Whether you are a nonprofit or ministry trying to raise money for your next capital campaign or communicate with your existing supporters about a new program or product offer, having a solid, comprehensive marketing and communications plan (sometimes called an implementation plan) will help you and your team map out a course of action to successfully achieve the goals, strategy, and metrics you set for the campaign or project.
This can seem like a daunting task if you or members of your staff or team have never done this before.
Where do I even start? Is it difficult? How much time do I need to commit to crafting my marketing and communications plan?
These are questions that might be circling in your mind right now. Rest assured; you are not alone!
It may take you some time (and a few written drafts!) but once you have the finished product in hand, you’ll have a blueprint that clearly defines and illustrates each step you need to take to effectively launch and monitor your campaign or project!
So, what exactly are the building blocks of an effective marketing and communications plan?
Some may have differences in opinion on what should be included or excluded from an action plan, but here are some components to consider:
Situation Analysis: This is your background information or the current state of your “situation.” Taking a step back to assess and process the purpose of your campaign or project will help you determine WHY it’s necessary. Answer the following questions: What is my problem I need to solve or my idea I want to accomplish? Why is it important and how does it affect my organization’s mission or affect the bottom line? What are the results I hope for or consider to be satisfactory at the conclusion of the proposed campaign or project?
Goals: These are generalized statements you anticipate as a result of your campaign or project. Try to list up to three or more if you can.
Objectives: These are more precise, specific methods that outline how you will achieve and accomplish the goals you included as part of your plan.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): These are key metrics you will measure and attribute toward the success of your campaign or project.
Target Audiences: These are the groups of people you wish to target with your campaign or project. Be sure to prioritize which audience segments are most important or applicable to your messaging and marketing strategies.
Launch Date/Timeline: This is where you will include the date of your campaign’s or project’s launch and its duration.
Strategy and Tactics/Deliverables: This part of the plan is a bit more intensive. In this section, you should include all the individual strategies and tactics (also called “deliverables”) you plan to implement as part of your campaign or project (digital media ads, print piece/brochure or other collateral materials, community event or social gathering, etc.), the point person or party responsible for executing each deliverable, the due dates and launch dates of each deliverable, the cost associated with each deliverable (if any), and a section for notes or items to remember. You can add more to your action plan as necessary depending on the nature of the campaign or project, but these are a few of the core elements that will get you started.
Final Results: This is a snapshot of how your campaign or project performed. You will be able to summarize the outcomes from your campaign or project and determine if you met or exceeded expectations.
Consider these helpful tips as you put your pen to paper and craft your next marketing and communications plan!
Let Infinity Concepts use our expertise to help you craft a comprehensive action plan for your next fundraising or marketing campaign!
CLICK HERE or call us today at 724-733-1200.
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