Elements of a Strategic Communications Plan

This chapter comes at such a great time! There are many things in Chapter 2 that will help us when working with our client, Safe Harbor. Everyone needs to know the elements of a strategic plan before they even begin to work on one. In order to have a successful strategic communication plan, you need to build on the foundation of the organization's goals and values, target the appropriate audience after abundant research, and plan day-to-day activities that will help you reach your end product.

The importance of understanding and identifying the organization's goals and vision is so big that it must come first before you plan your daily work activities. Once you have achieved this, your ready to move on to planning your daily plan. The following are a list of the critical elements of a communication plan:

• Identify target audience
• Conduct research
• Develop messages
• Produce materials
• Assess resources
• Write work plan

Throughout my summer internship at Locke Design, I have implemented a communication plan similar to the steps above. You need to know your target audience in order for your messages to be understood and recognized. There are many different media outlets, so it is important that you choose correct ones that have the same concern for what you are dealing with. Since, Locke Design is a graphic design/advertising, I had to research many media outlets that specialize in design, marketing, and small business. Another step I find to be very significant is the development of your messages. You need to know every aspect of the story you are covering, because you have a reputation to uphold with the public relations field. Stating your company's goals correctly and generating tag lines is essential. You need to "latch" a person onto your story quickly, while still being informative to the key publics. A work plan is also an important step in the process. The following are some of the functions you can complete for ongoing reach:

• Ensure positive media coverage
• Build media partnerships
• Develop a crisis control and backlash plan

I just names a few, but I believe these to be highly important. For my internship, it was essential that I developed media partnerships. Many of our press releases and events are located in newspapers across the state of South Carolina. This is also a great way to reach your targeted audience and enhance your organization's name recognition.