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Communications Strategy
Developing An Effective Strategy
To be effective in an environment where transparency, accountability
and impact are expected, non-profits must learn how to
unleash the power of strategic communications to fulfill
their organizations’ mission and vision. To do so
requires developing an effective strategy for
influencing a target audience with the intent of
producing a specific outcome using selected messages,
messengers and channels or mediums to reach the target.
Why does it matter?
In a time of increased
competition for non-profits who have limited resources
and assets, integrating strategic communications as a
core function can help attract new donors and
supporters, enhance services and products, and help
agencies deliver greater impact.
Critical Questions
When developing an
effective communications strategy, there are critical
questions to answer to help guide the direction and
focus of the approach:
-
What are you trying to
do?
-
Who do you need to get
it done?
-
What is the obstacle
you face?
-
What assets and
resources do you have?
-
How much do you know?
-
How will you know it's
working?
Making Smart Choices
Takes Time and Effort
It may be easy to assume
that defining your strategy is just restating your
mission. Not true. Understanding what you want to do and
who you want to reach takes the time and effort of
gathering knowledge, understanding the issue and making
informed choices.
When you take the time to
develop a good strategy, there are multiple benefits. A
thoughtful and well-defined strategy allows you to
attract key stakeholders, improve organizational
performance, advance the state of knowledge, leverage
limited resources and contribute to innovation.
Elements of a Good
Strategy
Here are the elements of a
good strategy:
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Clarity of Vision and
Goal
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Define Target Audience
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Define External Frame
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Define Internal
Context
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Develop Your Messages
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Identify Messengers
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Define Communication
Objectives
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Choose Best Tactics
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Understand the
Competition
Understand the Issue
Context and Your Capacity
There must also be a
balance between what you know and what you can do. The
best approach to take is to conduct an internal
audit/scan to identify your communications capacity and
resources. Then, define the external context of the
problem. Can you label the actors, core knowledge,
dominant issues and current resources available in the
field? Once you understand both these perspectives, you
will be able to better understand the impact that you
can create in this environment.
Time to Create A Plan
There are five key steps
in defining a communications plan. Take the time to
follow each one and you will develop a model that can
help you reach your goals. The steps include:
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Define A Problem that
You Know
-
Come Up with A Goal,
Targets and Strategy
-
Discuss and Share
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Go Back and Refine
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Identify Ongoing
Questions and Issues to Be Answered
Last Words
Don't get trapped into
feeling like you have to know everything to get started.
Learning happens as you make and try out new strategies
and messages. And, remember to share your lessons and
experiences with the field - they'll move us all
forward.
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