12. COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING AND BUDGETING
RULE 1 – Always work to a written communications plan. Do not keep it in your head – put it on paper
RULE 2 - Make your plan comprehensive. Cover all planned activities and in sufficient detail. Your plan is your basic working document for the year.
A good, comprehensive plan serves several purposes:
Your plan should be sufficiently comprehensive and precise to accomplish all these.
1. Research
Start with research. Pull together and assess all the pertinent research material you have:
previous research studies
intelligence from the media
competitor information
field reports
studies done by your organization
trade newsletters and bulletins
test market information
Determine whether you need more research to prepare the plan or more research during the year. Do you need:
- formal opinion research studies?
- more or better field reporting?
- news clipping service?
- broadcast monitoring service?
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING AND BUDGETING (cont’d)
Consider the evaluation you will be doing at the end of the year. Does this give rise to research requirements such as:
pre and post market studies
advertising testing
test market studies
general opinion surveys
If so, put them in your plan.
Note: research and evaluation are continuous, ongoing processes. The research you do this year can help – evaluate last year’s plan, shape this year’s plan, prepare you for next year’s plan.
Finally, access and synthesize all available research. Prepare a
“Background” section to your plan based on it.
2. Objectives
Always work to pre-determined, pre-agreed objectives. Before you start planning:
obtain from your management their major corporate
objectives for the year
get any sub-objectives as well
if you do not understand or if they are not clear – ASK
get the management to tell you their priorities – which objectives take precedence over others.
obtain from each operating section of the organization their
objectives, sub-objectives, and priorities.
Then establish a set of communications objectives and sub- objectives:
for the whole organization
for each main operating area
Review these with the appropriate executives. When you agree on objectives, set them out clearly in your plan. Then start the planning process. As much as possible, quantify your objectives.
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING AND BUDGETING (cont’d)
3. Strategic Plan
Develop a general strategic plan for communications activities to support the organization’s objectives.
Determine as precisely as possible the target audience:
for corporate information
for each operating group
Determine in broad terms the budget constraints for each
Determine the major themes or messages you believe would be most appropriate or effective
Determine broadly what you want the target group to do as a result of your communications program.
4. Tactical Plan
For each element of the plan, establish a tactical approach.
• Cost effectiveness
• Coverage
• Effectiveness in delivering the message
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING AND BUDGETING (cont’d)
5. Elements and Timing
Develop a detailed plan for each project in your communications program.
Break each project into its major elements
Set specific milestones and deadlines required for each element. Indicate completion date for each project
Chart all major deadlines and milestones on a month-to-month basis to establish monthly budgets and work assignments and programs.
6. Budget
Your annual plan is the chief instrument for setting your annual communications budget.
Cost out every item of every project. Make sure you anticipate all costs.
Use previous experience (last year’s activities) for budget items that are continuing.
For new items, obtain estimates from the appropriate trade
Allow for inflation – many of your expenditures may be more than a year ago.
On the basis of your work plan, estimate the cost of requirements for contract services and be sure they are included
Make a breakdown of your total budget by regions of the country to see whether it clashes with your organization’s objectives.
Make a breakdown of budget by individual project so that you can measure budget vs. actual on a project by project basis for proper evaluation.
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING AND BUDGETING (cont’d)
Make a breakdown of budget on a month to month basis so you can measure budget vs. actual on a project by project bases for proper evaluation
Make a breakdown of budget on a month to month basis so you can have a meaningful control of budget vs. expenditure as the year progresses.
Make a breakdown of budget by element, i.e.:
Personnel &Administrative costs
Publications & Advertising
Exhibits & Special events
Media relations
So that you can relate your overall cumulative effort against objectives.
Review and adjust your budget on a monthly basis through the year.
7. Evaluation
At the beginning:
- establish evaluation criteria for all elements of the plan based on objectives
- decide who will be responsible for evaluation and have them monitor the project throughout the year
- determine what research may be needed for the evaluation and budget for it
At the end:
- assemble all information available on the project
- assessments by people within the organization
- assessments from without
- research
- media comment
- actual costs
- correspondence and other client reaction
Write an evaluation report for the appropriate executives within your organization