6 must-haves for an effective communication plan

I want to start blogging.

We must have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

I want to advertise on Google, on the radio, in newspapers, in direct mail.

Let’s hold an event.

As a communications and marketing consultant, I hear requests like these every week from my clients. When I ask why, they seem confused. They wonder whether I really understand new media and communications. In this age of instant information they ask why they should bother to take the time to set communication goals and write annual plans.

1. Set goals that set the strategy.

Goals are the overall thing you want to change or affect, not the activity itself. They must tie in to the overall company strategy and the specific objectives of your organization. Make them clear, concise, and concrete.

Not: “Increase participation of the employee annual survey,” but, “Increase the annual employee survey participation by 50 percent and create and execute action plans by all organizations to address any issues that rank at two or below by May 30, with the overall goal of reducing turnover by 7 percent in 2014.”