their workforce with EveryoneSocial!

More posts related to communications, information overload: what it is and 5 tips to beat it.

We live in a knowledge economy where information is currency, and there’s no shortage of information easily available to us…

16 Employee Newsletter Tips to Engage and Inform Your Workforce

Despite the countless communication methods we have today, email remains the most-preferred channel for reaching employees. In fact, 95% of…

More from Everyonesocial Customers

A communication plan template is a document that outlines the strategies and objectives for internal and external communication within an organization.

It specifies the target audience, types of messages, and how to communicate them, as well as how often to communicate. It’s a crucial part of any organization’s success and should be updated regularly.

Some templates can work as a crisis communication plan, an organizational communication strategy , or a project management communication plan. Depending on your needs, a template is essential to boosting your overall communication efforts so everyone knows the exact details.

A good project management communication plan should include objectives, message structure, key communication channels, frequency, and a timeline within the template.

And a good communication plan example should also contain clear roles and responsibilities for each person on the team and your key stakeholders, as well as ways to measure success. An effective communication plan will ensure that everyone is working together to meet the organization’s goals. 📄

15 Project Communication Plan Templates

Create a comprehensive project management communication plan by using this template doc to easily plan out your business messaging strategy. The more comprehensive your communication plan, the better. That’s why this detailed ClickUp template is built with plenty of sections where you get specific about:

• Project details
• Executive summary
• Analysis and research
• A competitor analysis

ClickUp’s communication plan template , you set yourself and your team up for project visibility, which ensures everyone is communicating properly. Plus, it’s a way to have all your most important project information in one centralized doc.

If you’re looking for an easy way to stay on the same page with your team, ClickUp’s communication matrix report template is a great communication plan to keep your key stakeholders informed.

This detailed report helps you map out who is responsible for communicating with which parties and ensures everyone knows their roles. The template includes sections to jot down communication activity, purpose, and context, which is helpful for virtual teams . 💻

One of the more useful parts of the template is the communication activity table. It doesn’t only list what happened and when, but it also has sections to keep accurate records of facilitators, attendees, and even output from your communication plan .

Drafting an action plan is a solid way to put guardrails on your project journey. This ClickUp action plan template —created with ClickUp’s Whiteboard feature—makes sure you’re on track when it comes to your project’s progress.

Think of this action plan template like a Kanban view within a template that’s shareable and easy to update.

Rather than writing a list of tasks that need to get done and calling it a day, this template provides a clearer overview of what needs to get done, what’s in progress, and what has been finished across different project categories.

With the Whiteboard feature, it’s easy to add sticky notes, change section labels, draw shapes and lines, and just about any other type of annotation you might need for a strategic communication plan. It’s beginner-friendly, which makes it great for smaller teams that want to track progress with ease, without getting too bogged down with too many fields. 

If you work in marketing, you know a go-to-market strategy that’s spelled out in plain English is key. Thankfully, there’s a ClickUp template to help you reach your exact target audience.

Who is your target customer? What’s your competitive advantage? The answers to those questions can be organized within the color-coded sections of ClickUp’s GTM template for your communication plans. It also comes with two statuses and two view types so your team has plenty of flexibility with how they use it.

Even the most straightforward GTM communication strategy gets complex quickly. However, the built-in table of contents makes it easy to navigate no matter how big the sections get. Talking about sections, this GTM template has a space to clearly spell out your mission and vision.

Key messaging sections, a place to list all the tools involved in your strategy, and even a section that clearly spells out your budget will make this worth bookmarking. ✏️

Internal communications are critical to your team’s success. It’s how you keep your team on the same page, collaborate, and manage challenges that arise. Having the right internal communications template is essential in keeping your team aligned and productive.

ClickUp’s Internal Communications Template helps you do this by:

• Organizing conversations, announcements, and documents in one place
• Making it easier to communicate with your entire team
• Providing transparency into team-wide processes and initiatives

It’s important to have a comprehensive communication plan in place when incidents arise. With ClickUp’s Incident Communication Plan Template , you’ll have every tool needed to create an effective communication strategy for your team.

This template enables you to:

• Set up channels for clear and efficient incident communication
• Create detailed action plans with specific roles and responsibilities
• Outline procedures for updating stakeholders on progress of incident resolution

A solid employee communication template helps keep everyone on the same page, from daily check-ins to onboarding new team members. Employee communication is a key part of having a successful business.

ClickUp’s Employee Communication Template has everything you need to make sure you’re always in the loop:

• An intuitive visual layout for easy navigation
• Built-in collaboration and task tracking tools that help keep your team organized
• A centralized space to store all documents and messages, so that everyone is up-to-date with the latest info

With ClickUp’s Team Communication and Meeting Matrix Template, you can organize your team’s activities with ease! This template provides an easy way to track who is responsible for what tasks, establish clear lines of communication between team members, and set up effective meeting schedules.

The Team Communication and Meeting Matrix Template helps you:

• Define roles and responsibilities for each project or task
• Establish guidelines for regular check-ins or stand-ups
• Create a timeline for upcoming projects or tasks

The ClickUp Agency Client Health Tracker from Zenpilot Template is an essential tool for agencies looking to improve their communication plan with clients. This customizable template allows businesses to track the health of their customer relationships, all in one centralized location. By staying ahead of client needs and driving customer satisfaction, this template can help agencies create the right communication plan for each client .

With this template, agencies can track important data points such as client satisfaction levels, touchpoints, and feedback. This information is critical for forming the right communication plan for each client.

By understanding each client’s unique needs and preferences, businesses can tailor their communication strategy to maximize engagement and drive satisfaction. In today’s competitive business landscape, fostering strong client relationships is more important than ever.

Check out these competitor analysis tools !

You’re launching a product. Congrats! The good thing is you don’t have to start from scratch when you access a product launch checklist that ensures everything gets done on time. ⏰

ClickUp’s product launch checklist plan template is designed to make sure you never miss a beat in your communication planning. The product launch process is a tricky beast and needs to be monitored.

Especially if your team works asynchronously and isn’t always collaborating in real-time , a product launch checklist that centralizes each important task in one place will help clear up any confusion for everyone on your team. This template includes: 

• Timeline view

The template contains sections summarizing need-to-know information about a product launch as well as details on how best to use the checklist . Add team members to tasks and automate reminders to make sure you’re hitting your deadlines. Need to add a custom field? That’s doable too!

Sometimes you need a template to help you manage your team in one place. For that, try using the team communication hub template. It’s a folder-level template with every single feature you might need to organize and lead your team.

You’ll find everything from weekly task lists to an email management system so nothing falls through the cracks. Much like the other templates in this list, this one can work as a starting point.

If you’ve been thinking about designing a template for your own use from scratch—you can totally do it for free in ClickUp—but this custom-built template might help you save a few steps.

*It should be noted that this template is no longer free and costs $15. This template is not directly sold by ClickUp.

Check out these newsletter tools & newsletter templates !

This template is an easy way to organize and track your communication plan among project stakeholders. Make sure everyone knows their specific roles and responsibilities within the project, as well as the different types and frequency of communication. 

This template is an easy way to get started creating your project communication plans and to help ensure smooth, effective collaboration throughout the lifetime of the project.

Check out these fact sheet templates !

This Google Sheets template outlines easy matrix teams use to determine who they’re communicating with, how it’s being done, methods used, and who owns what task.

Easy right? As a bonus, the spreadsheet is color-coded and easy to share inside and outside your organization. The awesome thing about using a spreadsheet as a template for your communication plan is that looking across rows and columns gives you a high-level overview of all the specifics around that section. 📈

For example, taking a glance down the timeline column lets you visualize how the project will go and if the suggested timeline dates are realistic. Teams can also leave comments within each cell, which is great for communicating about the project in one place. 

The next time you need to fire up a communication plan with lots of moving parts, bookmark this template and start getting organized.

This template is a great resource for any team looking for a simple way to document the key objectives and strategies for effective internal communication. It can also work for your crisis communication plan as well.

Project managers can easily download the template for use in Word, Google Docs, or Apple Pages. The template ensures your communication plan is documented within a crisp framework.

Instead of using tables and color-coded cells, it’s designed to help project managers summarize each key section of their communication plan. The good thing is you can personalize it and add sections to your liking.

Prefer to use Microsoft Word? There’s a communication template for that too! 

This Microsoft Word template is an easy-to-use tool for planning a comprehensive marketing communications plan. The template provides sections for developing your strategy and objectives, conducting research, creating your tactics and channels, budgeting for the plan, and monitoring and tracking results.📊 

This template is a great communication plan example because it works as an essential tool for anyone looking to build a successful marketing communication plan from the ground up. The table of contents keeps everyone organized and makes sections easy to find. 

Some of the sections included are: 

• Strategy and objectives
• Company profile
• Summary of the current situation
• Indications
• Scope and timescales
• Message and value proposition

1. How to write a communication plan?

Writing an effective communication plan involves a series of precise and thoughtful steps. The result should be a detailed, well-structured document that lays down groundwork for strategic communication and tracks your business’s progress towards its goals. Let’s walk through the process:

• Set Defined Communication Goals and Objectives: Establishing your goals and objectives is the vital first step. They set the foundation and direction for your communication plan. It’s crucial to have specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives.
• Identify Your Target Audience: Know who you’re communicating with. Understanding your target audience informs the type of messaging you use, the platforms you choose, and the overall tone of your communication. This might include stakeholders, teammates, customers, or other businesses. Factor in the demographics, psychographics, and any other relevant characteristic about your audience.
• Articulate Your Key Messages: Create clear, concise messages that resonate with your target audience. These messages should be aligned with your business’s values, mission, and objectives. Remember to keep the audience in mind when crafting these messages to ensure they are engaging and relatable.
• Specify The Communication Channels: Determine where and how you’re going to communicate. This involves picking the right channels that will best reach your target audience. Communication channels could be anything from emails, newsletters, social media platforms, meetings, press releases, to webinars. The choice depends significantly on your audience’s behavior and preferences, and the nature of the messages.
• Construct a Communication Timeline: This is essentially your action plan. It indicates when each part of your communication strategy will be implemented and by whom. This timeline helps keep your team on track, providing a visual representation of key dates and milestones.
• Allocate Resources: Determine what resources you need for the successful execution of your plan. This may comprise the people involved, technology and tools, and budget allocation. By identifying the necessary resources, you can better plan and mitigate potential bottlenecks or issues down the line.
• Implement Measurement Tools: Finally, it’s essential to track the outcomes of your communication plan. Defining success metrics lets you assess how well your communication plan is working and allows you to adjust the strategy as needed. Factors might include the reach of your messages, the level of engagement, or the conversion rate.
• Regularly Review and Update: A communication plan is not a static document; it should be continually reviewed and updated. Regular audits allow you to adjust the plan to meet any changes in your business landscape, audience behavior, or even project specifications. This way, your communication strategy stays relevant, effective, and aligned with your evolving organizational goals and objectives.

2. How often should project communication plan templates be updated?

It’s a good idea to review and update your communication plan regularly, at least once a quarter or whenever significant changes occur in your business or industry.

This will help ensure that your messaging remains relevant and aligned with your objectives, and that you are using the most effective channels and tactics to reach your target audiences.

3. How do I measure the success of my communication plan?

Measuring the success of your communication plan depends on your specific goals and objectives. Common metrics include reach (the number of people who saw your message), engagement (how many people interacted with your message), and conversion (how many people took action based on your message).

Plan Your Next Project with Communication Plan Templates

Though useful, communication templates are just one tool that makes up a successful communication strategy. Additional elements like an effective project management system, a well-thought-out strategy, and tight collaboration between team members are essential.

To ensure a successful communication strategy, consider the tools, resources, and strategies you have available — a lot of these are free (like the ClickUp template library ). 

By taking the time to create an effective communication plan, you ensure that you have a successful strategy in place to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that your team is able to reach its goals.

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

Receive the latest WriteClick Newsletter updates.

Thanks for subscribing to our blog!

Please enter a valid email

• Free training & 24-hour support
• Serious about security & privacy
• 99.99% uptime the last 12 months

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Four Steps to Building a Strategic Communications Capability

• Georgia Everse

Do you have the confidence that every message and experience that customers have with your organization rings true and leaves a positive impression? Developing an integrated communications capability within your organization will give you just that. It will also enhance your reputation and the value of your brand. It’s essential to your business. But it’s […]

Do you have the confidence that every message and experience that customers have with your organization rings true and leaves a positive impression? Developing an integrated communications capability within your organization will give you just that. It will also enhance your reputation and the value of your brand. It’s essential to your business. But it’s not a simple task. The effort requires a combination of four things:

• Georgia Everse is a communications and marketing executive with 30 years of experience and a proven track record of finding innovative solutions to complex business problems. She specializes in helping C-level executives find and articulate their vision and successfully use strategic communication to achieve their growth goals. Georgia is a visiting professor for the Ferris State University MBA program, in Design and Innovation Management. She is currently a partner with Genesis Inc., a brand, strategy and communications consultancy.

Partner Center

Strategic Communication Plan

Ai generator.

The Strategic Communications Plan guide offers an in-depth look into crafting effective communication strategies for organizations. It highlights various communication examples , demonstrating how well-planned messaging can significantly impact business success. This guide covers essential elements such as Corporate Messaging Frameworks, Crisis Communication Strategies, and Digital Media Strategies. It’s tailored to provide practical examples and actionable steps, making it an invaluable resource for businesses aiming to strengthen their communication efforts and achieve their organizational objectives effectively.

Download Strategic Communication Plan Bundle

The provides a detailed Strategic Communications Plan, offering a systematic approach for organizations to communicate effectively with stakeholders. It covers objectives like brand awareness and internal communication , identifies target audiences, outlines key messages, and suggests channels and tactics for dissemination. Additionally, it includes methods for evaluation, budget considerations, and a conclusion emphasizing the need for regular review and adaptation

Strategic Risk Communication Plan

The Strategic Risk Communication Plan provides a detailed guide for organizations to identify, assess, and communicate potential risks. It covers objectives like understanding internal and external risks, developing mitigation strategies, and establishing clear communication channels. The plan includes a risk assessment matrix, communication strategies for different stakeholders, and a Gantt chart for implementation. It emphasizes the importance of regular plan reviews and stakeholder engagement for effective risk management.

Strategic Marketing Communication Plan

The Strategic Marketing Communication Plan provides a detailed roadmap for businesses aiming to effectively deliver their messages to their audience. It includes steps like defining objectives, identifying the audience, crafting key messages, and choosing appropriate channels and tactics. The plan also outlines the importance of assigning roles, setting budgets, creating timelines, and methods for monitoring and evaluating the strategy’s effectiveness. This comprehensive guide is designed for straightforward implementation and adaptation to specific business needs.

Strategic Internal Communication Plan

The Strategic Internal Communication Plan provides a comprehensive guide for enhancing organizational efficiency and employee engagement. It outlines clear communication goals, identifies target audiences (employees, leadership, stakeholders), and suggests various channels and tools for effective communication . The plan emphasizes the importance of relevant, clear, and consistent content, along with a structured implementation timeline. Regular feedback, measurement, training, and adjustments are also integral parts of the strategy, aiming to create a more informed, engaged, and productive workforce

Strategic Communication Plan Framework

Strategic Communications Plan Template

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

HR Strategic Communications Plan Template

Nonprofit Strategic Communications Plan Template

How To Effectively Communicate Your Strategic Plan To Employees?

Effectively communicating your strategic plan to employees is crucial for alignment and success. Engage your team with clear, consistent messages and interactive sessions. Utilize digital media strategies and internal communication optimization to ensure understanding and commitment. Emphasize the corporate messaging framework and stakeholder engagement tactics to foster an inclusive environment. Regular updates and feedback loops are key to adapting and maintaining an informed workforce.

• Town Hall Meetings Explanation: Gather all employees in an informal setting to discuss the strategic plan. How to Communicate: “We value your input as we navigate our strategic objectives together.”
• Newsletter Updates Explanation: Regular newsletters keep everyone informed about the progress and changes. How to Communicate: “Check out the latest milestones in our strategic journey in this month’s newsletter.”
• Interactive Workshops Explanation: Interactive workshops allow employees to ask questions and provide feedback. How to Communicate: “Join us to explore our strategic goals and your role in achieving them.”
• Infographic Emails Explanation: Visuals in emails make complex plans more understandable. How to Communicate: “This infographic outlines our key strategies and what they mean for you.”
• One-on-One Meetings Explanation: Personal meetings ensure individual understanding and engagement. How to Communicate: “Let’s discuss how our strategic plan impacts your role specifically.”
• Digital Dashboards Explanation: Real-time digital dashboards show progress and updates. How to Communicate: “Check the dashboard for the latest on our strategic initiatives.”
• Feedback Surveys Explanation: Surveys collect employee feedback on the communication effectiveness. How to Communicate: “Share your thoughts on our strategy communication through this quick survey.”
• Q&A Sessions Explanation: Regular Q&A sessions address concerns and clarify uncertainties. How to Communicate: “All questions are welcome in our upcoming Q&A on the strategic plan.”
• Video Messages from Leadership Explanation: Leaders sharing strategic messages through videos can be inspiring. How to Communicate: “Hear directly from our CEO about the vision and strategy ahead.”
• Strategy Champion Groups Explanation: Small groups or individuals who help disseminate information and gather feedback. How to Communicate: “Join the strategy champions to be a liaison and voice for your department”.

Creating a Strategic Communication Plan

Creating a strategic communication plan is a systematic process that aligns your organization’s communication efforts with its overall goals. A well-crafted plan not only clarifies the path forward but also ensures that every team member understands their role in contributing to the organization’s success. Here’s a comprehensive guide to developing a strategic communication plan that is both SEO and NLP friendly, focusing on optimizing for “Strategic Communications Plan.”

Understand Your Organization’s Objectives

Before diving into the communication strategy, clearly understand your organization’s core objectives. What are the short-term and long-term goals? How does communication play a role in achieving these? Aligning your strategic communication plan with these objectives is crucial for ensuring consistency and direction.

Identify Your Target Audience

Knowing your audience is the cornerstone of effective communication. Conduct audience analysis to understand their needs, preferences, and behavior. This will help you tailor your messages and choose the right channels to reach them effectively.

Define Your Key Messages

What are the core messages you want to convey? These should be clear, concise, and aligned with your organization’s objectives. Your key messages will serve as the foundation for all your communication materials.

Choose the Right Communication Channels

Different audiences may prefer different communication channels . Based on your audience analysis, select the most effective channels to reach your audience. This could include social media, email, internal newsletters, press releases, or face-to-face meetings.

Set Clear Objectives for Each Communication

Each piece of communication should have a clear objective. What do you want to achieve with this email, social media post, or press release? Having clear objectives will help measure the success of your communication efforts.

Develop a Content Calendar: A content calendar helps organize and schedule your communication activities. It ensures a consistent flow of information and helps avoid last-minute rushes. Plan your content around key dates, product launches, or other important events.

Allocate Resources: Determine what resources are required to implement your plan effectively. This includes budget, personnel, and technology. Having the right resources in place is essential for a smooth execution.

Monitor and Evaluate: Regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your communication. Are you reaching your target audience? Are they engaging with your messages? Use tools and metrics relevant to your chosen communication channels to measure success.

Be Prepared to Adapt: The business environment is constantly changing, and so should your strategic communication plan. Be prepared to adapt your strategy based on feedback and changing circumstances.

Document Everything: Documenting your strategic communication plan is crucial. It ensures everyone is on the same page and allows for easier revisions and updates.

Steps for a Winning Strategic Communications Plan

Creating a strategic communications plan is crucial for ensuring your organization’s messages are effectively conveyed to the right audience at the right time. Here’s a step-by-step guide to developing a winning strategy:

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

• Clarify your goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your communications, whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or improving internal communications.
• SMART Objectives: Ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Step 2: Identify Your Audience

• Segment your audience: Understand the different groups you need to communicate with, such as customers, employees, investors, or the public.
• Analyze needs and preferences: Tailor your messages and channels to suit your audience’s preferences and behaviors.

Step 3: Craft Your Key Messages

• Develop clear and compelling messages: Your key messages should reflect your brand’s values and address the needs and interests of your audience.
• Consistency is key: Ensure your messages are consistent across all channels and communications.

Step 4: Choose Your Channels and Tactics

• Select the right channels: Choose the most effective channels to reach your audience, whether it’s social media, email, print media, or in-person meetings.
• Plan your tactics: Decide on the specific activities you will undertake, such as social media campaigns, press releases, or employee town halls.

Step 5: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

• Build your team: Identify who will be responsible for each aspect of the plan, from content creation to channel management.
• Clarify responsibilities: Ensure everyone knows their tasks, deadlines, and reporting lines.

Step 6: Set Your Budget

• Estimate costs: Consider the costs of implementing your plan, including marketing materials, software, and staff time.
• Allocate resources: Ensure you have the necessary resources to execute your plan effectively.

Step 7: Create a Timeline

• Develop a schedule: Outline when each activity will happen, ensuring there’s a logical flow and that key dates are highlighted.
• Flexibility: Be prepared to adjust your timeline based on feedback or changes in the external environment.

Step 8: Implement the Plan

• Action: Start executing your plan according to the timeline and tactics you’ve outlined.
• Communication: Keep your team informed about progress and any changes to the plan.

Step 9: Monitor and Evaluate

• Track performance: Use tools and metrics relevant to your goals to monitor the effectiveness of your communications.
• Gather feedback: Regularly seek feedback from your audience and team to understand what’s working and what isn’t.

Step 10: Review and Adjust

• Assess outcomes: Compare your results against your objectives to evaluate success.
• Make improvements: Use your findings to refine your strategy and tactics for even better results in the future.

Components of a Successful Strategic Communication Plan

A strategic communication plan is a vital blueprint guiding your organization’s messaging. It integrates key elements like Digital Media Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Tactics to convey your Corporate Messaging Framework effectively. This plan aligns Organizational Communication Objectives with audience needs, ensuring every message is impactful. Incorporating a Crisis Communication Strategy and Internal Communication Optimization, it serves as a comprehensive roadmap for effective dialogue.

• Mission Statement:  Defines the organization’s purpose and direction. How to Communicate: “Our mission statement sets the tone for our strategic communication.”
• Target Audience Analysis:  Identifies and understands the primary recipients of the messages. How to Communicate: “Knowing our audience allows us to tailor our communication effectively.”
• Key Messages:  The core messages that need to be conveyed to the audience. How to Communicate: “Our key messages encapsulate the essence of our strategic goals.”
• Communication Channel:  The mediums through which the messages will be delivered. How to Communicate: “Selecting the right channels ensures our message reaches the intended audience.”
• Content Calendar:  A schedule that outlines when and what communication will occur. How to Communicate: “Our content calendar keeps us organized and timely.”
• Budget:  The financial plan for implementing the communication strategy . How to Communicate: “A well-planned budget ensures we can execute our strategy effectively.”
• Monitoring and Evaluation:  Regular assessment of the strategy’s effectiveness and impact. How to Communicate: “Continuous evaluation helps us refine our strategy for better results.”
• Feedback Mechanisms:  Channels through which the audience can provide feedback. How to Communicate: “Your feedback is crucial for us to improve our communication.”
• Crisis Communication Plan:  A predefined strategy for managing communication during a crisis. How to Communicate: “Our crisis plan ensures we’re prepared for unexpected challenges.”
• Stakeholder Mapping:  Identifying and prioritizing individuals or groups affected by the communication. How to Communicate: “Understanding our stakeholders helps us address their needs effectively.”

How to Write a Communication Strategy Plan?

Creating a strategic communication strategy plan is pivotal for any organization looking to streamline its messaging and engage effectively with its audience. A well-crafted plan not only clarifies your goals but also outlines the path to achieving them through coherent and impactful communication.

Understand Your Objective: Start by identifying the primary objective of your communication. This might include increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or changing public perception. Your objective should align with your broader business goals and provide a clear focus for your communication efforts.

Identify Your Target Audience: Knowing who you’re communicating with is crucial. Segment your audience based on demographics, psychographics, or behavior. Understanding their needs, preferences, and pain points will allow you to tailor your messages effectively.

Define Your Key Messages: Determine the core messages you want to convey. They should be clear, concise, and consistent with your brand voice. Each message should reflect your objectives and be relevant to your target audience.

Select Appropriate Channels: Choose the channels that will best reach your target audience. These might include social media, email, press releases, or internal communication platforms. Consider where your audience spends their time and how they prefer to receive information.

Set Clear Goals and KPIs: Define what success looks like for your plan. Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, and identify key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your progress.

Develop a Content Strategy: Plan the content you’ll create to support your key messages. This might include blog posts, videos, infographics, or podcasts. Ensure your content is engaging, informative, and aligned with your strategic objectives.

Allocate Resources: Determine what resources you’ll need to implement your plan. This includes budget, personnel, and technology. Ensure you have the necessary support and tools to execute your strategy effectively.

Implement the Plan: Put your plan into action. Ensure everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities. Keep open communication and encourage collaboration among your team.

Monitor and Adapt: Regularly review your plan’s performance against your KPIs. Be prepared to adapt your strategy based on feedback and changing circumstances. Continuous improvement is key to maintaining an effective communication strategy.

Review and Reflect: After a set period, review the overall success of your communication strategy. Reflect on what worked well and what could be improved. Use these insights to inform future plans and strategies.

The Continuing Studies provides a detailed insight into creating a successful communication strategy . It emphasizes the importance of considering key elements like the target audience, context, intended outcomes, key messages, appropriate medium, and the selection of messengers. Each element plays a crucial role in ensuring that the communication strategy is effective and impactful. For instance, understanding your audience’s expectations and levels of trust is vital, as is defining the context of your communication. The strategy should be clear in its purposes, whether for information transfer, instruction, persuasion, or transformation. The choice of media and messengers is equally important, taking into account the credibility and relationship with the audience. Finally, measuring the effectiveness of the communication strategy is essential to ensure it meets its strategic purpose.

The page from American University provides an in-depth look at the essential skills required for PR managers in the strategic communication field . It emphasizes the importance of aligning media messaging with an organization’s broader communication and marketing strategies. The content covers various aspects such as the role of PR in content marketing, the need for technology skills, the impact of social media, and the analysis of strategic communications, offering a holistic view of the responsibilities and competencies needed for success in PR management.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

• Central Oregon
• Decision 2024
• Oregon-Northwest
• Crime Stoppers
• KTVZ.COM Polls
• Special Reports
• Ask the Mayor
• Interactive Radar
• Local Forecast
• Road Conditions – Weather Webcams
• Prep Scoreboard
• Livestream Newscasts
• Livestream Special Coverage
• Local Videos
• Photo Galleries
• 21 Cares For Kids
• Community Billboard
• Community Conversations
• Community Links
• One Class At a Time
• Pay it Forward
• House & Home
• Entertainment
• Events Calendar
• Pump Patrol
• Father’s Day Giveaway 2024
• Central Oregon Backyard Living Photo Contest 2024
• Junior Forecaster
• Pet Pics Sweepstakes
• Sunrise Birthdays
• Submit Tips, Pics and Video
• KTVZ Careers
• Central Oregon Careers
• Email Newsletters
• Advertise with NPG of Oregon
• Careers and Internships
• Closed Captioning
• Download Our Apps
• EEO Public Filing
• FCC Public File
• NewsChannel 21 Team
• On-Air Status
• Receiving KTVZ
• TV Listings

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care releases first strategic plan, ‘Growing Oregon Together’

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care has released the 2024-2029 strategic plan along with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan. Outlined in the plans are the agency mission, vision, and values that reflect the agency’s mandate, along with key goals and objectives to guide the work for the next five years. 

The multi-year plans are designed to be both ambitious and achievable in the interest of fostering coordinated, culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals in Oregon. 

“Today we released a bold vision for our young agency,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “I’m proud to share these plans, which I believe will be transformative and will serve as a roadmap to help guide programs, operations, and priorities over the next five years toward doing what we do best – strengthening Oregon’s early childhood system to change the trajectory of a child’s life while positively impacting caregivers, the early learning workforce, and our economy.”  

The  Growing Oregon Together  plan drew upon community conversations and feedback from more than 700 partners, providers, and families in addition to input from more than 200 staff members. Guided by the plan, DELC aims to build upon the strong foundation established over the last year since the agency’s inception. Outlined in the plan are six key goal areas and affiliated objectives for the next five years: 

• Tribal Sovereignty 
• Infants and Toddlers 
• Relationships  
• Foundations 

Woven throughout  Growing Oregon Together  and the DEI Action plan is an unwavering commitment to advance the agency values of equity, respect, trust, relationships, safety, continuous improvement and integrity with an emphasis on communities who have been historically underserved. Together the two plans outline high-level priorities, increase accountability, and will serve as a guidepost to ensure the agency is meeting the needs of care providers, families, and communities across Oregon.   

“We’ve gone through tremendous change over the last year with standing up our new agency,” said Director Chatterjee. “Now, these guiding documents will help to deepen DELC’s commitments to the communities we serve while advancing our mission to foster coordinated culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals.” 

DELC’s values are integrated throughout the programmatic goals, objectives, and cross-agency strategies which will be used to help monitor and communicate progress. The plans are living documents and may evolve based on community needs and available resources. As DELC moves forward with implementation the agency will report out on the progress made to develop and launch programs and policies that advance DELC’s vision to ensure all children, families, early care and education professionals, and communities are supported and empowered to thrive.  

The full version of  Growing Oregon Together   and the  DEI Action Plan  are available on the DELC website.  

Jump to comments ↓

KTVZ news sources

Related articles.

Oregon state agency, lawmakers react to Supreme Court ruling on homeless camping regulations

Some cities facing homelessness crisis applaud Supreme Court decision, while others push back

Homeless people can be ticketed for sleeping outside, Supreme Court rules

NWS confirms destructive SE Oregon, western Idaho storm was a microburst

KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here .