Lost on Planning? Develop a GPS through Strategy and Implementation
Written by PR Etc., Inc.
Published by Rockford Register Star
Monday, October 23, 2006

Strategic planning is much like developing a roadmap to get from point A to point B. And the actual plan should be used as your GPS (global positioning system) to allow you to get to the end point with the least amount of detours and wrong turns.

Most organizations develop a plan, but few actually implement them. The key to successfully develop and execute a strategic plan is to first understand how you and others in your organization would like to have the plan presented so it can be most effectively followed.

Senior management of an organization is usually most interested in the high-level information such as what and when programs will be initiated and the expected return on investment for each and how they help the company reach the overall business goals. Rarely does senior management (depending on the size of the business) need the intricate details of the exact timeline and implementation logistics.

For those that oversee and execute the plan, it’s sometimes most efficient and less overwhelming to break up the activities on a quarterly or monthly timetable.

No matter the type of business, every plan should have these essential elements:

• Overall business goal(s)
• Communications goals
• Marketing/communications objectives
• Marketing/communications strategies
• Key audiences
• Communications tactics

In the upcoming weeks we’ll dig further into these elements as you develop your marketing/communications plan for the upcoming year.