Tag Archives: strategic planning

Write an 8 Step Communication Strategy for 2018

PR and Communication must be strategic to be effective here’s an easy 8 Step Plan.

In a 2016 article Roger Jabaly defined strategic communication management as “The systematic planning and realization of information flow, communication, media development and image care in a long-term horizon. It conveys deliberate message(s) through the most suitable media to the designated audience(s) at the appropriate time to contribute to and achieve the desired long-term effect. Communication management is process creation. It has to bring three factors into balance: the message(s), the media channel(s) and the audience(s)” (Bockstette & Carsten, 2008).

Jabaly further suggests that writing a communication strategy should include identifying the different aspects that need to be planned for. He offers eight steps that would lead into a well-rounded strategy, fulfilling the aspirations of most organizations.

1) Statement of Purpose: Why are you developing a communication strategy in the first place and what needs to be achieved with it.

2) Current Situation: To understand your organization’s current situation it is highly recommended to use tools such as: SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats), PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, and Competitor analysis).

3) Set Objectives: It is crucial to align both Organizational and Communication objectives and present a communication strategy that delivers on your organization’s overall vision, and objectives.

4) Identifying stakeholders: Know your audience. Whether internal or external, communicators should be able to give a comprehensive description of their audiences.

5) Messages: Craft your messages to be simple, relevant and appealing to your different audience. Avoid using one size fits all approach.

6) Key Communication Channels: Ask yourself what are the most appropriate channels to use in transmitting your messages? Understand all the available media channels and their level of engagement each offers your audience, especially social media.

7) Playbook: With your audiences and communication methods identified, it is time to highlight your key communications activities, budget and allocated resources. Your work plan will allow you to measure steps toward your goals.

For a truly well-rounded communications strategy, communicators need to incorporate detailed plans for Media/PR, Digital, and Crisis Communication.

8) Auditing and Evaluating: What are your key performance indicators, what would strategy success look like, how would you evaluate, measure and audit your communication strategy performance?

Add to the conversation! Share and contribute your thoughts, questions and experience on developing a communications strategy.

Why a Mission Statement?

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Why a Mission Statement?

Part of my work as a communication strategist is to ensure that my client (business, organisation or even individual) plans where it is going and how it is going to get there. Together we develop a ‘blueprint’ that serves to align its business plan with its communication plan so that the overall ‘dreams or hopes’ articulated in the mission statement, are fulfilled.

There are many debates around whether or not a mission statement is worth all the attention we afford it. Some say it’s a waste of time, while others say it represents the soul of the organisation; it is a declaration of intent, the guiding principles for the way a company behaves.

Take a look at Geoffrey James’ article: Mission Statements are a Joke

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/mission-statements-are-a-joke.html

Then take a look at the article on Holstee’s Manifesto:

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201202/a-powerful-mission-statement.html

What are your thoughts on a Mission Statement?

Exploring trends in Branding and PR without men

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We ran another very successful PR Boot Camp on Thursday, 20 March. The theme was “Exploring current thinking and trends in Branding and PR.” We covered a wide range of branding and PR information and each participant shared their experience and knowledge on the topic and then got down to actually reworking their own strategies based on their new insights.

Marcel, Lindy and Des hard at work Participants hard at work

Some of the key questions and issues raised included the ones I’ve listed below and, over the next month or two, I’ll be dealing with each one in a separate blog. However, here I want to focus on the last one: Why is it so difficult to draw local men to PR and Branding workshops?

The PR Boot Camp attracted a group of highly professional participants, including an attorney, two marketing managers – one from a large private hospital, the other from a firm of lawyers – a graphic designer and website builder, a business coach, an owner of companies, a human resource manager, and an online networking business operator. They proved to be a facilitator’s dream because they contributed constantly with insight, expertise and questions. The only thing was – they were all female! We had to ask ourselves, where are the men of Maritzburg?

No rest for the Marketing Manager

This opened the way for a deviation to an interesting discussion on workplace gender issues. Several of the women there had experienced a sense that some – NOT ALL (no need to get your jockstraps in a knot now!) – men in business still showed ‘traditional’ attitudes towards women. Examples included not taking seriously suggestions on business management that came from a woman; men would pay thousands of rand to go to Johannesburg to attend a seminar when facilitated by a man, while not attending a local one run by a woman of equal calibre; corporate men are generally slow to change or implement new ideas or procedures that are initiated by women.

What IS the reason for these attitudes and behaviours in 2014?

Feel free to comment………….. while you await the blogs on:

1. Why Brand? Is branding only for cattle?

2. Why a Mission Statement? Read this article: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/mission-statements-are-a-joke.html

3. Why Ethics and Values in business?

4. How to outplay the Competition?

5. Why Social Network platforms?

6. Why a Communication Strategy?

7. How to brand and market a coaching business?

8. Why is it so difficult to draw local men to PR and Branding workshops?

PR Boot Camp re-scheduled

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Are you a business owner wanting to develop your Brand,

communication1

NGO wanting to create awareness or in

HR, PR, or marketing and needing to become even more effective

You must attend the

Public Relations Boot Camp

Get a new understanding of

Current trends in PR and Branding
Developing your corporate vision, identity and brand
Building relationships with your key stakeholders
Strategic planning for a strong reputation.

Date: Thursday 20 March 2014

Time: 08.30 – 12.00

Venue: Chamber House, Royal Show Grounds, PMB

Cost: R 550 per participant

Contact: Desiray (Dee) Viney

Employee relations is core to any Business Branding Strategy.

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Connect, engage and win together

Strategic business communication planning should start ‘from the inside out’. Leaders and managers should begin with a journey to the ‘source’ and purpose of their business, to find the real values that drive them forward to growth, prosperity and sustainability.

Once they’re identified their values and set their goals, the obvious next step would be to share them with the people within the company who, on a daily basis, have to ‘live’ those values and work to achieve those goals. They have to buy in to them, making the company’s values and goals their own. Their actions and behaviour have to reflect their belief in the company and what it stands for. Some would refer to this as developing a ‘corporate culture’.

However, too often business leaders fail to share and instil the common core values and then wonder why there’s a mismatch or non-alignment between their values and customer satisfaction.

Here are some points on Strategic Employee Relations Planning. It can go a long way in developing a common culture that positively affects and benefits the employees themselves, customers and other stakeholders, the brand and ultimately the company reputation:

Business Leaders have to be audience-centric, and employees are the key audience. Leaders and managers have to listen to them in order to be ‘listened to’
Internal communication and engagement must be two-way and ongoing to contribute to team cohesion, performance, productivity and profitability
Employees must feel supported by management; their individual needs for growth and skills development must be addressed for mutual benefit
Knowing they and management have a shared purpose and vision gives employees the desire to achieve the common goals
Where there are actions aimed at fulfilling common goals, measurability, evaluation and constant reflection are welcome and valued
Rewards for achievement are a motivation to perform and reach goals together
Shared values and goals lead to shared responsibility where each employee knows what’s expected of him, as part of the whole organisation.

So it is vital that your Strategic Employee Relations Plan is used as a tool that underpins all your business activities.

NGOs a site for PR skills development

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Earlier this month a jubilant Department of Education announced the 78% pass rate for the 2013 Matriculants. But hot on the heels of the release came questions, criticisms and expressions of concern regarding the lack of jobs, the skills deficit, and the relevance of a university degree when there was dire need for artisans (who actually earn more than graduates). We all know the problems but what about solutions?

On 9 January Rowan Philp wrote a piece in The Witness entitled “Volunteer or Bust!”
http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global[_id]=112563

What caught my attention were the following:

• pupils had “fixed and unrealistic ideas” about jobs
• “Young people have to change their mind-set from ‘What can I get from employers?’, to ‘What can I give to employers?’ They should draw up a list of all the employed adults they know – and ask to work-shadow, intern, or just volunteer.”
• gain on-the-job experience, even if it meant no pay.
• there was “increasing concern” over viable careers for matrics.
• the country needed artisans and entrepreneurs.

The matric results have focused the nation’s attention on the desperate need to address the problems of unemployment and skills shortage. For me, the NGO environment is an ideal one for developing volunteers into skilled workers and entrepreneurs over a wide range of activities while building the capacity of communities. I have been involved in CESL (Community engagement with Student Learning) projects and seen the positive impact on young people working with NGOs.

There are so many NGOs with uplifting projects needing staff and funding. In conversation with Michael Deegan, CEO of the PMB Community Chest, he mentioned the need for NGOs to think of new ways of doing things, and to rework their corporate identity, image and communication strategies to create more awareness and draw more donors, corporate sponsors and volunteers.

Clearly the new audience is the youth and so NGOs and charities need to change the perception that charity and community work is only for the older generation. Already the Community Chest has a programme directed at the youth called the “@Generation” to address this. Having young volunteers working in NGOs would go a long way to improve their understanding and perceptions of ‘charity’ work.

NGOs are multi-dimensional too in that they operate on so many levels and with so many stakeholders – from government departments, communities, business, international donors and aid organisations to local educators, women’s groups, healthcare givers and of course the media. Volunteers would leave with a range of skills, abilities and interests to offer the world of business.

So here’s my suggestion for a possible solution:

Volunteerism as “giving to grow” – NGOs, Business and the Community can do it together

We need to develop a volunteer programme whereby unemployed matriculants go into NGOs to work and to train.
The types of skills they would learn is wide-ranging, from office admin, computer, financial and business to project management, government relations and funding policies, procedures and proposals.

However, my sphere of interest and expertise is corporate communication and public relations, so I will focus on NGOs and their dire need of strategic planning in this area. They are also perfect sites for potential learning and development of specific communication and PR skills, techniques and activities which are vital for their existence.
These include: Branding, copy writing, publicity, interpersonal communication skills, CSI – corporate social investment, community relations, media relations, sponsorship, integrated marketing, event management, and so on.

All they need is people to teach them! And funds to pay them.
So my proposal is that business contribute in money and in kind to enable NGOs to implement such a programme by covering the cost of willing professionals like me to deliver skill interventions and deliverables to achieve the outcomes – NGOs performing optimally, addressing socio-economic issues like healthcare, education, skills development, unemployment, whilst simultaneously building citizens, communities and the country.

It’s not impossible. It just takes concerned citizens and business to put their money where their mouths are! NGOs like The Community Chest are waiting for you…….