Planning & Strategy
Overview
Your entire organization — or maybe just one part of it (the admissions office, the development office, a specific college, program or school) — is in need of more effective, unified, integrated marketing communications. Our strategic communications plan will:
- Align your communications effectively with the organization’s goals and strategies.
- Help you pinpoint what’s working and what should work better.
- Outline a specific road map of next steps to use both time and money in the most effective manner, including strategy for communications tools.
Process
Every communications audit is customized to the client; however, some typical steps include:
Before the visit:
- Initial conversation with the key organizational contact about situation and goals.
- A survey of the organization’s key publications (viewbooks, annual reports, direct mail, advertising campaigns, magazines, newsletters), existing research data, websites and other electronic communications, media coverage and other communications vehicles.
- A brief overview of the websites and (if feasible) major publications of key competitors and aspirational models.
During site visit:
- On-site interviews with management and key staff members for perspective, insight, goals, information about audiences and messages (existing and planned), and strategic direction.
- Focus groups or surveys with key audience members and/or key influencers.
(This step may or may not be necessary, depending on extent and freshness of existing research data. We also often provide a survey instrument/focus group approach that is customized to organizational needs and can then be administered by internal staff; the results returned to us for analysis.)
After site visit:
- Drawing together findings in the steps above to determine consistency and appropriateness of messages delivered, both in words and graphic approach, the effectiveness of each, and the elements that should be added to the mix.
Time Frame & Cost
A plan usually requires one to three days of on-site interviews/market research. A site visit is usually conducted within four to eight weeks of acceptance and signing of our proposal. Final written recommendations usually follow within four to eight weeks. (Many clients have found it beneficial to have strategic communications recommendations presented during another site visit, at an additional cost.)
Most communications strategic plans range from $15,000 to $35,000, depending on number of days needed for on-site visit, interviews and number of focus groups. Direct expenses, including travel, are additional. Cost, based on the scope of work involved (such as quantitative research), is estimated before a contract is signed.
Deliverables
A final report outlines all research in communications audit and provides a total strategic plan for communications, including clear recommendations for specific action. This is a blueprint for applying the organization’s message consistently and synergistically throughout all communications — publications, interactive/electronic media (including websites), advertising and other communications tools. It includes message points and strategies customized to reach each major audience and advance each communications goal.
Contracting for a strategic communication plan does not commit your organization to further work with Zehno. The recommendations in the plan are clearly delineated so that they can be carried out by in-house staff, by outside communications consultants, by your Zehno strategic communication partners, or by any combination of the above that you deem appropriate.
The plan provides a firm foundation for an institution’s integrated marketing communications efforts, useful for different departments within the organization and a way to support sharing of communications resources across organizational lines.
FAQ
I am in a hurry. Can we skip the strategy and go straight to design and production?
Whatever the hurry, we never skip strategy. We’ve discovered that it costs much more time in the long run whenever we do. However, if your institution already has a strategic plan and/or positioning statement, we can incorporate them into our communications plan, which certainly helps move the process along!
