{"id":10810,"date":"2020-11-06T21:51:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T21:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=10810"},"modified":"2020-11-24T19:37:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T19:37:36","slug":"how-to-write-communications-plan-using-annual-communications-plan-template","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/how-to-write-communications-plan-using-annual-communications-plan-template\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Communications Plan Using an Annual Communications Plan Template"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared on\u00a0MightyCitizen.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been weathering the storm for months now with no idea what\u2019s coming next. It\u2019s tempting to give in to the thought that you simply can\u2019t plan your communications right now. After all, what\u2019s the point? Everything you had planned for this year went totally off-course, and you feel like you\u2019re in survival mode. Of course, that\u2019s all on top of the typical challenges you face year to year in communications.<\/p>\n

What if we told you that planning is exactly what you need right now?<\/h4>\n

You can list every reason why you don\u2019t need to plan for next year, but even when\u00a0everything<\/em>\u00a0is uncertain, it\u2019s\u00a0all the more reason to have a plan<\/a><\/strong>. Isn\u2019t it better to create something and adapt it than to have nothing to follow? Was it not Shakespeare\u00a0himself<\/em>\u00a0who said, \u201c\u2018Tis better to have planned and lost, than never to have planned at all?\u201d (Or something like that, right?)<\/p>\n

Plans allow you to clearly lay out\u00a0what<\/em>\u00a0you\u2019re going to do and\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0you\u2019re going to do it. Or, in other words, your strategy and tactics\u2014and you have to have both in planning. If you focus on tactics without connecting it to an overall communication strategy, you waste time and energy pursuing tactics that aren\u2019t returning enough organizational value.<\/p>\n

<\/i>\n\t\t\tThe leadership in your organization must see how your communication goals help reach the organization\u2019s strategic goals.\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n

Plans should be shared with your boss(es), key stakeholders (including board members or committees), and team members from other departments. Your communications plan provides a correlation between communications goals and overall organizational goals. This shows the true value of communications as a revenue-generator and not just a cost.\u00a0I cannot emphasize this enough: the leadership in your organization must see how your\u00a0communication goals\u00a0help reach the organization\u2019s strategic goals.<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s why an organization invests in marketing and communications: to see a return. Make sure they see it!<\/p>\n

A written plan keeps you on track, helps you say \u201cno\u201d to unexpected diversions, and helps you make the case for your budget.<\/p>\n

Now, what if we told you we had a\u00a0free template\u00a0to help you build an\u00a0effective communications plan?<\/h4>\n

Our Annual Communications Plan Template<\/strong><\/a> is free to download. It\u2019s the first step to developing your team\u2019s action plan with measurable business objectives.<\/p>\n

Welcome to your new roadmap for whatever\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

Mighty Citizen\u2019s Annual\u00a0Communications Plan Template<\/h2>\n

A communications plan template is divided into five main sections:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Executive Summary<\/li>\n
  2. The Organization<\/li>\n
  3. Market Analysis<\/li>\n
  4. Audiences<\/li>\n
  5. Goals<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To guide you through this\u00a0free template\u00a0(and because we can\u2019t actually share examples from our clients\u2019 plans), we\u2019ll refer to a fictitious association\u2014the International Association of Mighty Citizens (IAMC).\u00a0<\/strong>This association does not exist anywhere but in our minds. However, it gives us a great variety of examples.<\/p>\n

    1) The Executive Summary<\/h3>\n

    The executive summary is a short, summarized version of your communications plan. Most executives don\u2019t have time to read your full communications plan, so this is meant to give them the full picture without all of the details. This can be shared with leadership inside your organization and also with any board or committee members, as needed. The main objective is to briefly list and describe:<\/p>\n