Communications Plans, Part III: Mapping Communications Channels

This is the third part in a series about communications plans, which are crucial tools for nonprofits and businesses. Check out part I and part II for more!
 
A communications plan lays out a comprehensive picture of an organization’s communications goals and offers executable steps for how to achieve them. It can be created or updated annually to align with the fiscal year, or it can be developed as a companion to a 1-, 3- or even 5-year strategic plan.
 
It’s an incredibly useful tool for mapping out future growth. But it’s impossible to create without first understanding where you are now.
 
That’s why, when we create communications plans for our clients, one of the most important steps entails laying out a comprehensive picture of an organization’s current communications channels. This includes digital publications such as blog posts and email blasts, social media, print publications such as annual reports and newsletters, and events and in-person communications such as fundraisers or tours.
 
This can be a simple list, but it should be as comprehensive as possible. For some organizations, it might include five channels; for some, it might include 50. And for each channel, all relevant details should be included: give bullet points to the goal of the communication, the target audience, the timeline or frequency of the communication, who is responsible internally for producing the communication, and any budget and production specs available. That way, there are multiple angles available for easily slicing through the communications picture: Which members of your team currently bear the greatest communications burden? Which projects require the largest chunks of your budget? Which audiences aren’t hearing from you frequently enough?

By laying out a complete picture, you can begin to see where you’re putting most of your energy, what’s being neglected or underutilized, where you’re doubling up unnecessarily, and how content can be leveraged from one channel to another. If, for example, your primary goal is to grow your organization’s membership, but all of your resources are going to annual reports and blog posts, it becomes clear that changing tack is merited.
 
In other words, this part of a communications plan is from whence the planning commences.
 
This picture can be used to develop and prioritize new communications projects, strategize ways to streamline workflow, design upcoming campaigns, revamp existing collateral, or create tools or templates for internal use. In short, it’s the best foundation for an organization to ensure that it’s moving in the right direction to efficiently align its communications with its long-term goals.