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Corporate Communications Plan: The Roadmap for Success

Courtney Morrison

• Communications

15 minute read

Successful companies are strategic with the way they communicate. In fact, developing a corporate communications plan can be one of the most important ways to build a stronger brand.

Trust is created by the ways that businesses share authentically about themselves and how they respond to difficult situations.

Communications teams benefit from putting a lot of effort into the way they craft messaging and tell stories about their brand. And those that are most equipped to handle challenges and adapt to change are the ones that have plans in place.  

A 2019 study showed that 96% of people think the businesses they deal with could improve when it comes to communication and project management. So clearly this is something more businesses need to address!

Let’s explore what successful corporate communications plans include and have in common, and how they can benefit your organization.

What is a Corporate Communications Plan?

A corporate communications plan is the framework for how a business shares messages internally and externally. You can think of it as the roadmap for how a company communicates with their stakeholders, employees, customers, the media, and regulators. 

Part of the plan includes what information to share, who the target audience is, how frequently to provide updates, and what channels are the best to relay these messages.

Having a plan in place shapes how a company will handle communications during times of crisis, change, and launches of campaigns and new products.

What Are the Types of Corporate Communications?

The two main types of corporate communications are:

Internal Communications: How a business shares information with its employees, leadership teams, managers, and board members. 

The interactions can be formal modes of communications such as all-hands meetings to discuss strategic initiatives and performance, updates about organizational changes, company newsletters , and internal memos about policy changes. 

Or they can also include more informal communication like using messaging apps to collaborate, welcoming new hires, celebrating work anniversaries, or sharing details on winning new business.

External Communications: Any information shared outside of the organization. 

Whether it is a formal press release or branded content on social media, these communications build the company’s public image and impact the perception of a brand and its products or services. 

Marketing, content, and advertising created by the company to promote it are included as external communication methods. 

Press releases and financial reporting are another way that companies share messaging about the organization with the outside world.  

Why is Having a Corporate Communications Plan Important?

Corporate communications plans lead to sharing clearer and better messages with your target audience. 

Whether that audience includes your own employees or potential customers, you want to be heard in the right place and at the right time. Setting up a framework to achieve that is essential. 

Sometimes you might be thrown a curveball, and a communications plan will help your business be prepared for any unexpected changes or crises that come your way. 

Surprisingly, a JOTW Communications Survey showed that 59% of communicators say they have a communications strategy drafted, but only 45% admit to having a documented crisis communications plan.

Having a plan in place will also allow for speedier recovery to any public relations issues. For example, responding to negative feedback and being open about mistakes can build trust with your brand and get you back on the right track in the eyes of customers and potential clients.

Communicating effectively and transparently shows that your brand values engagement by taking a proactive approach to be included in conversations about your brand or industry. 

A corporate communications plan for internal communications will also help define and build a transparent company culture. This can improve employee engagement by keeping team members included in conversations about where the company is heading and what it values.

If there are sudden changes on a team, you’ll be better able to communicate the changes in a way that makes employees feel comfortable and cared for if you have a plan for how to share that information first for those immediately affected and then across the company.

What Should A Corporate Communications Plan Include?

It takes time and consideration to develop an effective corporate communications plan. You’ll want to include details for the objectives, approach, and tracking measures for the goals of your messaging.

In simple terms, you’ll want to include the who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Here are the elements your corporate communications plan needs:

• Target Audiences – these are the groups of stakeholders that will be receiving the messages. They could be employees, customers, media members, investors, leadership teams, and managers. Age, location, job level, interests, and lifestyle are all helpful to know about the receivers of your messaging.
• Objectives – most communications are created with a call to action or a desired outcome in mind — these are your ultimate objectives or goals. They should be tied to your overall organizational goals to drive business outcomes.
• Message content – what you want to say and what you are trying to help your readers understand. Tone and personality are important to formulate in your message to get your reader’s attention.
• Distribution strategy – the channels and venues that your communications will be delivered on are an important aspect of the communications plan. Paid, earned, owned, and shared media channels have different benefits for reaching audiences.
• Frequency – how often you will be sharing or updating content to reach your target audience. This will depend on your team’s budget and resources, as well as an understanding of your target audience and being mindful of attention fatigue. 
• Measures of evaluation – how you’ll know if your communications were successful. These should be highly attached to your objectives and goals so that you can track progress and understand areas for improvement.  

How to Create a Corporate Communications Plan

You can follow these steps to design a corporate communications plan that is thorough and takes into account the many facets that go into a successful communications strategy.

1. Establish goals

Pick 3-5 measurable goals for your communication plan. They could be connected to brand awareness like increasing website traffic or generated a certain number of new leads.

Or they could be related to employee engagement, such as increasing the employee satisfaction score on your next survey or increasing the number of shares of branded content.

2. Set a clear process

Knowing the steps involved to launch a communications campaign and having teams on board with the process will ensure that your plan is scalable.

Document the steps involved from content creation to distribution to collecting feedback and share those with any teams that are included in the action.

You should also define clear roles for who will be involved in creating the communications and which stakeholders need to be involved for approving messages and compliance.

3. Identify and segment targets

Take time to think through who your target audience will be and how they may be different. Knowing your audiences can help you tailor your content and tone to appeal to audiences.

Use customer analysis and social listening to determine your audience’s preferred social channels and the best forms of content to encourage visibility of your content.

The way your company shares information with employees will likely be different than how it presents to the board or investors so it’s important to segment your audiences.

4. Develop key messages

Craft the copy and creative materials needed to effectively communicate your messaging. Think about what you are trying to articulate and how it could be conveyed in the clearest and understandable way for your target audience.

The content-type should also be considered — should the message be shared in a meeting or email or video? How can the audience react and ask questions about the announcement? These are all questions to consider when creating the content for both internal and external communications.

5. Choose a channel strategy

You’ll need to determine the channels and frequency of your communications to meet your goals. 

For example, if your communication strategy is for internal communications you’ll evaluate whether an email or meeting is the best way to share the news. 

Do teams prefer shorter, weekly updates or to get more information at the end of the month? Get feedback from your audiences to determine what makes the most sense for your communication cadence.

6. Measure objectives and progress

Before you start implementing your plan, think through how you can measure success for your communications with metrics like reach, open rates, and engagement.

That way you will be set up to continuously improve your content strategy and messaging. 

Collect feedback from employees or customers on how to improve your messaging and enact these changes so that you are don’t run the risk of turning off or disengaging your audience.   

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What are the Main Channels for Corporate Communications?

Companies have many software platforms and tools to choose from that can help streamline communications. You’ll want to use a mix of communication channels to achieve different goals.

For external communications, social networks, media publications, and videoconferencing are some of the most effective ways to reach potential customers and grow brand awareness. 

All of the content that you publish on your website reflects the values and goals of your brand and can be a powerful way to make connections by providing valuable resources to potential buyers.

For internal project communication, email and messaging apps are the easiest ways for people to collaborate at an organization. They make it easy to share files and resources, get input from colleagues, and track project status updates. 

Internal blogs, company newsletters, and intranets are some examples of methods that companies have used to keep employees informed and connected.

For building company culture and employee engagement, internal enterprise social networking platforms provide a more flexible and easy to use way to share company content. 

Employee advocacy for corporate communications

Employee advocacy platforms like EveryoneSocial make it easy to link to external social networks, bridging the gap between internal company conversations and sharing them externally to strengthen brand engagement.

Press releases are important tools for sharing announcements and launching new products. And those efforts can be amplified when you have employees that want to share that content to their own networks, as well.

Beyond externally distributing communication messages, EveryoneSocial has unique features that keep your people engaged, connected, and informed — no matter where they are working. 

For example, some features for communications include: 

• Internal newsletters
• Push notifications
• Mobile apps
• Real-time messaging
• Follow company employees
• Tag employees on important info
• Read-only content

Want to learn more about how Everyone Social can be used to improve your corporate communication plan? Schedule your demo with us and we’ll share how some of our enterprise customers are communicating better by enabling their workforce with EveryoneSocial!

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Director of Marketing at  haseebtariq.com.  I help fix large revenue retention & growth issues.

Communication is a critical part of any organization's success. Once, I was working closely with the senior leadership to create an email that addressed late deliveries. I remember that when we first started, there were so many ideas swirling in our heads about how to approach this project and what tone of voice would be best for our company. I wished I had someone with a communications strategy plan who could tell me the "best" way to approach this project in order to be successful.

I started reading and researching, looking for what I felt was a good strategy to communicate with our target audience. Luckily, after some research and conversations with others who had more experience than myself on the topic at hand, what finally developed was a communications strategy plan that we used over and over again for all of our marketing and communication efforts.

What Is A Communications Strategy Plan?

A communications strategy is a plan for communicating with your target audience. It includes who you are talking to, why you are talking to them, how and when you will talk to them, what form of communication the content should take and what channels you should use to share it.

1. What Is The Purpose Of Your Communications Plan?

A clear purpose helps keep everyone on board. Make sure the right people hear your message when they are ready and in a way that you want them to hear it. Your communication objectives should be to answer these questions: Who do I need to reach? Why do I need to reach them? What will my communications say? How will I deliver this message at the time that will have the best impact on my audience (and for me)? And what channels am I using or can I use for delivery?

2. Who Are You Communicating With (Or Who Is Your Target Audience) And What Message Do They Need To Hear?

Target audiences can vary from one time to another and may include your customers, employees or the media. Define who needs to hear what is happening in your organization. Every communications plan is different, but they should never be one-size-fits-all. It's a good idea to create an audience map that identifies key audiences and the messages they need to hear about your organization or cause in order for them to take action.

3. How Will This Message Be Communicated?

Your communications strategy provides the framework for the company's outreach activities, including what needs to get out there through communication channels like social media, email marketing, blog posts, video content on YouTube or Vimeo and so on. In my experience, the more specific you are with your messaging (and visuals) — even if it seems repetitive — the better your chances of getting people engaged and taking action are.

4. When Should This Communication Happen — Right Now Or Later On?

Organizations have to use their communications wisely and strategically in order to be successful with them. But the importance of timing is also important for communicating effectively. Your communications strategy should specify when the message should be communicated, including whether that's right now or later on. Your communications team should take these considerations into account as they develop your messaging and timing plan. In addition, I recommend developing two equally effective strategies: one for "now" and another that can be deployed in anticipation of events that might happen later down the road. A crisis communication plan helps cushion against unexpected turns of events, no matter what happens.

5. Who Will Be Responsible For The Communication?

Communications professionals should be the ones responsible for communicating with external audiences, and they should do so often during a crisis. However, human resources departments may also need to communicate internally about any changes that may affect employees. Define key messages, and then decide who will deliver them. Define the audience and focus on what they need to know about this change. Be sure to provide information in a timely way, but also keep the message concise so that employees can digest it easily.

Bottom Line

A strategic communications plan can help you communicate your message to the right people at the most opportune time. By considering these five components, you can put together a solid strategy that could drive more success for your business and bring about your desired results in less time. 

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Blog Graphic Design 5 Ways to Make an Exciting Business Communication Plan

5 Ways to Make an Exciting Business Communication Plan

Written by: Daleska Pedriquez Sep 28, 2021

Good communication is a very important aspect of our lives.

A business with struggling internal and external communications often lags behind in growth and suffers from poor employee retention.

That is why most organizations learn how to create a  business communication  plan.

This ensures that the company won’t fall prey to any of the pitfalls above and ensures seamless communication.

Don’t know how to start creating a communications plan? No problem. With Venngage’s plan templates, you can design effective plans without design experience.

START CREATING FOR FREE

Click to jump ahead:

• What is a communication plan in business ?

What are the benefits of having a good business plan communication?

Examples of business communication strategies, business communication plan templates, what is a communication plan in business.

Business communication can be divided into two categories: internal and external.

Internal communications deal with how effectively anybody within the company communicates with each other.

It deals with issues regarding the flow of information, processes, and ideas in more specific terms.

On the other hand, the external part deals more with communication with the shareholders and the customers.

However, an internal communication plan, like this project plan template , is effective if the target audience in the organization understands and embraces it.

CREATE THIS PLAN TEMPLATE

It is not as simple as putting all those strategies in a manual, handing them out to your employees, and telling them to go nuts with it. Obviously, that won’t work.

A good communication plan needs to be able to seep itself slowly but effectively into your company’s culture and values.

Employees need to eat, sleep, and breathe good communication.

This is the reason why you need to have solid communication strategies in business . Be strategic about it, like with this crisis communication plan, and include some out-of-the-box ideas.

A business communication plan needs to have consistency, variety, informativeness, and entertainment.

That is what we want to help you with today. We want to give exciting business plan strategies that you can implement to boost your organization’s communication exponentially.

But before we go into that, let us dive into the importance of a communication plan.

Once your branding has been imported, you can add your  brand colors  to all templates with one click.

Related: 8 Steps to Create an Actionable Employee Development Plan [with Templates & Examples]

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Let us get to know first what great things will happen if communication is seamless within the company.

Things get done faster.

You can also use this template to convince investors and partners about the benefits of working with your company.

Design infographics like the above example using Venngage’s extensive icon library. We offer 40,000 icons as well as diverse people icons .

With a good business communication plan, the target audience within the organization knows the proper flow of information and absorbs the key messages.

Employees will also know whom they can talk to about certain things and whom they can’t talk to. The result? The communication strategy will help tasks around the company get done faster.

Solving issues and problems is quicker.

Problems and issues will always arise if you have a thriving business. Whether it’s logistics, sales, marketing, operations, etc., challenges abound almost daily.

For example, this sales action plan outlines how the business works, as well as performance indicators. This will help team members understand the budget and their goals.

With good communication channels, any issues with workflow get solved faster, and the company keeps moving forward and growing.

Design plans effectively with Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature, available with every Venngage Business account.

Employees feel more valued.

A company that fosters great internal communications with its people will always gain the latter’s loyalty. That loyalty can kick-start a lot of things like better efficiency and output.

Teams will also grow closer and form bonds. That is when the company can maximize even a small workforce.

Related:  How to Improve Employee Engagement with Visuals

Customer service improves.

Good communication plans also extend to one’s target audience. Customers always love swift, timely, and helpful responses. Using White Label VoIP , you can provide efficient and branded communication services, ensuring a seamless and professional customer experience.

A customer service mind map, like this example below, will make it easier for businesses to keep customers happy.

CREATE THIS MIND MAP TEMPLATE

If your company knows how to communicate its key messages with customers properly, you will react quicker than if you do not.

Employee retention rate increases.

What happens when employees feel more valued and have an easier time communicating with each other?

You get a lot of people willing to stay for a long time.

Bad employee retention rates cost companies a lot of money and task stagnation. Create an internal communication plan to manage this strategy, like this performance review process mind map.

Pair the communications strategy with effective communication channels to boost employee retention.

Create personalized documents with the  Venngage for Business  account. You can upload your own images to the editor. Or use one of the images from Venngage’s stock photo library.

Now that we have learned the benefits of a great business communication plan, let’s find out some of the most effective and exciting strategies out there.

Integrate fun videos into your communications strategy

If you want a good business communication plan example, then think of a video.

It’s no secret that videos can help people be more engaged, learn effectively compared to reading and writing, and understand key messages faster.

This one is really a no-brainer for external and internal communications.

An example of video communication is this video series about racial healing.

Other good examples of using videos in your business plan communication are monthly messages from the CEO.

Challenges and appreciative messages from the head of the company can easily be relayed to the employees. This is something that your people will surely love.

What is a communications strategy that works? Scheduled open meetings.

Scheduled open meetings are helpful for the company’s growth and can be something employees really look forward to.

How are they impactful for internal communications? And why should they be included in a communications strategy mind map, like this one? There are several great benefits that we should talk about.

First, open meetings encourage employees to share their thoughts and ideas.

This allows people to help grow into leadership roles while helping the company flourish by getting lots of fresh ideas.

Secondly, it can also be a place for employees to give their feedback. This helps the company continuously learn how their people feel so they can adjust accordingly.

Lastly, open meetings help empower employees and make them feel that they have a voice within the company. Issues also get resolved faster through these meetings.

For these reasons, every internal communication plan should include room for open meetings.

How to create a communication plan? Employee newsletters.

Another asset that should be added to an internal communication plan is employee newsletters , like this example.

CREATE THIS NEWSLETTER TEMPLATE

These help teams easily assimilate information in an entertaining and informative way.

Employee newsletters should be equal parts informative, professional, and sometimes silly.

If you look at an internal communication plan example from a company, it should include newsletters.

They are a great way to learn about new protocols, new products, and emergency news around the company, like in this reopening guide email.

With a  Venngage for Business  account, you can access the export as HTML feature. This makes it easier to import your design into Mailchimp or Outlook for a clickable email campaign.

Don’t forget to put stuff like fun and inspirational news about your people, whether it’s a bit personal (as long as it is still within respectable boundaries) or professional.

Related:  65+ Engaging Email Newsletter Templates and Design Tips

Good business plan communication strategies make training interesting.

During internal communications planning, the first thing that you need to think about is training or, more specifically, how you continuously and effectively train the workforce.

Jazz up your seminars by using entertaining tools like  infographics  and short videos. Infographics like a  project timeline template are also a great way to improve internal communications.

CREATE THIS INFOGRAPHIC TEMPLATE

Infographics are a fun and effective way to summarize data and information through the use of charts and eye-popping graphics.

Fire up the Venngage app and start making an infographic using hundreds of ready-made templates.

Use the large database of images, icons, and charts to give your training that much-needed punch.

Next, try to implement fun video slideshows in their training to keep their visual minds stimulated.

Videos are by far more effective than oral learning, so use those to your advantage.

Keep things consistent. Training shouldn’t be done just once and never again. Have a monthly training session if you can. And use visuals like this microlearning infographic.

Just make sure that you keep them entertained while you are at it.

Remember, when it comes to training, if they snooze, you lose.

Related:  How to Make Engaging Training Materials with Visuals (+ 20 Template Examples)

Another good business communication plan example? Use digital workspaces.

Digital workspaces allow teams to work and complete projects in a more efficient and timely manner.

That is why it is always a great idea to use those apps as part of your business plan communication strategy. You can adapt the communication plan below to accommodate digital workspaces.

With digital workspaces, everything is done online, so people can work faster even if they are at home.

This also allows them to communicate and post updates wherever they are.

Best of all, every step of the project is recorded with timestamps, so everyone can easily backtrack tasks and conversations.

Related:  18+ Project Management Infographics for Pain-Free Project Planning

You now know the importance of a communications plan. Here are some templates that will help you build better plans for your company.

Nonprofit campaign communications plan template

Using colors and lines, the template divides each section so the team is completely aligned. And you can adapt the visual for other types of companies, as well.

Marketing plan template

There are so many processes in a business. Keeping managers and team members on the same page can be a challenge.

This template can be customized for a variety of purposes, including creating a communications plan for a company.

Business update newsletter

We’ve already mentioned how useful newsletters are for boosting internal and external communications.

This customizable newsletter template is perfect for sharing updates with customers. It can easily be adapted to share news within a company, as well.

 Informational infographic template

Sharing information with employees doesn’t have to be boring. With this template, you can educate your target audience effortlessly.

The template has plenty of room to share information via text. But you can also add a diagram to illustrate your point.

Did you know you could create Smart Diagrams  with Venngage? Look for the Smart Templates tag in the Venngage library and start creating for free.

Customer onboarding plan

What’s one of the most important facets of a customer-facing business? Onboarding the customers efficiently.

Boost your communications plan by adding the following customer onboarding process infographic .

This template uses text, icons, and colors to make it more readable. These elements also make the steps in the infographic easy to follow and implement.

Good communication goes a long way.

Learning how to create a communication plan means that you need to understand how to make things fun for people. That is why you need to implement some out-of-the-box ideas and refine the more traditional ones.

Get successful at this, and your company will reap the big benefits.

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How to Write an Effective Communication Plan [+ Template]

Updated: June 05, 2024

Published: September 17, 2019

Guess what’s common among the top organizations like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon? An effective communication plan.

Be it the content strategy, a product launch, a campaign announcement, or a customer escalation, a robust communication strategy holds every part of your organization firmly.

A survey by The State of Business Communication revealed that 72% of business leaders credit effective communication for their team’s productivity.

Without an organized communication plan, even the strongest strategies can fall apart, breaking your business. Writing an effective communication plan isn’t a tedious process if you have pre-made internal communication plan templates in place.

In this post, you’ll learn how to create an effective communication plan that prepares you and your company for any situation — and I’ll provide some templates to help you in the process.

Table of Contents

What is a communication plan?

How to write a communication plan, communication plan templates.

A communication plan enables you to effectively deliver information to appropriate stakeholders. The plan will identify the messages you need to promote, to whom you're targeting those messages, and on which channel(s). communication plans can be used in times of crises, but they are also used when pitching new initiatives or launching new products.

A descriptive business communication plan answers the where, why, and how of your campaigns. From product launch to advertising, running social media promotions, or addressing a crisis, a communication strategy details the messages to deliver, to which audiences, and through which channel.

For instance, if I were to create a communication plan for a data breach crisis in an IT company, I’d need to create an immediate crisis plan to communicate with the crisis team. The plan will outline the goals, stakeholders’ comments, plan of action, communication medium, and due date.

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It’s also important to name the person or a team responsible for the specific issues and include the customer problems within.

In my opinion, it’s impractical to use one type of communication template for various communication types. A social media communication plan, for example, will have the key components as campaign objectives, communication channel, frequency, audience type, and date of posts.

For the same organization, a product launch template will have a different layout — consisting of product launch type, deliverables for clients, leads, stakeholders, and social media. This also requires a public relation, so you’ll need a tab for covering the media news.

I’d also consider different formats for different communication plans. While a social media or a product launch communication plan looks more organized in the table format, a strategic communication plan is understandable in a horizontal text format.

Need a free, easy-to-use communication plan template? HubSpot has 12. Check out this toolkit for everything you need to build your own.

This is part of a template offered in the toolkit. For this particular template, the organization is separated into phases, a description of that phase, and who needs to complete that action.

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Now that we’ve gone over how a communication plan can be helpful, let’s learn how to write one that will be effective.

• Use pre-built communication plan templates.
• Conduct an audit of your current communication materials.
• Set SMART goals for your communication plan based on the results from your audit.
• Identify the audience to whom you plan to deliver your communication plan.
• Outline and write your plan, keeping your audiences in mind.
• Determine the channel(s) on which you need to deliver your messages.
• Decide which team members are responsible for delivering the message.
• Estimate a timeline for how long each step should take.
• Measure the results of your plan after presenting to stakeholders, and determine successes and areas for improvement.

1. Use pre-built communication plan templates.

If I had to write a communication plan for a social media campaign, a crisis management message, or a public relations campaign, I would consider using different layouts for each.

For each of these communication plans, it is essential to stay consistent with the structure and layout. There are a multitude of communication plan apps and tools to write effective communication and automate the plans — but that comes with a catch.

The tools can’t be a suitable pick for large teams with a multitude of objectives and goals. Also, the technicalities within these tools aren’t suitable for every team member or manager at various levels.

Instead, the pre-built templates can be a good starting point for writing an effective communication plan. These templates can be downloaded in various formats — Excel, Word, PDF, or any editable format.

From time tracking to goal planning, from conducting regular meetings to complying with regulations, the business templates can be a great time-saver for large project teams.

These business templates by HubSpot , for example, offer free downloadable templates for various communication plan types — action plans, annual reports, business proposals, business cases, etc.

2. Conduct an audit of your current communication materials.

Renowned U.S. retailer John Wannamaker once said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted and the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

If you’re sailing on the same boat, you might need a thorough communication audit. A communication audit analyzes the current communication material and provides relevant data and insights on future plans.

For example, I’d need to perform an audit on brand messaging, intended effects, and product progress before starting a product launch communication plan.

The audit will help me identify the major gaps in the marketing materials and a topic that is discussed but aligns well with the new product. Hence, the communication audit upfront will let me know what to include in the communication plan.

To conduct an audit, you’ll need to carefully gather and interpret data on your current marketing plan performance and build a path forward based on those results.

It is also imperative to host focus groups or send surveys to the audiences to find gaps in the current communication materials.

Of course, you’ll want to have the goal of your communication plan in mind when conducting an audit.

For instance, if you’re launching a new email marketing tool and you notice you’re lacking content on Google Ads, this might not be relevant information for your communication plan.

However, if you’re missing content on email marketing best practices, that’s important information you can use to tailor your communication plan appropriately.

The following template considers the five Ms for a successful communication audit. The top leadership and the head of the project can leverage elements to understand the current communication scenario.

This example from Smartsheet is a nine-step roadmap that includes space for a mission statement, executive summary, situation analysis, key messages, and more.

The key components of this three-page communication template are:

• Executive summary.
• Target audience.
• List of stakeholders.
• Communication medium.
• Competitive analysis like SMART goals.
• Budget plans.
• Situation analysis, including the PESTLE and SWOT analysis.

Documenting details like PESTLE analysis and SWOT analysis will give your internal stakeholders a clear picture.

What I like: I like this template because of its comprehensive communication elements such as key messages, tools, and tactics for communication, budget, and a milestone chart. This chart lists all the tasks, the owner, and due date, which brings transparency to the communication.

6 . Crisis Communication Plan Template

This communication checklist below, by Prezly , gives a great overview of the details of a crisis plan from beginning to end. It can be used as an effective guide when drafting a crisis management strategy.

A crisis communication plan lays out the actions that you need to take before an unlikely event. These actions include scrutiny and legal issues, compliance with regulations, and the necessary escape.

The template also includes the representative who should be a spokesperson for this crisis with additional resources such as press releases or announcements on social media or email.

The template stands out for its simplicity and accessibility in the Excel format, making it customizable. This Prezly crisis template has tabs that segment different phases of crisis: pre-crisis, live crisis, and post-crisis.

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6-Step Guide to Crafting the Perfect Communication Plan

A communication plan is a key to developing an effective and consistent messaging strategy.

It helps guide the process of setting measurable goals for your strategy, profiling your target audience and creating and successfully delivering your message.

What is a Communication Plan

Components of a Communication Plan

Steps to communication planning, step 1 – perform a situation analysis, swot analysis, pest analysis, perceptual map, step 2 – identify and define objectives / goals, step 3 – understand and profile your key audience, step 4 – decide the media channels and create a strategy, step 5 – create a timetable for publishing, step 6 – monitor and evaluate the results, common mistakes to avoid when creating communications plans, faqs about communication plans, what’s your approach to writing a communication plan, what is a communication plan.

A communication plan outlines how teams can communicate important information to key stakeholders. It highlights what information should be shared, when, to which audience and via which channels.

Having a solid communication plan in place will help ensure that the communication objectives of your organization are met and that all assets that you send out are aligned with the core communications strategy of the company.

In marketing and public relations, communication plans are used to plan how important information about products and services will be communicated to target audiences, including customers, clients, media and the general public. Companies also use communication plans to maintain consistent and effective internal communications within the organization. These may include internal newsletters, intranet updates and team Wikis. In project management, communication plans are used to highlight how information will be communicated within teams and relevant stakeholders, throughout the lifecycle of the project. Overall, communications plans offer a structured approach to plan, implement and evaluate communication efforts to optimize the effectiveness of communications.

Use this communication plan template to develop your strategy and deploy it.

Why is a Communication Plan Essential?

Clear communication is the backbone of any successful initiative. A communication plan ensures that everyone is on the same page, reducing the risk of confusion, missed deadlines, and unmet expectations. It fosters trust, ensures transparency, and can be the difference between project success and failure.

Who Should Use a Communication Plan?

A communication plan isn’t just for large corporations or project managers. It’s for anyone aiming to streamline interactions, whether you’re a small business owner, a team leader, or an individual looking to improve personal projects. Understanding your audience and tailoring your communication strategy to them is the first step.

When Should You Implement a Communication Plan?

The best time to implement a communication plan is at the onset of a project or initiative. However, it’s never too late. Whether you’re starting a new project, revamping an old one, or looking to improve ongoing communications, a well-structured plan can make a difference.

Where Does a Communication Plan Apply?

While often associated with business projects, communication plans apply everywhere: from community events, educational programs, to personal projects. Any scenario that requires organized communication can benefit.

Your communications plan should include the following key elements.

1. Target Audience

Who is Your Target Audience? All strategic communications should be directed at a specific audience. Accordingly, the message you send out should be tailored to their level of knowledge, understanding and trust in your brand or organization.

What is the Context of Your Message? The next step is to define the context of your message. Identify key events that may be significant to the audience that you are aiming to reach. The context defines what should be included in the message and how your audience will relate and respond to it.

3. Outcomes

What Do You Aim to Achieve with Your Message? The outcome of your message is the ‘call to action’. Define what people need to know, believe and do after receiving the message. Create a ‘message pyramid’ with an attention grabbing headline, followed by ‘reasons why’ and proof points. This helps the audience understand your core message and then consider the proof points which are relevant to their context, and there by act based on your call-to-action.

Which Media Channels Will You Use? Media are the channels through which your message is communicated. These may vary depending on the content, context and audience of the message. For instance, if you want to reach a younger tech-savvy audience, you may choose a social media platform that may be popular among them.

5. Messengers

How Will You Choose Your Messengers? The primary messenger may not always be the most ‘effective’ messenger. The messenger’s ethos should resonate credibility, status and power, expertise and relationship.

Why do most companies get their CEOs or members of the senior management to conduct new product launches or convey important product information? It is because audiences tend to have confidence in people with big titles who have an influence in the organization. They are also experts in their subject area and have a strong relationship with the company.

6. Measurement

How Will You Measure Success? It is important to cultivate strategies to measure the effectiveness of your communications. Include KPIs for your communication activities and document the results. This also helps build a repository of information which will be useful when planning future communications activities.

Whether you are creating a marketing communication plan or a strategic communication plan, the following steps will help guide you.

Situation analysis helps assess the capabilities of and health of things in an organization. It’s the ideal way to understand the current status of your organization’s communication.

You can gather as much information as needed from conducting an audit .

To gather relevant information from situation analysis, you can consult departmental heads, process owners and other internal staff members.

In a situation analysis, you need to examine both the internal and external environments. To do so, you can use the following tools

You can use a SWOT analysis to examine the strengths and weaknesses within your organization, and opportunities and threats that you can find in your external environment.

With a PEST analysis , you can examine political, environmental, social and technological factors, all of which exist in the external environment of your organization, but can have a significant impact on the way things run in your business.

One good competitor analysis technique is the perceptual map. It helps you make sense of how your customers perceive the brands of your competitors in the market compared to yours.

Once you know where you stand, you can find your direction. The next step is to define your goals.

Think of what outcomes/results you want to achieve from your communication plan. These will become your goal/s as you develop your communication plan.

Make sure that the goals you select are SMART :

Who are you creating this communication plan for? Understanding your audience and their requirements, characteristics etc. is key to creating an effective message and delivering it successfully.

Your key audience could be within your organization or your customers. Either way, you should gather information on them and create simple audience personas.

These personas could include a variety of data that ranges from their age and gender to the challenges they face.

As you conduct research on your target audience you would get to know that their requirements and preferences are diverse.

It’s clear that you won’t be able to reach all of them through one media channel or retain their attention with one type of content.

Consider the most effective channels you can think of when creating your media channel strategy. Make sure to select the ideal channel when you are targeting different audience segments.

When do you want your audience to hear your message and how often? Have a content calendar or create a Gantt chart outlining a timeframe for your publishing strategy.

You may also need to take the resources available to you into consideration. If you have one content writer, publishing quality blog posts on a daily basis would be ineffective.

Constantly monitor and track your results in order to understand whether you are any closer to achieving your goals. If you have failed, proceed to mark it down so you can make necessary improvements next time.

Creating a communication plan for your non profit organization? Check out this resource for some great tips.

Overcomplicating the Plan

Trying to include too many channels or too much information may complicate the plan. This can lead to confusion and dilute the effectiveness of your messaging. Stick only to key messaging and channels that are most effective in reaching and engaging the target audience.

Not Considering the Timing

Timing is crucial in communication planning. It is important to consider the timing of the messaging and ensure that they are aligned with key events or milestones. Don’t send out important communications during periods of high volume or noise, such as during holidays or major news events.

Not Adapting to Changes

Communication plans should be adaptable and flexible to changes in environment or audience. It is important to regularly review and update plans to keep up with emerging trends (to make sure that your plan stays relevant and effective). Failing to adapt to changes may cause missed opportunities and ineffective messaging.

How often should a communications plan be updated?

A communications plan should be updated regularly to reflect changes in the organization’s goals, priorities, audiences, or external environment. The frequency of updates will depend on the pace of change in the organization and the industry. A good rule of thumb is to review the communications plan annually and update it as needed. However, if there are major changes in the organization, such as a merger, acquisition, or crisis, the communications plan should be updated immediately to ensure that communication is timely, accurate, and effective.

How can an organization measure the effectiveness of its communications plan?

An organization can measure the effectiveness of its communications plan by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) related to its communication goals and objectives. These KPIs may include website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, media coverage, customer satisfaction surveys, or sales figures. By tracking these KPIs over time, the organization can assess whether its communication activities are achieving the desired results and make adjustments as needed. It’s important to set realistic goals and benchmarks for each KPI and to ensure that the data is collected consistently and accurately. Additionally, feedback from stakeholders, such as customers, employees, and investors, can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the organization’s communication activities.

A successful communication plan will get your message delivered across to your audience effectively while ensuring that you are on track to accomplishing your business objectives.

Follow the simple steps above to create a winning communication plan. If you have any other tips, do share them with us in the comment section below.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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3 Templates and Examples: Craft an Effective Communication Plan Easily

By Status.net Editorial Team on February 28, 2024 — 28 minutes to read

• Fundamentals of Communication Planning Part 1
• Setting Communication Objectives Part 2
• Small Business Communication Plan Template Part 3
• Example: Small Business Communication Plan Part 4
• Non-Profit Organization Communication Plan Template Part 5
• Example: Non-Profit Organization Communication Plan Part 6
• Corporate Communication Plan Template Part 7
• Corporate Internal Communication Plan Example Part 8
• Implementing the Communication Plan Part 9
• Communication Plan Monitoring and Adjusting Part 10
• Measuring Impact and ROI of a Communication Plan Part 11
• Best Practices for Communication Plans Part 12
• Tips for Maintaining Stakeholder Engagement Part 13
• Frequently Asked Questions Part 14

A well-structured communication plan helps you to ensure that all the pertinent information is relayed to the right stakeholders at the right time. Crafting a detailed communication plan not only helps to avoid miscommunication, but it may also foster deeper connections and support collaboration among team members.

Part 1 Fundamentals of Communication Planning

A well-thought-out communication plan is key to successfully meeting your project goals and objectives. In this section, we will walk you through the essential elements that should be included in your communication plan.

• To begin with, you need to define your communication objectives . This means determining the desired outcomes of your communications, such as raising awareness about a product, informing employees about a change, or motivating your team. Setting clear objectives will help you stay focused on what’s important throughout the project.
• Next, identify your target audience . This means specifying the groups of people who need to be informed or influenced by your communications. Different audiences may require different methods and messages, so it’s important to consider this when crafting your plan.
• Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to map out your key messages . These are the main points you want to convey to your audience. Make sure your messages are clear, concise, and relevant to your audience’s needs and concerns. For example, if you’re informing employees about changes in their work schedule, your key message might be: “We’re shifting to flexible hours to better accommodate your personal lives, and here’s how it will work.”
• Now it’s time to select your communication channels . This involves choosing the medium or platforms that will best reach and engage your target audience. Examples include face-to-face meetings, emails, town halls, or social media. When selecting your channels, consider your audience’s preferences and the nature of the message you want to convey.
• Timing and frequency are significant aspects of a communication plan. You need to plan when you’ll communicate your key messages, and how often you’ll need to update or reinforce them. You might decide, for example, to hold a team meeting on a specific day of the week, or to send out reminders every month.
• Another important element in your communication plan is the responsibility and ownership of your communications. This includes assigning roles and responsibilities to the team members who will be delivering your messages. Make sure to specify who is responsible for writing, reviewing, approving, and distributing your communications.
• Lastly, establish a system for monitoring and measuring the success of your communication plan. This means setting up metrics and gathering data to evaluate the effectiveness of your messages, channels, and timing. By doing so, you can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments as needed.

Part 2 Setting Communication Objectives

Identify target audiences.

When developing a communication plan, it’s important to first identify your target audiences. These groups are the people who will be receiving and acting upon the messages you create in your plan. Consider demographics, psychographics, and any other relevant factors while doing this. For example, if you’re launching a new product, your target audiences might include potential customers, existing customers, and industry influencers.

Outline Key Messages

Next, you’ll want to outline the key messages you want to convey to your target audiences. These messages should be clear, concise, and relevant to each audience. To ensure each message addresses your audience’s needs and concerns, consider using the following structure:

• Problem: Explain the issue or challenge your audience is facing.
• Solution: Describe how your product, service, or initiative can help solve the problem.
• Benefit: Highlight the advantages or value your solution provides.

For instance, if you’re promoting a project management app, a key message for potential customers might be:

• Problem: Managing multiple projects with teams can be chaotic and time-consuming.
• Solution: Our app streamlines project planning and collaboration, making it easier to manage projects and teams.
• Benefit: With our app, you can save time, reduce stress, and boost overall productivity.

Define Success Metrics

Lastly, defining success metrics is an essential part of your communication plan. These metrics are measurable indicators that help you evaluate the effectiveness of your communication efforts. By setting and tracking specific goals, you can continuously refine your communication plan because you’ll know what works and what doesn’t.

Some common success metrics for a communication plan include:

• Increase in website traffic
• Number of new leads or inquiries
• Growth in social media followers
• Improved customer satisfaction ratings
• Sales growth or revenue generation

For example, if your communication plan focuses on promoting a new product, you could set success metrics like: achieve a 15% increase in website traffic, generate 100 new leads, and increase sales by 10% within the first three months.

Communication Plan Templates and Examples

Communication plans are essential tools for creating effective and organized strategies within any company or organization. They facilitate clear communication, alignment of objectives, and smooth collaboration among team members. It’s important to find a template that works best for your company’s specific needs and modify it accordingly. Here are three templates for different types of companies along with examples to help illustrate how to use them.

• Small Business

For small businesses, a simple yet detailed communication plan is important. The main elements to focus on include:

• Communication objectives
• Target audience
• Key messages
• Responsibilities

Part 3 Small Business Communication Plan Template

I. Executive Summary – Brief overview of the communication plan’s purpose and importance for the business.

II. Introduction – Description of the current communication situation and the need for a structured plan.

III. Communication Objectives – Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for the communication plan. Objective 1: Objective 2: Objective 3:

IV. Target Audience – Identification and segmentation of the key audiences for the communication messages. Audience 1: – Demographics: – Psychographics: – Preferred Communication Channels: Audience 2: – Demographics: – Psychographics: – Preferred Communication Channels: Audience 3: – Demographics: – Psychographics: – Preferred Communication Channels:

V. Key Messages – Main points that need to be communicated to each target audience. For Audience 1: – Message 1: – Message 2: For Audience 2: – Message 1: – Message 2: For Audience 3: – Message 1: – Message 2:

VI. Channels – The mediums through which the key messages will be delivered. Offline Channels: – Print Media (Flyers, Posters, etc.) – Events (Workshops, Seminars, etc.) Online Channels: – Email Newsletters – Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) – Company Website/Blog

VII. Timeline – Schedule for when communications will be developed, delivered, and reviewed. Initial Launch: – Date: – Activities: Ongoing Communication: – Frequency: – Activities: Review Points: – Dates: – Evaluation Activities:

VIII. Responsibilities – Roles and responsibilities for each part of the communication process. Strategic Oversight: – Person/Team: Content Creation: – Person/Team: Distribution: – Person/Team: Monitoring and Evaluation: – Person/Team:

IX. Budget – Estimated costs associated with the execution of the communication plan. Development Costs: Distribution Costs: Miscellaneous Costs:

X. Monitoring and Evaluation – Methods and metrics for assessing the effectiveness of the communication efforts. Metrics: – Reach: – Engagement: – Conversion: Evaluation Frequency: Tools for Measurement:

XI. Contingency Plans – Alternate strategies for potential challenges or changes in the communication plan.

XII. Appendices – Any supporting documents or additional information relevant to the communication plan.

Part 4 Example: Small Business Communication Plan

I. Executive Summary – This document outlines the communication strategy for “Fresh & Local Groceries” , a small business focused on providing locally sourced produce to the community.

II. Introduction – “Fresh & Local Groceries” has been experiencing a disconnect in communicating its values and services to potential customers. This plan aims to enhance visibility and customer engagement through targeted communication efforts.

III. Communication Objectives Objective 1: Increase brand awareness within the local community by 25% within the next six months. Objective 2: Grow our email subscriber list by 40% by the end of Q3. Objective 3: Boost customer engagement on social media by 30% in the next quarter.

IV. Target Audience Audience 1: Local Residents – Demographics: Ages 25-45, health-conscious individuals, parents. – Psychographics: Values sustainability, quality produce, community involvement. – Preferred Communication Channels: Social media, community events. Audience 2: Local Businesses – Demographics: Local restaurant owners, cafe operators. – Psychographics: Interested in quality ingredients, reliable suppliers, bulk purchasing. – Preferred Communication Channels: Email, direct meetings, networking events.

V. Key Messages For Audience 1: – Message 1: “Your local source for fresh, organic produce.” – Message 2: “Join our community-focused initiatives and events.” For Audience 2: – Message 1: “Reliable partnerships for sourcing high-quality, local ingredients.” – Message 2: “Support local farming with our business-to-business bulk offers.”

VI. Channels Offline Channels: – Print Media: Monthly flyers in local community centers. – Events: Bi-weekly farmer’s markets, cooking classes. Online Channels: – Email Newsletters: Weekly newsletter with recipes and store updates. – Social Media: Daily posts on Instagram, weekly Facebook live sessions.

VII. Timeline Initial Launch: – Date: April 15, 2024 – Activities: Launch of new Instagram campaign with hashtag #FreshLocalLove. Ongoing Communication: – Frequency: Daily for social media, weekly for newsletters. – Activities: Regular posts, updates, and newsletter content creation. Review Points: – Dates: End of each month for social media, quarterly for email campaigns. – Evaluation Activities: Analytics review, customer feedback surveys.

VIII. Responsibilities Strategic Oversight: – Person/Team: Marketing Manager Content Creation: – Person/Team: Social Media Coordinator, Content Writer Distribution: – Person/Team: Social Media Coordinator, Email Marketing Specialist Monitoring and Evaluation: – Person/Team: Marketing Analyst

IX. Budget Development Costs: $1,000 for content creation tools and software. Distribution Costs: $500 for social media advertising, $200 for email marketing services. Miscellaneous Costs: $300 for unexpected expenses.

X. Monitoring and Evaluation Metrics: – Reach: Number of new followers on social media, email open rates. – Engagement: Likes, comments, shares on social media, click-through rates on emails. – Conversion: Sign-ups for the newsletter, inquiries from local businesses. Evaluation Frequency: Monthly for social media, quarterly for email campaigns. Tools for Measurement: Google Analytics, social media insights, email marketing analytics.

XI. Contingency Plans – Adjust social media ad budget based on performance. – Explore alternative channels such as local radio if the targeted reach is not achieved.

XII. Appendices – A: Social Media Content Calendar – B: Email Newsletter Schedule – C: Flyer and Poster Designs – D: Community Event Calendar

• Non-profit Organization

Non-profit organizations often require clear communication plans to get their message across to their audience and garner support. Key components of a non-profit communication plan include:

• Communication goals
• Monitoring and evaluation

Part 5 Non-Profit Organization Communication Plan Template

I. Executive Summary – A concise summary explaining the purpose and overarching goals of the communication strategy for the non-profit organization.

II. Background – A brief description of the non-profit’s mission, vision, and the role communication plays in achieving its objectives.

III. Communication Goals – Clearly defined goals that the communication efforts aim to achieve, aligned with the organization’s overall mission. Goal 1: Goal 2: Goal 3:

IV. Target Audience – Detailed profiles of the key audience segments the non-profit aims to reach and influence. Audience Segment 1: – Characteristics: – Communication Preferences: Audience Segment 2: – Characteristics: – Communication Preferences: Audience Segment 3: – Characteristics: – Communication Preferences:

V. Key Messages – The core messages that need to be conveyed to each target audience to support the communication goals. For Audience Segment 1: – Key Message 1: – Key Message 2: For Audience Segment 2: – Key Message 1: – Key Message 2: For Audience Segment 3: – Key Message 1: – Key Message 2:

VI. Channels – The communication mediums to be used for message dissemination. Traditional Media: – TV/Radio – Print Media (Brochures, Newsletters) Digital Media: – Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) – Email Campaigns – Organization’s Website/Blog Community Outreach: – Public Speaking Engagements – Community Events and Workshops

VII. Timeline – A detailed schedule for the planning, execution, and review of communication activities. Campaign Launches: – Dates: – Key Activities: Ongoing Activities: – Frequency: – Types of Content: Review and Adjustment Periods: – Dates: – Review Activities:

VIII. Monitoring and Evaluation – Strategies and tools for tracking the effectiveness of communication efforts and making data-driven decisions. Metrics: – Reach and impressions – Engagement rates – Donation or volunteer sign-ups Tools: – Social Media Analytics – Google Analytics – Survey Feedback Reporting Frequency: – Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly (as appropriate)

IX. Roles and Responsibilities – Clear delineation of who is responsible for each component of the communication plan. Strategic Planning: – Assigned Leader/Team: Content Creation and Curation: – Assigned Leader/Team: Distribution and Outreach: – Assigned Leader/Team: Monitoring and Evaluation: – Assigned Leader/Team:

X. Budget – An outline of the projected costs associated with the implementation of the communication plan. Content Development: Channel Utilization: Monitoring Tools: Miscellaneous Expenses:

XI. Approval and Implementation – Steps for plan approval from the organization’s leadership and the process for putting the plan into action.

XII. Appendices – Any supporting documents, additional information, resources, or templates that support the communication plan.

Part 6 Example: Non-Profit Organization Communication Plan

I. Executive Summary – This communication plan outlines the strategy for “Green Future Initiative,” a non-profit focused on environmental preservation, to raise funds for its new “Save the Wetlands” conservation project.

II. Background – “Green Future Initiative” has a mission to protect and restore natural habitats. Communication is a vital tool to mobilize resources and public support for our conservation efforts.

III. Communication Goals Goal 1: Raise $50,000 for the “Save the Wetlands” project within the next four months. Goal 2: Increase awareness about the importance of wetland conservation by reaching 100,000 people through various communication channels. Goal 3: Recruit 200 new volunteers for upcoming conservation events and activities.

IV. Target Audience Potential Donors: – Characteristics: Environmentally conscious individuals, previous donors, philanthropists. – Communication Preferences: Email campaigns, social media updates, direct mail. Community Supporters: – Characteristics: Local community members, schools, environmental groups. – Communication Preferences: Community events, local media, educational workshops.

V. Key Messages For Potential Donors: – Key Message 1: “Your donation helps protect vital ecosystems and combat climate change.” – Key Message 2: “Join us in leaving a lasting legacy of conservation for future generations.” For Community Supporters: – Key Message 1: “Get involved locally to make a global impact on environmental preservation.” – Key Message 2: “Every action counts – volunteer, educate, and help us spread the word.”

VI. Channels Traditional Media: – Press Releases to local newspapers and radio stations. Digital Media: – Social Media Campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. – Monthly Email Newsletters with updates and donation appeals. – Blog Posts on the organization’s website featuring success stories and project impacts. Community Outreach: – Hosting informational booths at local farmers’ markets. – Educational seminars at schools and community centers.

VII. Timeline Campaign Launch: – Date: May 1, 2024 – Key Activities: Kick-off social media campaign, send initial email blast, press release distribution. Ongoing Activities: – Frequency: Weekly social media posts, monthly email newsletters. – Types of Content: Donor spotlights, project updates, volunteer testimonials. Review and Adjustment Periods: – Dates: Bi-monthly reviews on the 15th of each month. – Review Activities: Analyze campaign metrics, adjust strategies as needed.

VIII. Monitoring and Evaluation Metrics: – Fundraising progress towards the $50,000 goal. – Social media engagement and reach. – Email open and click-through rates, number of new newsletter sign-ups. Tools: – Social Media Insights tools. – Email Marketing Software Analytics. – Donation tracking software. Reporting Frequency: – Bi-monthly to coincide with review periods.

IX. Roles and Responsibilities Strategic Planning: – Assigned Leader/Team: Communications Director Content Creation and Curation: – Assigned Leader/Team: Marketing Coordinator, Volunteer Writers Distribution and Outreach: – Assigned Leader/Team: Social Media Manager, Email Marketing Specialist Monitoring and Evaluation: – Assigned Leader/Team: Data Analyst

X. Budget Content Development: $2,000 for professional copywriting and graphic design. Channel Utilization: $1,500 for social media advertising and email marketing platforms. Monitoring Tools: $500 for analytics software subscriptions. Miscellaneous Expenses: $1,000 for unforeseen costs.

XI. Approval and Implementation – The plan will be presented to the Board of Directors on April 15, 2024, for approval. Upon approval, the implementation phase will begin according to the outlined timeline.

XII. Appendices – A: Detailed Social Media Strategy and Calendar – B: Email Newsletter Templates – C: Press Release Template and Media Contact List – D: Community Outreach Schedule and Materials

• Large Corporation

Large corporations usually need comprehensive communication plans that ensure everyone is on the same page. Elements of a corporate communication plan include:

• Stakeholder analysis
• Crisis communication strategies

Part 7 Corporate Communication Plan Template

I. Executive Summary – A brief overview of the communication plan, highlighting its significance and alignment with corporate goals.

II. Introduction – An explanation of the context and need for a structured communication approach within the corporation.

III. Communication Objectives – Clear and measurable objectives that the communication efforts aim to achieve. Objective 1: Objective 2: Objective 3:

IV. Stakeholder Analysis – Identification and categorization of all stakeholders relevant to the corporation’s communication efforts. Internal Stakeholders: – Employees – Management – Board Members External Stakeholders: – Customers/Clients – Suppliers – Media – Investors – Community

V. Key Messages – Central themes and information points that need to be consistently communicated to stakeholders. For Internal Stakeholders: – Message 1: – Message 2: For External Stakeholders: – Message 1: – Message 2:

VI. Channels – The mediums through which the corporation will deliver its key messages. Internal Channels: – Intranet – Email Bulletins – Town Hall Meetings External Channels: – Press Releases – Corporate Website – Social Media Platforms – Public Relations Events

VII. Timeline – A schedule detailing when and how communication activities will be carried out. Initial Rollout: – Date: – Activities: Ongoing Communication: – Frequency: – Activities: Milestone Reviews: – Dates: – Review Activities:

VIII. Responsibilities – Allocation of roles and duties to team members for executing the communication plan. Strategic Planning: – Person/Team: Content Development: – Person/Team: Message Distribution: – Person/Team: Monitoring and Feedback: – Person/Team:

IX. Crisis Communication Strategies – Predefined actions and protocols for managing communication during potential crises. Crisis Identification: – Signals and Triggers: Crisis Communication Team: – Roles and Contact Information: Key Messages During Crisis: – For Employees: – For Media: – For Other Stakeholders: Communication Channels for Crisis: – Primary: – Secondary:

X. Monitoring and Evaluation – Methods for assessing the effectiveness of the communication efforts and making necessary adjustments. Metrics: – Employee engagement levels – Media coverage quality and sentiment – Social media analytics Evaluation Tools: – Surveys – Media Monitoring Software – Social Media Listening Tools

XI. Appendices – Any additional documents, guidelines, or resources that support the communication plan

Part 8 Corporate Internal Communication Plan Example

I. Executive Summary – (Summary of the plan’s purpose, which is to enhance internal communication and collaboration through the implementation of a project management tool.)

II. Introduction – (Explanation of the current state of internal communication and the need for improved processes and tools to facilitate better teamwork and project tracking.)

III. Communication Objectives Objective 1: Achieve 100% team member adoption of the project management tool within two months of rollout. Objective 2: Reduce email reliance for project updates by 50% within three months. Objective 3: Increase project delivery efficiency by 20% within six months as measured by project completion rates and stakeholder feedback.

IV. Stakeholder Analysis Internal Stakeholders: – Employees: All levels of staff who will be using the project management tool. – Management: Supervisors and managers who will oversee and track project progress. – IT Department: Support staff responsible for implementing and maintaining the tool.

V. Key Messages For All Employees: – Message 1: “The new project management tool will streamline our workflows and enhance collaboration.” – Message 2: “Comprehensive training and support will be provided to ensure a smooth transition.” For Management: – Message 1: “Real-time project tracking will provide better oversight and resource allocation.” – Message 2: “Your leadership is key to the successful adoption of the project management tool.”

VI. Channels Internal Channels: – Intranet Announcements – Email Bulletins with progress updates and tips – Training Workshops and Webinars – Q&A Sessions and Feedback Forums

VII. Timeline Tool Launch: – Date: August 1, 2024 – Activities: Initial tool training session, access provision to all team members. Ongoing Communication: – Frequency: Weekly updates, monthly training refreshers, quarterly feedback collection. – Activities: Progress tracking, success stories sharing, addressing questions and concerns. Milestone Reviews: – Dates: End of each month for the first three months, then quarterly. – Review Activities: Assess tool adoption rates, survey employees for feedback, adjust training as needed.

VIII. Responsibilities Strategic Planning: – Person/Team: Internal Communications Manager Content Development and Training: – Person/Team: HR and IT Department Collaborative Effort Message Distribution: – Person/Team: Departmental Team Leaders Monitoring and Feedback: – Person/Team: Project Management Tool Implementation Committee

IX. Crisis Communication Strategies Crisis Identification: – Signals and Triggers: Low adoption rates, negative feedback, technical issues with the tool. Crisis Communication Team: – Roles and Contact Information: Internal Communications Manager, IT Support Lead. Key Messages During Crisis: – For Employees: “We are aware of the issues with the tool and are working diligently to resolve them.” Communication Channels for Crisis: – Primary: Intranet, direct emails. – Secondary: Impromptu meetings or conference calls if needed.

X. Monitoring and Evaluation Metrics: – User login and activity rates in the project management tool. – Reduction in project-related email traffic. – Feedback from employee satisfaction surveys regarding internal communication. Evaluation Tools: – Project management tool analytics. – Internal survey tools. – Email analytics for tracking communication volume.

XI. Appendices – A: Project Management Tool User Guide – B: Training Workshop Schedule – C: FAQ Document for Tool Implementation – D: Feedback Form Template

Part 9 Implementing the Communication Plan

Action plan and timeline.

To effectively implement your communication plan, it’s important to create an action plan and timeline . This will help you structure your project in a way that ensures your objectives will be achieved. Start by breaking down your goals into smaller tasks or steps, and determine the deadlines for each task.

For example, suppose your goal is to launch a new marketing campaign. Your action plan might include:

• Researching your target audience (by March 10th)
• Creating marketing materials (by March 20th)
• Distributing materials (by March 25th)
• Monitoring responses (from March 25th to April 10th)

Having a clear timeline allows you to stay on track with your project, and it provides a useful reference for you to update your stakeholders on the progress of the communication plan at any given time.

Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

Another crucial aspect of implementing the plan is assigning roles and responsibilities to your team members. Determine who is best suited for each aspect of the plan and delegate the tasks accordingly.

• Identify the desired outcomes for each project/task
• List the skills and resources needed to achieve those outcomes
• Match team members based on their skills, expertise, and availability

For example, in the marketing campaign mentioned earlier, you might assign roles like this:

• Research: marketing analysts
• Creating materials: graphic designers and copywriters
• Distribution: social media managers and email marketing specialists
• Monitoring: data analysts

By doing so, you ensure that everyone understands their part in the project and can focus on their assigned responsibilities. This also makes it easier for you to track and manage progress on each aspect of the communication plan, leading to a smoother and more efficient implementation overall.

Part 10 Communication Plan Monitoring and Adjusting

In a well-structured communication plan, it’s important to regularly monitor progress and make adjustments as needed. This is where the “Monitoring and Adjusting” section comes into play. By keeping an eye on the implementation of your plan and gathering feedback, you can refine your approach and maximize effectiveness.

Feedback Mechanisms

To ensure your communication plan is on the right track, you’ll need to establish feedback mechanisms. These help you understand if your messages are well-received or if they need adjustments. Some options for gathering feedback include:

• Surveys or questionnaires
• Focus groups with your target audience
• Observations of communication in action
• Social media monitoring and analytics

By using these tools, you’ll identify areas where your communication plan could be more effective. Keep in mind that understanding your audience’s needs, preferences, and concerns is key to effectively adjusting your strategy.

Iterative Process

Your communication plan is an evolving document. As you gather feedback and learn more about your audience, you should be open to making changes. This continuous improvement is essential for achieving your goals. Here’s how you can implement iterative improvements:

• Monitor the effectiveness of your communication channels and tactics.
• Identify areas where your plan can be improved, and prioritize these improvements.
• Make adjustments to your plan based on the data you’ve gathered.
• Continue monitoring your plan’s effectiveness and make changes when necessary.

Embracing this iterative process is important, as it helps you stay flexible and adapt your approach as needed. By continuously refining your communication plan, you’re better equipped to reach your objectives and maintain a strong connection with your audience.

Part 11 Measuring Impact and ROI of a Communication Plan

In order to gauge how effective your communication plan is, it’s important to conduct accurate measurement and analysis. This section discusses two key methods for evaluating the success of your plan: quantitative analysis and qualitative insights.

Quantitative Analysis

When it comes to measuring the impact of your communication plan, numerical data can provide valuable insights. You may want to consider tracking metrics such as:

• Engagement : Track the number of likes, shares, comments, and click-throughs on your content.
• Reach : Measure how many people your messages are reaching by monitoring the total number of impressions or views.
• Conversion : Assess how well your communication plan is driving users to take desired actions, like signing up for newsletters, making purchases, or registering for events.
• Retention : Examine if your messages are keeping your audience engaged and invested by reviewing metrics like repeat visits or subscriptions.

For example, if you’re using social media to communicate with your customers, look at the engagement rate of your posts. This can help you determine which types of content resonate the most with your audience and how well your communication strategy is performing overall.

Qualitative Insights

While quantitative data is crucial for understanding the impact of your communication plan, it’s also important to gather qualitative feedback. This means collecting opinions, thoughts, and experiences from your target audience. Some ways you can gather this information include:

• Surveys: Send out surveys or questionnaires to your audience to gather their thoughts on your communication efforts.
• Focus groups: Organize a focus group with a representative sample of your target audience and facilitate a discussion on your communication plan.
• User tests: Invite users to test your communication materials or channels and provide feedback on their experiences.

For instance, you may conduct a survey asking your employees about their experiences with your internal communication tools. By understanding their experiences and preferences, you can improve your communication plan to better serve their needs.

Measuring the impact and ROI of your communication plan is essential in ensuring its effectiveness. By using both quantitative analysis and qualitative insights, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of how well your plan is performing and how to improve it for greater success.

Part 12 Best Practices for Communication Plans

When creating a communication plan, it’s important to consider some best practices to ensure that your plan is effective and reaches its intended audience. Below are a few key points to keep in mind:

• Goals and Objectives : Clearly define your communication goals and objectives. Be specific about what you want to achieve and how you plan on measuring success. For example, if your objective is to increase team engagement, consider using metrics such as response rates or participation in events to determine if your plan is successful.
• Know Your Audience : It’s important to consider who your target audience is so that you can tailor your messages accordingly. Make sure to understand their needs, preferences, and communication channels because audience plays a crucial role in determining how effective your plan will be.
• Prioritize Messages: Determine which messages are most important or relevant to your audience. Having clear priorities for the topics and key messages you want to communicate will help ensure that the most important information is conveyed effectively.
• Choose the Right Channels: Use the appropriate channels to reach your target audience. This could include email, internal platforms, face-to-face meetings, or social media platforms, depending on your audience and objectives. Be sure to consider their familiarity and comfort level with the selected channels.
• Clear and Concise Messaging: Keep your messages simple, easy to understand and to the point. Avoid using complex language or jargon that may be confusing to your audience. Clear communication is essential for conveying the most important information.
• Create a Timeline: Develop a timeline to plan and schedule your communication activities. This will help ensure that communications are consistent and messages don’t get lost in the shuffle. Include key dates, milestones and desired outcomes on the timeline to keep everyone informed.
• Be Flexible and Adaptable: While it’s important to have a plan, be prepared to adjust your approach if necessary. Be willing to adapt and change your communication strategy if it’s not meeting your objectives. Keep an open mind and be receptive to feedback from your audience.
• Evaluate and Improve: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your communication plan by measuring its success against your objectives. Use the insights gathered to refine your approach and make improvements as needed. Learning from your successes and failures will ensure that your communication plan continues to evolve and improve.

Part 13 Tips for Maintaining Stakeholder Engagement

To ensure the success of your communication plan, it’s important to maintain stakeholder engagement throughout the process. Here are some tips to help you achieve this goal.

First, create a list of all stakeholders involved in the project. Being aware of who they are and their roles will help you tailor your communication strategies accordingly. For example, if you’re working with a branding team, consider holding regular meetings to provide updates on the latest designs and their impact on the project.

When communicating with stakeholders, make sure to be transparent and open. This means being honest about the project’s progress as well as any obstacles or challenges you may face along the way. By maintaining transparency, you can build trust with stakeholders and effectively manage their expectations.

To further boost stakeholder engagement, consider using a variety of communication channels. You might use different channels depending on the information being shared, the urgency of the message or the preferences of your stakeholders. Examples of effective communication channels include:

• Newsletters
• Social media platforms
• Instant messaging tools
• Video conferencing

In addition, give your stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on the project’s progress. This can be done through meetings or online surveys, for example. By opening up lines of communication and actively seeking their input, you demonstrate your commitment to collaboration and partnership.

Another important aspect of maintaining stakeholder engagement is providing regular updates on the project’s progress. Schedule periodic status updates, which allow stakeholders to see the current state of the project and understand any changes that have occurred. Be sure to emphasize accomplishments as well as challenges, because highlighting both will offer a balanced view of the project’s development.

Lastly, show appreciation and recognition for your stakeholders’ time and effort. This doesn’t have to be an extravagant gesture, a simple thank you email or acknowledging their contributions in a meeting can go a long way. By expressing gratitude and acknowledging their hard work, you can foster a positive working relationship that benefits everyone involved.

Maintaining stakeholder engagement in your communication plan is vital to ensuring project success. By incorporating these tips into your strategy, you can effectively keep your stakeholders informed, involved, and committed to the project’s objectives.

Part 14 Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key elements to include in a communication plan.

A communication plan should include the following key elements:

• Goals and objectives: Clearly define the purpose of your communication efforts, outlining your desired outcomes.
• Target audience: Identify your intended recipients, understanding their needs and preferences.
• Key messages: Determine what information you want to convey, ensuring it is clear and concise.
• Communication channels: Choose the most effective means for delivering your messages, such as email, social media, or in-person meetings.
• Timelines and milestones: Establish a schedule for your communication activities, setting deadlines for important tasks.
• Resources and budget: Assess the financial and human resources available to support your communication efforts.
• Measurement and evaluation: Set criteria for tracking progress, and be ready to adjust your plan as needed.

Can you provide an outline for constructing an effective communication strategy?

Here’s a simple outline to help you construct an effective communication strategy:

• Establish your goals and objectives.
• Identify your target audience.
• Develop key messages tailored to your audience.
• Select appropriate communication channels.
• Create a timeline and milestones for your communication activities.
• Allocate the necessary resources and budget.
• Monitor progress and measure success, modifying the plan as necessary.

How do I tailor a communication plan to suit my organization’s needs?

To create a communication plan that addresses your organization’s unique needs, consider the following steps:

• Assess your organization’s values, mission, and objectives.
• Identify your communication goals, aligning them with your organizational objectives.
• Understand your target audience, considering their communication preferences and needs.
• Develop key messages that resonate with your audience and reflect your organization’s values.
• Choose communication channels that are best suited for your audience and message.
• Create a schedule for your communication activities, ensuring it aligns with your organization’s timeline.
• Evaluate success regularly, adapting the plan to meet changing needs and opportunities.

How can different types of communication plans be applied to various projects?

Different types of communication plans can be adapted to fit different project requirements. For example:

• Internal communication plans can be tailored to the specific needs of your team, focusing on improving communication within your organization.
• Crisis communication plans can be designed to address potential challenges and unexpected situations, guiding your team’s response during a crisis.
• Marketing communication plans can be developed to promote your product or service, shaping public perception and driving sales.
• Stakeholder communication plans can be customized to address the diverse interests of various stakeholders, ensuring transparent and open communication between your organization and these key groups.

The key to creating a successful communication plan is to understand the unique needs of your project and tailor the plan to meet those needs.

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How to Write a Business Plan in 9 Steps (+ Template and Examples)

Every successful business has one thing in common, a good and well-executed business plan. A business plan is more than a document, it is a complete guide that outlines the goals your business wants to achieve, including its financial goals . It helps you analyze results, make strategic decisions, show your business operations and growth.

If you want to start a business or already have one and need to pitch it to investors for funding, writing a good business plan improves your chances of attracting financiers. As a startup, if you want to secure loans from financial institutions, part of the requirements involve submitting your business plan.

Writing a business plan does not have to be a complicated or time-consuming process. In this article, you will learn the step-by-step process for writing a successful business plan.

You will also learn what you need a business plan for, tips and strategies for writing a convincing business plan, business plan examples and templates that will save you tons of time, and the alternatives to the traditional business plan.

Let’s get started.

What Do You Need A Business Plan For?

Businesses create business plans for different purposes such as to secure funds, monitor business growth, measure your marketing strategies, and measure your business success.

1. Secure Funds

One of the primary reasons for writing a business plan is to secure funds, either from financial institutions/agencies or investors.

For you to effectively acquire funds, your business plan must contain the key elements of your business plan . For example, your business plan should include your growth plans, goals you want to achieve, and milestones you have recorded.

A business plan can also attract new business partners that are willing to contribute financially and intellectually. If you are writing a business plan to a bank, your project must show your traction , that is, the proof that you can pay back any loan borrowed.

Also, if you are writing to an investor, your plan must contain evidence that you can effectively utilize the funds you want them to invest in your business. Here, you are using your business plan to persuade a group or an individual that your business is a source of a good investment.

2. Monitor Business Growth

A business plan can help you track cash flows in your business. It steers your business to greater heights. A business plan capable of tracking business growth should contain:

• The business goals
• Methods to achieve the goals
• Time-frame for attaining those goals

A good business plan should guide you through every step in achieving your goals. It can also track the allocation of assets to every aspect of the business. You can tell when you are spending more than you should on a project.

You can compare a business plan to a written GPS. It helps you manage your business and hints at the right time to expand your business.

3. Measure Business Success

A business plan can help you measure your business success rate. Some small-scale businesses are thriving better than more prominent companies because of their track record of success.

Right from the onset of your business operation, set goals and work towards them. Write a plan to guide you through your procedures. Use your plan to measure how much you have achieved and how much is left to attain.

You can also weigh your success by monitoring the position of your brand relative to competitors. On the other hand, a business plan can also show you why you have not achieved a goal. It can tell if you have elapsed the time frame you set to attain a goal.

4. Document Your Marketing Strategies

You can use a business plan to document your marketing plans. Every business should have an effective marketing plan.

Competition mandates every business owner to go the extraordinary mile to remain relevant in the market. Your business plan should contain your marketing strategies that work. You can measure the success rate of your marketing plans.

In your business plan, your marketing strategy must answer the questions:

• How do you want to reach your target audience?
• How do you plan to retain your customers?
• What is/are your pricing plans?
• What is your budget for marketing?

How to Write a Business Plan Step-by-Step

1. create your executive summary.

The executive summary is a snapshot of your business or a high-level overview of your business purposes and plans . Although the executive summary is the first section in your business plan, most people write it last. The length of the executive summary is not more than two pages.

Generally, there are nine sections in a business plan, the executive summary should condense essential ideas from the other eight sections.

A good executive summary should do the following:

• A Snapshot of Growth Potential. Briefly inform the reader about your company and why it will be successful)
• Contain your Mission Statement which explains what the main objective or focus of your business is.
• Product Description and Differentiation. Brief description of your products or services and why it is different from other solutions in the market.
• The Team. Basic information about your company’s leadership team and employees
• Business Concept. A solid description of what your business does.
• Target Market. The customers you plan to sell to.
• Marketing Strategy. Your plans on reaching and selling to your customers
• Current Financial State. Brief information about what revenue your business currently generates.
• Projected Financial State. Brief information about what you foresee your business revenue to be in the future.

The executive summary is the make-or-break section of your business plan. If your summary cannot in less than two pages cannot clearly describe how your business will solve a particular problem of your target audience and make a profit, your business plan is set on a faulty foundation.

Avoid using the executive summary to hype your business, instead, focus on helping the reader understand the what and how of your plan.

View the executive summary as an opportunity to introduce your vision for your company. You know your executive summary is powerful when it can answer these key questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• What sector or industry are you in?
• What are your products and services?
• What is the future of your industry?
• Is your company scaleable?
• Who are the owners and leaders of your company? What are their backgrounds and experience levels?
• What is the motivation for starting your company?
• What are the next steps?

Writing the executive summary last although it is the most important section of your business plan is an excellent idea. The reason why is because it is a high-level overview of your business plan. It is the section that determines whether potential investors and lenders will read further or not.

The executive summary can be a stand-alone document that covers everything in your business plan. It is not uncommon for investors to request only the executive summary when evaluating your business. If the information in the executive summary impresses them, they will ask for the complete business plan.

If you are writing your business plan for your planning purposes, you do not need to write the executive summary.

2. Add Your Company Overview

The company overview or description is the next section in your business plan after the executive summary. It describes what your business does.

Adding your company overview can be tricky especially when your business is still in the planning stages. Existing businesses can easily summarize their current operations but may encounter difficulties trying to explain what they plan to become.

Your company overview should contain the following:

• What products and services you will provide
• Geographical markets and locations your company have a presence
• What you need to run your business
• Who your target audience or customers are
• Who will service your customers
• Your company’s purpose, mission, and vision
• Information about your company’s founders
• Who the founders are
• Notable achievements of your company so far

When creating a company overview, you have to focus on three basics: identifying your industry, identifying your customer, and explaining the problem you solve.

If you are stuck when creating your company overview, try to answer some of these questions that pertain to you.

• Who are you targeting? (The answer is not everyone)
• What pain point does your product or service solve for your customers that they will be willing to spend money on resolving?
• How does your product or service overcome that pain point?
• Where is the location of your business?
• What products, equipment, and services do you need to run your business?
• How is your company’s product or service different from your competition in the eyes of your customers?
• How many employees do you need and what skills do you require them to have?

After answering some or all of these questions, you will get more than enough information you need to write your company overview or description section. When writing this section, describe what your company does for your customers.

The company description or overview section contains three elements: mission statement, history, and objectives.

• Mission Statement

The mission statement refers to the reason why your business or company is existing. It goes beyond what you do or sell, it is about the ‘why’. A good mission statement should be emotional and inspirational.

Your mission statement should follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid). For example, Shopify’s mission statement is “Make commerce better for everyone.”

When describing your company’s history, make it simple and avoid the temptation of tying it to a defensive narrative. Write it in the manner you would a profile. Your company’s history should include the following information:

• Founding Date
• Major Milestones
• Location(s)
• Flagship Products or Services
• Number of Employees
• Executive Leadership Roles

When you fill in this information, you use it to write one or two paragraphs about your company’s history.

Business Objectives

Your business objective must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.) Failure to clearly identify your business objectives does not inspire confidence and makes it hard for your team members to work towards a common purpose.

3. Perform Market and Competitive Analyses to Proof a Big Enough Business Opportunity

The third step in writing a business plan is the market and competitive analysis section. Every business, no matter the size, needs to perform comprehensive market and competitive analyses before it enters into a market.

Performing market and competitive analyses are critical for the success of your business. It helps you avoid entering the right market with the wrong product, or vice versa. Anyone reading your business plans, especially financiers and financial institutions will want to see proof that there is a big enough business opportunity you are targeting.

This section is where you describe the market and industry you want to operate in and show the big opportunities in the market that your business can leverage to make a profit. If you noticed any unique trends when doing your research, show them in this section.

Market analysis alone is not enough, you have to add competitive analysis to strengthen this section. There are already businesses in the industry or market, how do you plan to take a share of the market from them?

You have to clearly illustrate the competitive landscape in your business plan. Are there areas your competitors are doing well? Are there areas where they are not doing so well? Show it.

Make it clear in this section why you are moving into the industry and what weaknesses are present there that you plan to explain. How are your competitors going to react to your market entry? How do you plan to get customers? Do you plan on taking your competitors' competitors, tap into other sources for customers, or both?

Illustrate the competitive landscape as well. What are your competitors doing well and not so well?

Answering these questions and thoughts will aid your market and competitive analysis of the opportunities in your space. Depending on how sophisticated your industry is, or the expectations of your financiers, you may need to carry out a more comprehensive market and competitive analysis to prove that big business opportunity.

Instead of looking at the market and competitive analyses as one entity, separating them will make the research even more comprehensive.

Market Analysis

Market analysis, boarding speaking, refers to research a business carried out on its industry, market, and competitors. It helps businesses gain a good understanding of their target market and the outlook of their industry. Before starting a company, it is vital to carry out market research to find out if the market is viable.

The market analysis section is a key part of the business plan. It is the section where you identify who your best clients or customers are. You cannot omit this section, without it your business plan is incomplete.

A good market analysis will tell your readers how you fit into the existing market and what makes you stand out. This section requires in-depth research, it will probably be the most time-consuming part of the business plan to write.

• Market Research

To create a compelling market analysis that will win over investors and financial institutions, you have to carry out thorough market research . Your market research should be targeted at your primary target market for your products or services. Here is what you want to find out about your target market.

• Your target market’s needs or pain points
• The existing solutions for their pain points
• Geographic Location
• Demographics

The purpose of carrying out a marketing analysis is to get all the information you need to show that you have a solid and thorough understanding of your target audience.

Only after you have fully understood the people you plan to sell your products or services to, can you evaluate correctly if your target market will be interested in your products or services.

You can easily convince interested parties to invest in your business if you can show them you thoroughly understand the market and show them that there is a market for your products or services.

How to Quantify Your Target Market

One of the goals of your marketing research is to understand who your ideal customers are and their purchasing power. To quantify your target market, you have to determine the following:

• Your Potential Customers: They are the people you plan to target. For example, if you sell accounting software for small businesses , then anyone who runs an enterprise or large business is unlikely to be your customers. Also, individuals who do not have a business will most likely not be interested in your product.
• Total Households: If you are selling household products such as heating and air conditioning systems, determining the number of total households is more important than finding out the total population in the area you want to sell to. The logic is simple, people buy the product but it is the household that uses it.
• Median Income: You need to know the median income of your target market. If you target a market that cannot afford to buy your products and services, your business will not last long.
• Income by Demographics: If your potential customers belong to a certain age group or gender, determining income levels by demographics is necessary. For example, if you sell men's clothes, your target audience is men.

What Does a Good Market Analysis Entail?

Your business does not exist on its own, it can only flourish within an industry and alongside competitors. Market analysis takes into consideration your industry, target market, and competitors. Understanding these three entities will drastically improve your company’s chances of success.

You can view your market analysis as an examination of the market you want to break into and an education on the emerging trends and themes in that market. Good market analyses include the following:

• Industry Description. You find out about the history of your industry, the current and future market size, and who the largest players/companies are in your industry.
• Overview of Target Market. You research your target market and its characteristics. Who are you targeting? Note, it cannot be everyone, it has to be a specific group. You also have to find out all information possible about your customers that can help you understand how and why they make buying decisions.
• Size of Target Market: You need to know the size of your target market, how frequently they buy, and the expected quantity they buy so you do not risk overproducing and having lots of bad inventory. Researching the size of your target market will help you determine if it is big enough for sustained business or not.
• Growth Potential: Before picking a target market, you want to be sure there are lots of potential for future growth. You want to avoid going for an industry that is declining slowly or rapidly with almost zero growth potential.
• Market Share Potential: Does your business stand a good chance of taking a good share of the market?
• Market Pricing and Promotional Strategies: Your market analysis should give you an idea of the price point you can expect to charge for your products and services. Researching your target market will also give you ideas of pricing strategies you can implement to break into the market or to enjoy maximum profits.
• Potential Barriers to Entry: One of the biggest benefits of conducting market analysis is that it shows you every potential barrier to entry your business will likely encounter. It is a good idea to discuss potential barriers to entry such as changing technology. It informs readers of your business plan that you understand the market.
• Research on Competitors: You need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and how you can exploit them for the benefit of your business. Find patterns and trends among your competitors that make them successful, discover what works and what doesn’t, and see what you can do better.

The market analysis section is not just for talking about your target market, industry, and competitors. You also have to explain how your company can fill the hole you have identified in the market.

Here are some questions you can answer that can help you position your product or service in a positive light to your readers.

• Is your product or service of superior quality?
• What additional features do you offer that your competitors do not offer?
• Are you targeting a ‘new’ market?

Basically, your market analysis should include an analysis of what already exists in the market and an explanation of how your company fits into the market.

Competitive Analysis

In the competitive analysis section, y ou have to understand who your direct and indirect competitions are, and how successful they are in the marketplace. It is the section where you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, the advantage(s) they possess in the market and show the unique features or qualities that make you different from your competitors.

Many businesses do market analysis and competitive analysis together. However, to fully understand what the competitive analysis entails, it is essential to separate it from the market analysis.

Competitive analysis for your business can also include analysis on how to overcome barriers to entry in your target market.

The primary goal of conducting a competitive analysis is to distinguish your business from your competitors. A strong competitive analysis is essential if you want to convince potential funding sources to invest in your business. You have to show potential investors and lenders that your business has what it takes to compete in the marketplace successfully.

Competitive analysis will s how you what the strengths of your competition are and what they are doing to maintain that advantage.

When doing your competitive research, you first have to identify your competitor and then get all the information you can about them. The idea of spending time to identify your competitor and learn everything about them may seem daunting but it is well worth it.

Find answers to the following questions after you have identified who your competitors are.

• What are your successful competitors doing?
• Why is what they are doing working?
• Can your business do it better?
• What are the weaknesses of your successful competitors?
• What are they not doing well?
• Can your business turn its weaknesses into strengths?
• How good is your competitors’ customer service?
• Where do your competitors invest in advertising?
• What sales and pricing strategies are they using?
• What marketing strategies are they using?
• What kind of press coverage do they get?
• What are their customers saying about your competitors (both the positive and negative)?

If your competitors have a website, it is a good idea to visit their websites for more competitors’ research. Check their “About Us” page for more information.

If you are presenting your business plan to investors, you need to clearly distinguish yourself from your competitors. Investors can easily tell when you have not properly researched your competitors.

Take time to think about what unique qualities or features set you apart from your competitors. If you do not have any direct competition offering your product to the market, it does not mean you leave out the competitor analysis section blank. Instead research on other companies that are providing a similar product, or whose product is solving the problem your product solves.

The next step is to create a table listing the top competitors you want to include in your business plan. Ensure you list your business as the last and on the right. What you just created is known as the competitor analysis table.

Direct vs Indirect Competition

You cannot know if your product or service will be a fit for your target market if you have not understood your business and the competitive landscape.

There is no market you want to target where you will not encounter competition, even if your product is innovative. Including competitive analysis in your business plan is essential.

If you are entering an established market, you need to explain how you plan to differentiate your products from the available options in the market. Also, include a list of few companies that you view as your direct competitors The competition you face in an established market is your direct competition.

In situations where you are entering a market with no direct competition, it does not mean there is no competition there. Consider your indirect competition that offers substitutes for the products or services you offer.

For example, if you sell an innovative SaaS product, let us say a project management software , a company offering time management software is your indirect competition.

There is an easy way to find out who your indirect competitors are in the absence of no direct competitors. You simply have to research how your potential customers are solving the problems that your product or service seeks to solve. That is your direct competition.

Factors that Differentiate Your Business from the Competition

There are three main factors that any business can use to differentiate itself from its competition. They are cost leadership, product differentiation, and market segmentation.

1. Cost Leadership

A strategy you can impose to maximize your profits and gain an edge over your competitors. It involves offering lower prices than what the majority of your competitors are offering.

A common practice among businesses looking to enter into a market where there are dominant players is to use free trials or pricing to attract as many customers as possible to their offer.

2. Product Differentiation

Your product or service should have a unique selling proposition (USP) that your competitors do not have or do not stress in their marketing.

Part of the marketing strategy should involve making your products unique and different from your competitors. It does not have to be different from your competitors, it can be the addition to a feature or benefit that your competitors do not currently have.

3. Market Segmentation

As a new business seeking to break into an industry, you will gain more success from focusing on a specific niche or target market, and not the whole industry.

If your competitors are focused on a general need or target market, you can differentiate yourself from them by having a small and hyper-targeted audience. For example, if your competitors are selling men’s clothes in their online stores , you can sell hoodies for men.

4. Define Your Business and Management Structure

The next step in your business plan is your business and management structure. It is the section where you describe the legal structure of your business and the team running it.

Your business is only as good as the management team that runs it, while the management team can only strive when there is a proper business and management structure in place.

If your company is a sole proprietor or a limited liability company (LLC), a general or limited partnership, or a C or an S corporation, state it clearly in this section.

Use an organizational chart to show the management structure in your business. Clearly show who is in charge of what area in your company. It is where you show how each key manager or team leader’s unique experience can contribute immensely to the success of your company. You can also opt to add the resumes and CVs of the key players in your company.

The business and management structure section should show who the owner is, and other owners of the businesses (if the business has other owners). For businesses or companies with multiple owners, include the percent ownership of the various owners and clearly show the extent of each others’ involvement in the company.

Investors want to know who is behind the company and the team running it to determine if it has the right management to achieve its set goals.

Management Team

The management team section is where you show that you have the right team in place to successfully execute the business operations and ideas. Take time to create the management structure for your business. Think about all the important roles and responsibilities that you need managers for to grow your business.

Include brief bios of each key team member and ensure you highlight only the relevant information that is needed. If your team members have background industry experience or have held top positions for other companies and achieved success while filling that role, highlight it in this section.

A common mistake that many startups make is assigning C-level titles such as (CMO and CEO) to everyone on their team. It is unrealistic for a small business to have those titles. While it may look good on paper for the ego of your team members, it can prevent investors from investing in your business.

Instead of building an unrealistic management structure that does not fit your business reality, it is best to allow business titles to grow as the business grows. Starting everyone at the top leaves no room for future change or growth, which is bad for productivity.

Your management team does not have to be complete before you start writing your business plan. You can have a complete business plan even when there are managerial positions that are empty and need filling.

If you have management gaps in your team, simply show the gaps and indicate you are searching for the right candidates for the role(s). Investors do not expect you to have a full management team when you are just starting your business.

Key Questions to Answer When Structuring Your Management Team

• Who are the key leaders?
• What experiences, skills, and educational backgrounds do you expect your key leaders to have?
• Do your key leaders have industry experience?
• What positions will they fill and what duties will they perform in those positions?
• What level of authority do the key leaders have and what are their responsibilities?
• What is the salary for the various management positions that will attract the ideal candidates?

Additional Tips for Writing the Management Structure Section

1. Avoid Adding ‘Ghost’ Names to Your Management Team

There is always that temptation to include a ‘ghost’ name to your management team to attract and influence investors to invest in your business. Although the presence of these celebrity management team members may attract the attention of investors, it can cause your business to lose any credibility if you get found out.

Seasoned investors will investigate further the members of your management team before committing fully to your business If they find out that the celebrity name used does not play any actual role in your business, they will not invest and may write you off as dishonest.

2. Focus on Credentials But Pay Extra Attention to the Roles

Investors want to know the experience that your key team members have to determine if they can successfully reach the company’s growth and financial goals.

While it is an excellent boost for your key management team to have the right credentials, you also want to pay extra attention to the roles they will play in your company.

Organizational Chart

Adding an organizational chart in this section of your business plan is not necessary, you can do it in your business plan’s appendix.

If you are exploring funding options, it is not uncommon to get asked for your organizational chart. The function of an organizational chart goes beyond raising money, you can also use it as a useful planning tool for your business.

An organizational chart can help you identify how best to structure your management team for maximum productivity and point you towards key roles you need to fill in the future.

You can use the organizational chart to show your company’s internal management structure such as the roles and responsibilities of your management team, and relationships that exist between them.

5. Describe Your Product and Service Offering

In your business plan, you have to describe what you sell or the service you plan to offer. It is the next step after defining your business and management structure. The products and services section is where you sell the benefits of your business.

Here you have to explain how your product or service will benefit your customers and describe your product lifecycle. It is also the section where you write down your plans for intellectual property like patent filings and copyrighting.

The research and development that you are undertaking for your product or service need to be explained in detail in this section. However, do not get too technical, sell the general idea and its benefits.

If you have any diagrams or intricate designs of your product or service, do not include them in the products and services section. Instead, leave them for the addendum page. Also, if you are leaving out diagrams or designs for the addendum, ensure you add this phrase “For more detail, visit the addendum Page #.”

Your product and service section in your business plan should include the following:

• A detailed explanation that clearly shows how your product or service works.
• The pricing model for your product or service.
• Your business’ sales and distribution strategy.
• The ideal customers that want your product or service.
• The benefits of your products and services.
• Reason(s) why your product or service is a better alternative to what your competitors are currently offering in the market.
• Plans for filling the orders you receive
• If you have current or pending patents, copyrights, and trademarks for your product or service, you can also discuss them in this section.

What to Focus On When Describing the Benefits, Lifecycle, and Production Process of Your Products or Services

In the products and services section, you have to distill the benefits, lifecycle, and production process of your products and services.

When describing the benefits of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Unique features
• Translating the unique features into benefits
• The emotional, psychological, and practical payoffs to attract customers
• Intellectual property rights or any patents

When describing the product life cycle of your products or services, here are some key factors to focus on.

• Upsells, cross-sells, and down-sells
• Time between purchases
• Plans for research and development.

When describing the production process for your products or services, you need to think about the following:

• The creation of new or existing products and services.
• The sources for the raw materials or components you need for production.
• Assembling the products
• Maintaining quality control
• Supply-chain logistics (receiving the raw materials and delivering the finished products)
• The day-to-day management of the production processes, bookkeeping, and inventory.

Tips for Writing the Products or Services Section of Your Business Plan

1. Avoid Technical Descriptions and Industry Buzzwords

The products and services section of your business plan should clearly describe the products and services that your company provides. However, it is not a section to include technical jargons that anyone outside your industry will not understand.

A good practice is to remove highly detailed or technical descriptions in favor of simple terms. Industry buzzwords are not necessary, if there are simpler terms you can use, then use them. If you plan to use your business plan to source funds, making the product or service section so technical will do you no favors.

2. Describe How Your Products or Services Differ from Your Competitors

When potential investors look at your business plan, they want to know how the products and services you are offering differ from that of your competition. Differentiating your products or services from your competition in a way that makes your solution more attractive is critical.

If you are going the innovative path and there is no market currently for your product or service, you need to describe in this section why the market needs your product or service.

For example, overnight delivery was a niche business that only a few companies were participating in. Federal Express (FedEx) had to show in its business plan that there was a large opportunity for that service and they justified why the market needed that service.

3. Long or Short Products or Services Section

Should your products or services section be short? Does the long products or services section attract more investors?

There are no straightforward answers to these questions. Whether your products or services section should be long or relatively short depends on the nature of your business.

If your business is product-focused, then automatically you need to use more space to describe the details of your products. However, if the product your business sells is a commodity item that relies on competitive pricing or other pricing strategies, you do not have to use up so much space to provide significant details about the product.

Likewise, if you are selling a commodity that is available in numerous outlets, then you do not have to spend time on writing a long products or services section.

The key to the success of your business is most likely the effectiveness of your marketing strategies compared to your competitors. Use more space to address that section.

If you are creating a new product or service that the market does not know about, your products or services section can be lengthy. The reason why is because you need to explain everything about the product or service such as the nature of the product, its use case, and values.

A short products or services section for an innovative product or service will not give the readers enough information to properly evaluate your business.

4. Describe Your Relationships with Vendors or Suppliers

Your business will rely on vendors or suppliers to supply raw materials or the components needed to make your products. In your products and services section, describe your relationships with your vendors and suppliers fully.

Avoid the mistake of relying on only one supplier or vendor. If that supplier or vendor fails to supply or goes out of business, you can easily face supply problems and struggle to meet your demands. Plan to set up multiple vendor or supplier relationships for better business stability.

5. Your Primary Goal Is to Convince Your Readers

The primary goal of your business plan is to convince your readers that your business is viable and to create a guide for your business to follow. It applies to the products and services section.

When drafting this section, think like the reader. See your reader as someone who has no idea about your products and services. You are using the products and services section to provide the needed information to help your reader understand your products and services. As a result, you have to be clear and to the point.

While you want to educate your readers about your products or services, you also do not want to bore them with lots of technical details. Show your products and services and not your fancy choice of words.

Your products and services section should provide the answer to the “what” question for your business. You and your management team may run the business, but it is your products and services that are the lifeblood of the business.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing your Products and Services Section

Answering these questions can help you write your products and services section quickly and in a way that will appeal to your readers.

• Are your products existing on the market or are they still in the development stage?
• What is your timeline for adding new products and services to the market?
• What are the positives that make your products and services different from your competitors?
• Do your products and services have any competitive advantage that your competitors’ products and services do not currently have?
• Do your products or services have any competitive disadvantages that you need to overcome to compete with your competitors? If your answer is yes, state how you plan to overcome them,
• How much does it cost to produce your products or services? How much do you plan to sell it for?
• What is the price for your products and services compared to your competitors? Is pricing an issue?
• What are your operating costs and will it be low enough for you to compete with your competitors and still take home a reasonable profit margin?
• What is your plan for acquiring your products? Are you involved in the production of your products or services?
• Are you the manufacturer and produce all the components you need to create your products? Do you assemble your products by using components supplied by other manufacturers? Do you purchase your products directly from suppliers or wholesalers?
• Do you have a steady supply of products that you need to start your business? (If your business is yet to kick-off)
• How do you plan to distribute your products or services to the market?

You can also hint at the marketing or promotion plans you have for your products or services such as how you plan to build awareness or retain customers. The next section is where you can go fully into details about your business’s marketing and sales plan.

6. Show and Explain Your Marketing and Sales Plan

Providing great products and services is wonderful, but it means nothing if you do not have a marketing and sales plan to inform your customers about them. Your marketing and sales plan is critical to the success of your business.

The sales and marketing section is where you show and offer a detailed explanation of your marketing and sales plan and how you plan to execute it. It covers your pricing plan, proposed advertising and promotion activities, activities and partnerships you need to make your business a success, and the benefits of your products and services.

There are several ways you can approach your marketing and sales strategy. Ideally, your marketing and sales strategy has to fit the unique needs of your business.

In this section, you describe how the plans your business has for attracting and retaining customers, and the exact process for making a sale happen. It is essential to thoroughly describe your complete marketing and sales plans because you are still going to reference this section when you are making financial projections for your business.

Outline Your Business’ Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The sales and marketing section is where you outline your business’s unique selling proposition (USP). When you are developing your unique selling proposition, think about the strongest reasons why people should buy from you over your competition. That reason(s) is most likely a good fit to serve as your unique selling proposition (USP).

Target Market and Target Audience

Plans on how to get your products or services to your target market and how to get your target audience to buy them go into this section. You also highlight the strengths of your business here, particularly what sets them apart from your competition.

Before you start writing your marketing and sales plan, you need to have properly defined your target audience and fleshed out your buyer persona. If you do not first understand the individual you are marketing to, your marketing and sales plan will lack any substance and easily fall.

Creating a Smart Marketing and Sales Plan

Marketing your products and services is an investment that requires you to spend money. Like any other investment, you have to generate a good return on investment (ROI) to justify using that marketing and sales plan. Good marketing and sales plans bring in high sales and profits to your company.

Avoid spending money on unproductive marketing channels. Do your research and find out the best marketing and sales plan that works best for your company.

Your marketing and sales plan can be broken into different parts: your positioning statement, pricing, promotion, packaging, advertising, public relations, content marketing, social media, and strategic alliances.

Your Positioning Statement

Your positioning statement is the first part of your marketing and sales plan. It refers to the way you present your company to your customers.

Are you the premium solution, the low-price solution, or are you the intermediary between the two extremes in the market? What do you offer that your competitors do not that can give you leverage in the market?

Before you start writing your positioning statement, you need to spend some time evaluating the current market conditions. Here are some questions that can help you to evaluate the market

• What are the unique features or benefits that you offer that your competitors lack?
• What are your customers’ primary needs and wants?
• Why should a customer choose you over your competition? How do you plan to differentiate yourself from the competition?
• How does your company’s solution compare with other solutions in the market?

After answering these questions, then you can start writing your positioning statement. Your positioning statement does not have to be in-depth or too long.

All you need to explain with your positioning statement are two focus areas. The first is the position of your company within the competitive landscape. The other focus area is the core value proposition that sets your company apart from other alternatives that your ideal customer might consider.

Here is a simple template you can use to develop a positioning statement.

For [description of target market] who [need of target market], [product or service] [how it meets the need]. Unlike [top competition], it [most essential distinguishing feature].

For example, let’s create the positioning statement for fictional accounting software and QuickBooks alternative , TBooks.

“For small business owners who need accounting services, TBooks is an accounting software that helps small businesses handle their small business bookkeeping basics quickly and easily. Unlike Wave, TBooks gives small businesses access to live sessions with top accountants.”

You can edit this positioning statement sample and fill it with your business details.

After writing your positioning statement, the next step is the pricing of your offerings. The overall positioning strategy you set in your positioning statement will often determine how you price your products or services.

Pricing is a powerful tool that sends a strong message to your customers. Failure to get your pricing strategy right can make or mar your business. If you are targeting a low-income audience, setting a premium price can result in low sales.

You can use pricing to communicate your positioning to your customers. For example, if you are offering a product at a premium price, you are sending a message to your customers that the product belongs to the premium category.

Basic Rules to Follow When Pricing Your Offering

Setting a price for your offering involves more than just putting a price tag on it. Deciding on the right pricing for your offering requires following some basic rules. They include covering your costs, primary and secondary profit center pricing, and matching the market rate.

• Covering Your Costs: The price you set for your products or service should be more than it costs you to produce and deliver them. Every business has the same goal, to make a profit. Depending on the strategy you want to use, there are exceptions to this rule. However, the vast majority of businesses follow this rule.
• Primary and Secondary Profit Center Pricing: When a company sets its price above the cost of production, it is making that product its primary profit center. A company can also decide not to make its initial price its primary profit center by selling below or at even with its production cost. It rather depends on the support product or even maintenance that is associated with the initial purchase to make its profit. The initial price thus became its secondary profit center.
• Matching the Market Rate: A good rule to follow when pricing your products or services is to match your pricing with consumer demand and expectations. If you price your products or services beyond the price your customer perceives as the ideal price range, you may end up with no customers. Pricing your products too low below what your customer perceives as the ideal price range may lead to them undervaluing your offering.

Pricing Strategy

Your pricing strategy influences the price of your offering. There are several pricing strategies available for you to choose from when examining the right pricing strategy for your business. They include cost-plus pricing, market-based pricing, value pricing, and more.

• Cost-plus Pricing: This strategy is one of the simplest and oldest pricing strategies. Here you consider the cost of producing a unit of your product and then add a profit to it to arrive at your market price. It is an effective pricing strategy for manufacturers because it helps them cover their initial costs. Another name for the cost-plus pricing strategy is the markup pricing strategy.
• Market-based Pricing: This pricing strategy analyses the market including competitors’ pricing and then sets a price based on what the market is expecting. With this pricing strategy, you can either set your price at the low-end or high-end of the market.
• Value Pricing: This pricing strategy involves setting a price based on the value you are providing to your customer. When adopting a value-based pricing strategy, you have to set a price that your customers are willing to pay. Service-based businesses such as small business insurance providers , luxury goods sellers, and the fashion industry use this pricing strategy.

After carefully sorting out your positioning statement and pricing, the next item to look at is your promotional strategy. Your promotional strategy explains how you plan on communicating with your customers and prospects.

As a business, you must measure all your costs, including the cost of your promotions. You also want to measure how much sales your promotions bring for your business to determine its usefulness. Promotional strategies or programs that do not lead to profit need to be removed.

There are different types of promotional strategies you can adopt for your business, they include advertising, public relations, and content marketing.

Advertising

Your business plan should include your advertising plan which can be found in the marketing and sales plan section. You need to include an overview of your advertising plans such as the areas you plan to spend money on to advertise your business and offers.

Ensure that you make it clear in this section if your business will be advertising online or using the more traditional offline media, or the combination of both online and offline media. You can also include the advertising medium you want to use to raise awareness about your business and offers.

Some common online advertising mediums you can use include social media ads, landing pages, sales pages, SEO, Pay-Per-Click, emails, Google Ads, and others. Some common traditional and offline advertising mediums include word of mouth, radios, direct mail, televisions, flyers, billboards, posters, and others.

A key component of your advertising strategy is how you plan to measure the effectiveness and success of your advertising campaign. There is no point in sticking with an advertising plan or medium that does not produce results for your business in the long run.

Public Relations

A great way to reach your customers is to get the media to cover your business or product. Publicity, especially good ones, should be a part of your marketing and sales plan. In this section, show your plans for getting prominent reviews of your product from reputable publications and sources.

Your business needs that exposure to grow. If public relations is a crucial part of your promotional strategy, provide details about your public relations plan here.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is a popular promotional strategy used by businesses to inform and attract their customers. It is about teaching and educating your prospects on various topics of interest in your niche, it does not just involve informing them about the benefits and features of the products and services you have,

Businesses publish content usually for free where they provide useful information, tips, and advice so that their target market can be made aware of the importance of their products and services. Content marketing strategies seek to nurture prospects into buyers over time by simply providing value.

Your company can create a blog where it will be publishing content for its target market. You will need to use the best website builder such as Wix and Squarespace and the best web hosting services such as Bluehost, Hostinger, and other Bluehost alternatives to create a functional blog or website.

If content marketing is a crucial part of your promotional strategy (as it should be), detail your plans under promotions.

Including high-quality images of the packaging of your product in your business plan is a lovely idea. You can add the images of the packaging of that product in the marketing and sales plan section. If you are not selling a product, then you do not need to include any worry about the physical packaging of your product.

When organizing the packaging section of your business plan, you can answer the following questions to make maximum use of this section.

• Is your choice of packaging consistent with your positioning strategy?
• What key value proposition does your packaging communicate? (It should reflect the key value proposition of your business)
• How does your packaging compare to that of your competitors?

Social Media

Your 21st-century business needs to have a good social media presence. Not having one is leaving out opportunities for growth and reaching out to your prospect.

You do not have to join the thousands of social media platforms out there. What you need to do is join the ones that your customers are active on and be active there.

Businesses use social media to provide information about their products such as promotions, discounts, the benefits of their products, and content on their blogs.

Social media is also a platform for engaging with your customers and getting feedback about your products or services. Make no mistake, more and more of your prospects are using social media channels to find more information about companies.

You need to consider the social media channels you want to prioritize your business (prioritize the ones your customers are active in) and your branding plans in this section.

Strategic Alliances

If your company plans to work closely with other companies as part of your sales and marketing plan, include it in this section. Prove details about those partnerships in your business plan if you have already established them.

Strategic alliances can be beneficial for all parties involved including your company. Working closely with another company in the form of a partnership can provide access to a different target market segment for your company.

The company you are partnering with may also gain access to your target market or simply offer a new product or service (that of your company) to its customers.

Mutually beneficial partnerships can cover the weaknesses of one company with the strength of another. You should consider strategic alliances with companies that sell complimentary products to yours. For example, if you provide printers, you can partner with a company that produces ink since the customers that buy printers from you will also need inks for printing.

Steps Involved in Creating a Marketing and Sales Plan

1. Focus on Your Target Market

Identify who your customers are, the market you want to target. Then determine the best ways to get your products or services to your potential customers.

2. Evaluate Your Competition

One of the goals of having a marketing plan is to distinguish yourself from your competition. You cannot stand out from them without first knowing them in and out.

You can know your competitors by gathering information about their products, pricing, service, and advertising campaigns.

These questions can help you know your competition.

• What makes your competition successful?
• What are their weaknesses?
• What are customers saying about your competition?

3. Consider Your Brand

Customers' perception of your brand has a strong impact on your sales. Your marketing and sales plan should seek to bolster the image of your brand. Before you start marketing your business, think about the message you want to pass across about your business and your products and services.

4. Focus on Benefits

The majority of your customers do not view your product in terms of features, what they want to know is the benefits and solutions your product offers. Think about the problems your product solves and the benefits it delivers, and use it to create the right sales and marketing message.

Your marketing plan should focus on what you want your customer to get instead of what you provide. Identify those benefits in your marketing and sales plan.

5. Focus on Differentiation

Your marketing and sales plan should look for a unique angle they can take that differentiates your business from the competition, even if the products offered are similar. Some good areas of differentiation you can use are your benefits, pricing, and features.

Key Questions to Answer When Writing Your Marketing and Sales Plan

• What is your company’s budget for sales and marketing campaigns?
• What key metrics will you use to determine if your marketing plans are successful?
• What are your alternatives if your initial marketing efforts do not succeed?
• Who are the sales representatives you need to promote your products or services?
• What are the marketing and sales channels you plan to use? How do you plan to get your products in front of your ideal customers?
• Where will you sell your products?

You may want to include samples of marketing materials you plan to use such as print ads, website descriptions, and social media ads. While it is not compulsory to include these samples, it can help you better communicate your marketing and sales plan and objectives.

The purpose of the marketing and sales section is to answer this question “How will you reach your customers?” If you cannot convincingly provide an answer to this question, you need to rework your marketing and sales section.

7. Clearly Show Your Funding Request

If you are writing your business plan to ask for funding from investors or financial institutions, the funding request section is where you will outline your funding requirements. The funding request section should answer the question ‘How much money will your business need in the near future (3 to 5 years)?’

A good funding request section will clearly outline and explain the amount of funding your business needs over the next five years. You need to know the amount of money your business needs to make an accurate funding request.

Also, when writing your funding request, provide details of how the funds will be used over the period. Specify if you want to use the funds to buy raw materials or machinery, pay salaries, pay for advertisements, and cover specific bills such as rent and electricity.

In addition to explaining what you want to use the funds requested for, you need to clearly state the projected return on investment (ROI) . Investors and creditors want to know if your business can generate profit for them if they put funds into it.

Ensure you do not inflate the figures and stay as realistic as possible. Investors and financial institutions you are seeking funds from will do their research before investing money in your business.

If you are not sure of an exact number to request from, you can use some range of numbers as rough estimates. Add a best-case scenario and a work-case scenario to your funding request. Also, include a description of your strategic future financial plans such as selling your business or paying off debts.

Funding Request: Debt or Equity?

When making your funding request, specify the type of funding you want. Do you want debt or equity? Draw out the terms that will be applicable for the funding, and the length of time the funding request will cover.

Case for Equity

If your new business has not yet started generating profits, you are most likely preparing to sell equity in your business to raise capital at the early stage. Equity here refers to ownership. In this case, you are selling a portion of your company to raise capital.

Although this method of raising capital for your business does not put your business in debt, keep in mind that an equity owner may expect to play a key role in company decisions even if he does not hold a major stake in the company.

Most equity sales for startups are usually private transactions . If you are making a funding request by offering equity in exchange for funding, let the investor know that they will be paid a dividend (a share of the company’s profit). Also, let the investor know the process for selling their equity in your business.

Case for Debt

You may decide not to offer equity in exchange for funds, instead, you make a funding request with the promise to pay back the money borrowed at the agreed time frame.

When making a funding request with an agreement to pay back, note that you will have to repay your creditors both the principal amount borrowed and the interest on it. Financial institutions offer this type of funding for businesses.

Large companies combine both equity and debt in their capital structure. When drafting your business plan, decide if you want to offer both or one over the other.

Before you sell equity in exchange for funding in your business, consider if you are willing to accept not being in total control of your business. Also, before you seek loans in your funding request section, ensure that the terms of repayment are favorable.

You should set a clear timeline in your funding request so that potential investors and creditors can know what you are expecting. Some investors and creditors may agree to your funding request and then delay payment for longer than 30 days, meanwhile, your business needs an immediate cash injection to operate efficiently.

Additional Tips for Writing the Funding Request Section of your Business Plan

The funding request section is not necessary for every business, it is only needed by businesses who plan to use their business plan to secure funding.

If you are adding the funding request section to your business plan, provide an itemized summary of how you plan to use the funds requested. Hiring a lawyer, accountant, or other professionals may be necessary for the proper development of this section.

You should also gather and use financial statements that add credibility and support to your funding requests. Ensure that the financial statements you use should include your projected financial data such as projected cash flows, forecast statements, and expenditure budgets.

If you are an existing business, include all historical financial statements such as cash flow statements, balance sheets and income statements .

Provide monthly and quarterly financial statements for a year. If your business has records that date back beyond the one-year mark, add the yearly statements of those years. These documents are for the appendix section of your business plan.

8. Detail Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projections

If you used the funding request section in your business plan, supplement it with a financial plan, metrics, and projections. This section paints a picture of the past performance of your business and then goes ahead to make an informed projection about its future.

The goal of this section is to convince readers that your business is going to be a financial success. It outlines your business plan to generate enough profit to repay the loan (with interest if applicable) and to generate a decent return on investment for investors.

If you have an existing business already in operation, use this section to demonstrate stability through finance. This section should include your cash flow statements, balance sheets, and income statements covering the last three to five years. If your business has some acceptable collateral that you can use to acquire loans, list it in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

Apart from current financial statements, this section should also contain a prospective financial outlook that spans the next five years. Include forecasted income statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and capital expenditure budget.

If your business is new and is not yet generating profit, use clear and realistic projections to show the potentials of your business.

When drafting this section, research industry norms and the performance of comparable businesses. Your financial projections should cover at least five years. State the logic behind your financial projections. Remember you can always make adjustments to this section as the variables change.

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section create a baseline which your business can either exceed or fail to reach. If your business fails to reach your projections in this section, you need to understand why it failed.

Investors and loan managers spend a lot of time going through the financial plan, metrics, and projection section compared to other parts of the business plan. Ensure you spend time creating credible financial analyses for your business in this section.

Many entrepreneurs find this section daunting to write. You do not need a business degree to create a solid financial forecast for your business. Business finances, especially for startups, are not as complicated as they seem. There are several online tools and templates that make writing this section so much easier.

Use Graphs and Charts

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section is a great place to use graphs and charts to tell the financial story of your business. Charts and images make it easier to communicate your finances.

Accuracy in this section is key, ensure you carefully analyze your past financial statements properly before making financial projects.

Address the Risk Factors and Show Realistic Financial Projections

Keep your financial plan, metrics, and projection realistic. It is okay to be optimistic in your financial projection, however, you have to justify it.

You should also address the various risk factors associated with your business in this section. Investors want to know the potential risks involved, show them. You should also show your plans for mitigating those risks.

What You Should In The Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection Section of Your Business Plan

The financial plan, metrics, and projection section of your business plan should have monthly sales and revenue forecasts for the first year. It should also include annual projections that cover 3 to 5 years.

A three-year projection is a basic requirement to have in your business plan. However, some investors may request a five-year forecast.

Your business plan should include the following financial statements: sales forecast, personnel plan, income statement, income statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, and an exit strategy.

1. Sales Forecast

Sales forecast refers to your projections about the number of sales your business is going to record over the next few years. It is typically broken into several rows, with each row assigned to a core product or service that your business is offering.

One common mistake people make in their business plan is to break down the sales forecast section into long details. A sales forecast should forecast the high-level details.

For example, if you are forecasting sales for a payroll software provider, you could break down your forecast into target market segments or subscription categories.

Your sales forecast section should also have a corresponding row for each sales row to cover the direct cost or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). The objective of these rows is to show the expenses that your business incurs in making and delivering your product or service.

Note that your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) should only cover those direct costs incurred when making your products. Other indirect expenses such as insurance, salaries, payroll tax, and rent should not be included.

For example, the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for a restaurant is the cost of ingredients while for a consulting company it will be the cost of paper and other presentation materials.

2. Personnel Plan

The personnel plan section is where you provide details about the payment plan for your employees. For a small business, you can easily list every position in your company and how much you plan to pay in the personnel plan.

However, for larger businesses, you have to break the personnel plan into functional groups such as sales and marketing.

The personnel plan will also include the cost of an employee beyond salary, commonly referred to as the employee burden. These costs include insurance, payroll taxes , and other essential costs incurred monthly as a result of having employees on your payroll.

3. Income Statement

The income statement section shows if your business is making a profit or taking a loss. Another name for the income statement is the profit and loss (P&L). It takes data from your sales forecast and personnel plan and adds other ongoing expenses you incur while running your business.

Every business plan should have an income statement. It subtracts your business expenses from its earnings to show if your business is generating profit or incurring losses.

The income statement has the following items: sales, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), gross margin, operating expenses, total operating expenses, operating income , total expenses, and net profit.

• Sales refer to the revenue your business generates from selling its products or services. Other names for sales are income or revenue.
• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) refers to the total cost of selling your products. Other names for COGS are direct costs or cost of sales. Manufacturing businesses use the Costs of Goods Manufactured (COGM) .
• Gross Margin is the figure you get when you subtract your COGS from your sales. In your income statement, you can express it as a percentage of total sales (Gross margin / Sales = Gross Margin Percent).
• Operating Expenses refer to all the expenses you incur from running your business. It exempts the COGS because it stands alone as a core part of your income statement. You also have to exclude taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Your operating expenses include salaries, marketing expenses, research and development (R&D) expenses, and other expenses.
• Total Operating Expenses refers to the sum of all your operating expenses including those exemptions named above under operating expenses.
• Operating Income refers to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is simply known as the acronym EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization). Calculating your operating income is simple, all you need to do is to subtract your COGS and total operating expenses from your sales.
• Total Expenses refer to the sum of your operating expenses and your business’ interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
• Net profit shows whether your business has made a profit or taken a loss during a given timeframe.

4. Cash Flow Statement

The cash flow statement tracks the money you have in the bank at any given point. It is often confused with the income statement or the profit and loss statement. They are both different types of financial statements. The income statement calculates your profits and losses while the cash flow statement shows you how much you have in the bank.

5. Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a financial statement that provides an overview of the financial health of your business. It contains information about the assets and liabilities of your company, and owner’s or shareholders’ equity.

You can get the net worth of your company by subtracting your company’s liabilities from its assets.

6. Exit Strategy

The exit strategy refers to a probable plan for selling your business either to the public in an IPO or to another company. It is the last thing you include in the financial plan, metrics, and projection section.

You can choose to omit the exit strategy from your business plan if you plan to maintain full ownership of your business and do not plan on seeking angel investment or virtual capitalist (VC) funding.

Investors may want to know what your exit plan is. They invest in your business to get a good return on investment.

Your exit strategy does not have to include long and boring details. Ensure you identify some interested parties who may be interested in buying the company if it becomes a success.

Key Questions to Answer with Your Financial Plan, Metrics, and Projection

Your financial plan, metrics, and projection section helps investors, creditors, or your internal managers to understand what your expenses are, the amount of cash you need, and what it takes to make your company profitable. It also shows what you will be doing with any funding.

You do not need to show actual financial data if you do not have one. Adding forecasts and projections to your financial statements is added proof that your strategy is feasible and shows investors you have planned properly.

Here are some key questions to answer to help you develop this section.

• What is your sales forecast for the next year?
• When will your company achieve a positive cash flow?
• What are the core expenses you need to operate?
• How much money do you need upfront to operate or grow your company?
• How will you use the loans or investments?

9. Add an Appendix to Your Business Plan

Adding an appendix to your business plan is optional. It is a useful place to put any charts, tables, legal notes, definitions, permits, résumés, and other critical information that do not fit into other sections of your business plan.

The appendix section is where you would want to include details of a patent or patent-pending if you have one. You can always add illustrations or images of your products here. It is the last section of your business plan.

When writing your business plan, there are details you cut short or remove to prevent the entire section from becoming too lengthy. There are also details you want to include in the business plan but are not a good fit for any of the previous sections. You can add that additional information to the appendix section.

Businesses also use the appendix section to include supporting documents or other materials specially requested by investors or lenders.

You can include just about any information that supports the assumptions and statements you made in the business plan under the appendix. It is the one place in the business plan where unrelated data and information can coexist amicably.

If your appendix section is lengthy, try organizing it by adding a table of contents at the beginning of the appendix section. It is also advisable to group similar information to make it easier for the reader to access them.

A well-organized appendix section makes it easier to share your information clearly and concisely. Add footnotes throughout the rest of the business plan or make references in the plan to the documents in the appendix.

The appendix section is usually only necessary if you are seeking funding from investors or lenders, or hoping to attract partners.

People reading business plans do not want to spend time going through a heap of backup information, numbers, and charts. Keep these documents or information in the Appendix section in case the reader wants to dig deeper.

Common Items to Include in the Appendix Section of Your Business Plan

The appendix section includes documents that supplement or support the information or claims given in other sections of the business plans. Common items you can include in the appendix section include:

• Additional data about the process of manufacturing or creation
• Additional description of products or services such as product schematics
• Additional financial documents or projections
• Articles of incorporation and status
• Backup for market research or competitive analysis
• Bank statements
• Business registries
• Client testimonials (if your business is already running)
• Copies of insurances
• Credit histories (personal or/and business)
• Deeds and permits
• Equipment leases
• Examples of marketing and advertising collateral
• Industry associations and memberships
• Images of product
• Intellectual property
• Key customer contracts
• Legal documents and other contracts
• Letters of reference
• Links to references
• Market research data
• Organizational charts
• Photographs of potential facilities
• Professional licenses pertaining to your legal structure or type of business
• Purchase orders
• Resumes of the founder(s) and key managers
• State and federal identification numbers or codes
• Trademarks or patents’ registrations

Avoid using the appendix section as a place to dump any document or information you feel like adding. Only add documents or information that you support or increase the credibility of your business plan.

Tips and Strategies for Writing a Convincing Business Plan

To achieve a perfect business plan, you need to consider some key tips and strategies. These tips will raise the efficiency of your business plan above average.

1. Know Your Audience

When writing a business plan, you need to know your audience . Business owners write business plans for different reasons. Your business plan has to be specific. For example, you can write business plans to potential investors, banks, and even fellow board members of the company.

The audience you are writing to determines the structure of the business plan. As a business owner, you have to know your audience. Not everyone will be your audience. Knowing your audience will help you to narrow the scope of your business plan.

Consider what your audience wants to see in your projects, the likely questions they might ask, and what interests them.

• A business plan used to address a company's board members will center on its employment schemes, internal affairs, projects, stakeholders, etc.
• A business plan for financial institutions will talk about the size of your market and the chances for you to pay back any loans you demand.
• A business plan for investors will show proof that you can return the investment capital within a specific time. In addition, it discusses your financial projections, tractions, and market size.

2. Get Inspiration from People

Writing a business plan from scratch as an entrepreneur can be daunting. That is why you need the right inspiration to push you to write one. You can gain inspiration from the successful business plans of other businesses. Look at their business plans, the style they use, the structure of the project, etc.

To make your business plan easier to create, search companies related to your business to get an exact copy of what you need to create an effective business plan. You can also make references while citing examples in your business plans.

When drafting your business plan, get as much help from others as you possibly can. By getting inspiration from people, you can create something better than what they have.

3. Avoid Being Over Optimistic

Many business owners make use of strong adjectives to qualify their content. One of the big mistakes entrepreneurs make when preparing a business plan is promising too much.

The use of superlatives and over-optimistic claims can prepare the audience for more than you can offer. In the end, you disappoint the confidence they have in you.

In most cases, the best option is to be realistic with your claims and statistics. Most of the investors can sense a bit of incompetency from the overuse of superlatives. As a new entrepreneur, do not be tempted to over-promise to get the interests of investors.

The concept of entrepreneurship centers on risks, nothing is certain when you make future analyses. What separates the best is the ability to do careful research and work towards achieving that, not promising more than you can achieve.

To make an excellent first impression as an entrepreneur, replace superlatives with compelling data-driven content. In this way, you are more specific than someone promising a huge ROI from an investment.

4. Keep it Simple and Short

When writing business plans, ensure you keep them simple throughout. Irrespective of the purpose of the business plan, your goal is to convince the audience.

One way to achieve this goal is to make them understand your proposal. Therefore, it would be best if you avoid the use of complex grammar to express yourself. It would be a huge turn-off if the people you want to convince are not familiar with your use of words.

Another thing to note is the length of your business plan. It would be best if you made it as brief as possible.

You hardly see investors or agencies that read through an extremely long document. In that case, if your first few pages can’t convince them, then you have lost it. The more pages you write, the higher the chances of you derailing from the essential contents.

To ensure your business plan has a high conversion rate, you need to dispose of every unnecessary information. For example, if you have a strategy that you are not sure of, it would be best to leave it out of the plan.

5. Make an Outline and Follow Through

A perfect business plan must have touched every part needed to convince the audience. Business owners get easily tempted to concentrate more on their products than on other sections. Doing this can be detrimental to the efficiency of the business plan.

For example, imagine you talking about a product but omitting or providing very little information about the target audience. You will leave your clients confused.

To ensure that your business plan communicates your full business model to readers, you have to input all the necessary information in it. One of the best ways to achieve this is to design a structure and stick to it.

This structure is what guides you throughout the writing. To make your work easier, you can assign an estimated word count or page limit to every section to avoid making it too bulky for easy reading. As a guide, the necessary things your business plan must contain are:

• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Product or service description
• Target audience
• Market size
• Competition analysis
• Financial projections

Some specific businesses can include some other essential sections, but these are the key sections that must be in every business plan.

6. Ask a Professional to Proofread

When writing a business plan, you must tie all loose ends to get a perfect result. When you are done with writing, call a professional to go through the document for you. You are bound to make mistakes, and the way to correct them is to get external help.

You should get a professional in your field who can relate to every section of your business plan. It would be easier for the professional to notice the inner flaws in the document than an editor with no knowledge of your business.

In addition to getting a professional to proofread, get an editor to proofread and edit your document. The editor will help you identify grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and inappropriate writing styles.

Writing a business plan can be daunting, but you can surmount that obstacle and get the best out of it with these tips.

Business Plan Examples and Templates That’ll Save You Tons of Time

1. hubspot's one-page business plan.

The one-page business plan template by HubSpot is the perfect guide for businesses of any size, irrespective of their business strategy. Although the template is condensed into a page, your final business plan should not be a page long! The template is designed to ask helpful questions that can help you develop your business plan.

Hubspot’s one-page business plan template is divided into nine fields:

• Business opportunity
• Company description
• Industry analysis
• Target market
• Implementation timeline
• Marketing plan
• Financial summary
• Funding required

2. Bplan’s Free Business Plan Template

Bplans' free business plan template is investor-approved. It is a rich template used by prestigious educational institutions such as Babson College and Princeton University to teach entrepreneurs how to create a business plan.

The template has six sections: the executive summary, opportunity, execution, company, financial plan, and appendix. There is a step-by-step guide for writing every little detail in the business plan. Follow the instructions each step of the way and you will create a business plan that impresses investors or lenders easily.

3. HubSpot's Downloadable Business Plan Template

HubSpot’s downloadable business plan template is a more comprehensive option compared to the one-page business template by HubSpot. This free and downloadable business plan template is designed for entrepreneurs.

The template is a comprehensive guide and checklist for business owners just starting their businesses. It tells you everything you need to fill in each section of the business plan and how to do it.

There are nine sections in this business plan template: an executive summary, company and business description, product and services line, market analysis, marketing plan, sales plan, legal notes, financial considerations, and appendix.

4. Business Plan by My Own Business Institute

My Own Business Institute (MOBI) which is a part of Santa Clara University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers a free business plan template. You can either copy the free business template from the link provided above or download it as a Word document.

The comprehensive template consists of a whopping 15 sections.

• The Business Profile
• The Vision and the People
• Home-Based Business and Freelance Business Opportunities
• Organization
• Licenses and Permits
• Business Insurance
• Communication Tools
• Acquisitions
• Location and Leasing
• Accounting and Cash Flow
• Opening and Marketing
• Managing Employees
• Expanding and Handling Problems

There are lots of helpful tips on how to fill each section in the free business plan template by MOBI.

5. Score's Business Plan Template for Startups

Score is an American nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs build successful companies. This business plan template for startups by Score is available for free download. The business plan template asks a whooping 150 generic questions that help entrepreneurs from different fields to set up the perfect business plan.

The business plan template for startups contains clear instructions and worksheets, all you have to do is answer the questions and fill the worksheets.

There are nine sections in the business plan template: executive summary, company description, products and services, marketing plan, operational plan, management and organization, startup expenses and capitalization, financial plan, and appendices.

The ‘refining the plan’ resource contains instructions that help you modify your business plan to suit your specific needs, industry, and target audience. After you have completed Score’s business plan template, you can work with a SCORE mentor for expert advice in business planning.

6. Minimalist Architecture Business Plan Template by Venngage

The minimalist architecture business plan template is a simple template by Venngage that you can customize to suit your business needs .

There are five sections in the template: an executive summary, statement of problem, approach and methodology, qualifications, and schedule and benchmark. The business plan template has instructions that guide users on what to fill in each section.

7. Small Business Administration Free Business Plan Template

The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two free business plan templates, filled with practical real-life examples that you can model to create your business plan. Both free business plan templates are written by fictional business owners: Rebecca who owns a consulting firm, and Andrew who owns a toy company.

There are five sections in the two SBA’s free business plan templates.

• Executive Summary
• Company Description
• Service Line
• Marketing and Sales

8. The $100 Startup's One-Page Business Plan

The one-page business plan by the $100 startup is a simple business plan template for entrepreneurs who do not want to create a long and complicated plan . You can include more details in the appendices for funders who want more information beyond what you can put in the one-page business plan.

There are five sections in the one-page business plan such as overview, ka-ching, hustling, success, and obstacles or challenges or open questions. You can answer all the questions using one or two sentences.

9. PandaDoc’s Free Business Plan Template

The free business plan template by PandaDoc is a comprehensive 15-page document that describes the information you should include in every section.

There are 11 sections in PandaDoc’s free business plan template.

• Executive summary
• Business description
• Products and services
• Operations plan
• Management organization
• Financial plan
• Conclusion / Call to action
• Confidentiality statement

You have to sign up for its 14-day free trial to access the template. You will find different business plan templates on PandaDoc once you sign up (including templates for general businesses and specific businesses such as bakeries, startups, restaurants, salons, hotels, and coffee shops)

PandaDoc allows you to customize its business plan templates to fit the needs of your business. After editing the template, you can send it to interested parties and track opens and views through PandaDoc.

10. Invoiceberry Templates for Word, Open Office, Excel, or PPT

InvoiceBerry is a U.K based online invoicing and tracking platform that offers free business plan templates in .docx, .odt, .xlsx, and .pptx formats for freelancers and small businesses.

Before you can download the free business plan template, it will ask you to give it your email address. After you complete the little task, it will send the download link to your inbox for you to download. It also provides a business plan checklist in .xlsx file format that ensures you add the right information to the business plan.

Alternatives to the Traditional Business Plan

A business plan is very important in mapping out how one expects their business to grow over a set number of years, particularly when they need external investment in their business. However, many investors do not have the time to watch you present your business plan. It is a long and boring read.

Luckily, there are three alternatives to the traditional business plan (the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck). These alternatives are less laborious and easier and quicker to present to investors.

Business Model Canvas (BMC)

The business model canvas is a business tool used to present all the important components of setting up a business, such as customers, route to market, value proposition, and finance in a single sheet. It provides a very focused blueprint that defines your business initially which you can later expand on if needed.

The sheet is divided mainly into company, industry, and consumer models that are interconnected in how they find problems and proffer solutions.

Segments of the Business Model Canvas

The business model canvas was developed by founder Alexander Osterwalder to answer important business questions. It contains nine segments.

• Key Partners: Who will be occupying important executive positions in your business? What do they bring to the table? Will there be a third party involved with the company?
• Key Activities: What important activities will production entail? What activities will be carried out to ensure the smooth running of the company?
• The Product’s Value Propositions: What does your product do? How will it be different from other products?
• Customer Segments: What demography of consumers are you targeting? What are the habits of these consumers? Who are the MVPs of your target consumers?
• Customer Relationships: How will the team support and work with its customer base? How do you intend to build and maintain trust with the customer?
• Key Resources: What type of personnel and tools will be needed? What size of the budget will they need access to?
• Channels: How do you plan to create awareness of your products? How do you intend to transport your product to the customer?
• Cost Structure: What is the estimated cost of production? How much will distribution cost?
• Revenue Streams: For what value are customers willing to pay? How do they prefer to pay for the product? Are there any external revenues attached apart from the main source? How do the revenue streams contribute to the overall revenue?

Lean Canvas

The lean canvas is a problem-oriented alternative to the standard business model canvas. It was proposed by Ash Maurya, creator of Lean Stack as a development of the business model generation. It uses a more problem-focused approach and it majorly targets entrepreneurs and startup businesses.

Lean Canvas uses the same 9 blocks concept as the business model canvas, however, they have been modified slightly to suit the needs and purpose of a small startup. The key partners, key activities, customer relationships, and key resources are replaced by new segments which are:

• Problem: Simple and straightforward number of problems you have identified, ideally three.
• Solution: The solutions to each problem.
• Unfair Advantage: Something you possess that can't be easily bought or replicated.
• Key Metrics: Important numbers that will tell how your business is doing.

Startup Pitch Deck

While the business model canvas compresses into a factual sheet, startup pitch decks expand flamboyantly.

Pitch decks, through slides, convey your business plan, often through graphs and images used to emphasize estimations and observations in your presentation. Entrepreneurs often use pitch decks to fully convince their target audience of their plans before discussing funding arrangements.

Considering the likelihood of it being used in a small time frame, a good startup pitch deck should ideally contain 20 slides or less to have enough time to answer questions from the audience.

Unlike the standard and lean business model canvases, a pitch deck doesn't have a set template on how to present your business plan but there are still important components to it. These components often mirror those of the business model canvas except that they are in slide form and contain more details.

Using Airbnb (one of the most successful start-ups in recent history) for reference, the important components of a good slide are listed below.

• Cover/Introduction Slide: Here, you should include your company's name and mission statement. Your mission statement should be a very catchy tagline. Also, include personal information and contact details to provide an easy link for potential investors.
• Problem Slide: This slide requires you to create a connection with the audience or the investor that you are pitching. For example in their pitch, Airbnb summarized the most important problems it would solve in three brief points – pricing of hotels, disconnection from city culture, and connection problems for local bookings.
• Solution Slide: This slide includes your core value proposition. List simple and direct solutions to the problems you have mentioned
• Customer Analysis: Here you will provide information on the customers you will be offering your service to. The identity of your customers plays an important part in fundraising as well as the long-run viability of the business.
• Market Validation: Use competitive analysis to show numbers that prove the presence of a market for your product, industry behavior in the present and the long run, as well as the percentage of the market you aim to attract. It shows that you understand your competitors and customers and convinces investors of the opportunities presented in the market.
• Business Model: Your business model is the hook of your presentation. It may vary in complexity but it should generally include a pricing system informed by your market analysis. The goal of the slide is to confirm your business model is easy to implement.
• Marketing Strategy: This slide should summarize a few customer acquisition methods that you plan to use to grow the business.
• Competitive Advantage: What this slide will do is provide information on what will set you apart and make you a more attractive option to customers. It could be the possession of technology that is not widely known in the market.
• Team Slide: Here you will give a brief description of your team. Include your key management personnel here and their specific roles in the company. Include their educational background, job history, and skillsets. Also, talk about their accomplishments in their careers so far to build investors' confidence in members of your team.
• Traction Slide: This validates the company’s business model by showing growth through early sales and support. The slide aims to reduce any lingering fears in potential investors by showing realistic periodic milestones and profit margins. It can include current sales, growth, valuable customers, pre-orders, or data from surveys outlining current consumer interest.
• Funding Slide: This slide is popularly referred to as ‘the ask'. Here you will include important details like how much is needed to get your business off the ground and how the funding will be spent to help the company reach its goals.
• Appendix Slides: Your pitch deck appendix should always be included alongside a standard pitch presentation. It consists of additional slides you could not show in the pitch deck but you need to complement your presentation.

It is important to support your calculations with pictorial renditions. Infographics, such as pie charts or bar graphs, will be more effective in presenting the information than just listing numbers. For example, a six-month graph that shows rising profit margins will easily look more impressive than merely writing it.

Lastly, since a pitch deck is primarily used to secure meetings and you may be sharing your pitch with several investors, it is advisable to keep a separate public version that doesn't include financials. Only disclose the one with projections once you have secured a link with an investor.

Advantages of the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Startup Pitch Deck over the Traditional Business Plan

• Time-Saving: Writing a detailed traditional business plan could take weeks or months. On the other hand, all three alternatives can be done in a few days or even one night of brainstorming if you have a comprehensive understanding of your business.
• Easier to Understand: Since the information presented is almost entirely factual, it puts focus on what is most important in running the business. They cut away the excess pages of fillers in a traditional business plan and allow investors to see what is driving the business and what is getting in the way.
• Easy to Update: Businesses typically present their business plans to many potential investors before they secure funding. What this means is that you may regularly have to amend your presentation to update statistics or adjust to audience-specific needs. For a traditional business plan, this could mean rewriting a whole section of your plan. For the three alternatives, updating is much easier because they are not voluminous.
• Guide for a More In-depth Business Plan: All three alternatives have the added benefit of being able to double as a sketch of your business plan if the need to create one arises in the future.

Business Plan FAQ

Business plans are important for any entrepreneur who is looking for a framework to run their company over some time or seeking external support. Although they are essential for new businesses, every company should ideally have a business plan to track their growth from time to time.  They can be used by startups seeking investments or loans to convey their business ideas or an employee to convince his boss of the feasibility of starting a new project. They can also be used by companies seeking to recruit high-profile employee targets into key positions or trying to secure partnerships with other firms.

Business plans often vary depending on your target audience, the scope, and the goals for the plan. Startup plans are the most common among the different types of business plans.  A start-up plan is used by a new business to present all the necessary information to help get the business up and running. They are usually used by entrepreneurs who are seeking funding from investors or bank loans. The established company alternative to a start-up plan is a feasibility plan. A feasibility plan is often used by an established company looking for new business opportunities. They are used to show the upsides of creating a new product for a consumer base. Because the audience is usually company people, it requires less company analysis. The third type of business plan is the lean business plan. A lean business plan is a brief, straight-to-the-point breakdown of your ideas and analysis for your business. It does not contain details of your proposal and can be written on one page. Finally, you have the what-if plan. As it implies, a what-if plan is a preparation for the worst-case scenario. You must always be prepared for the possibility of your original plan being rejected. A good what-if plan will serve as a good plan B to the original.

A good business plan has 10 key components. They include an executive plan, product analysis, desired customer base, company analysis, industry analysis, marketing strategy, sales strategy, financial projection, funding, and appendix. Executive Plan Your business should begin with your executive plan. An executive plan will provide early insight into what you are planning to achieve with your business. It should include your mission statement and highlight some of the important points which you will explain later. Product Analysis The next component of your business plan is your product analysis. A key part of this section is explaining the type of item or service you are going to offer as well as the market problems your product will solve. Desired Consumer Base Your product analysis should be supplemented with a detailed breakdown of your desired consumer base. Investors are always interested in knowing the economic power of your market as well as potential MVP customers. Company Analysis The next component of your business plan is your company analysis. Here, you explain how you want to run your business. It will include your operational strategy, an insight into the workforce needed to keep the company running, and important executive positions. It will also provide a calculation of expected operational costs.  Industry Analysis A good business plan should also contain well laid out industry analysis. It is important to convince potential investors you know the companies you will be competing with, as well as your plans to gain an edge on the competition. Marketing Strategy Your business plan should also include your marketing strategy. This is how you intend to spread awareness of your product. It should include a detailed explanation of the company brand as well as your advertising methods. Sales Strategy Your sales strategy comes after the market strategy. Here you give an overview of your company's pricing strategy and how you aim to maximize profits. You can also explain how your prices will adapt to market behaviors. Financial Projection The financial projection is the next component of your business plan. It explains your company's expected running cost and revenue earned during the tenure of the business plan. Financial projection gives a clear idea of how your company will develop in the future. Funding The next component of your business plan is funding. You have to detail how much external investment you need to get your business idea off the ground here. Appendix The last component of your plan is the appendix. This is where you put licenses, graphs, or key information that does not fit in any of the other components.

The business model canvas is a business management tool used to quickly define your business idea and model. It is often used when investors need you to pitch your business idea during a brief window.

A pitch deck is similar to a business model canvas except that it makes use of slides in its presentation. A pitch is not primarily used to secure funding, rather its main purpose is to entice potential investors by selling a very optimistic outlook on the business.

Business plan competitions help you evaluate the strength of your business plan. By participating in business plan competitions, you are improving your experience. The experience provides you with a degree of validation while practicing important skills. The main motivation for entering into the competitions is often to secure funding by finishing in podium positions. There is also the chance that you may catch the eye of a casual observer outside of the competition. These competitions also provide good networking opportunities. You could meet mentors who will take a keen interest in guiding you in your business journey. You also have the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs whose ideas can complement yours.

Exlore Further

• 12 Key Elements of a Business Plan (Top Components Explained)
• 13 Sources of Business Finance For Companies & Sole Traders
• 5 Common Types of Business Structures (+ Pros & Cons)
• How to Buy a Business in 8 Steps (+ Due Diligence Checklist)

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Martin luenendonk.

Martin loves entrepreneurship and has helped dozens of entrepreneurs by validating the business idea, finding scalable customer acquisition channels, and building a data-driven organization. During his time working in investment banking, tech startups, and industry-leading companies he gained extensive knowledge in using different software tools to optimize business processes.

This insights and his love for researching SaaS products enables him to provide in-depth, fact-based software reviews to enable software buyers make better decisions.

How to Write a Communication Plan in 10 Steps

A communication plan can help you effectively communicate with your audience, employees, and stakeholders. Read this guide to learn the basics.

Effective communication can help improve every aspect of your business by enabling you to share information with customers and the public. However, your communication shouldn't be spontaneous because saying the wrong thing at the wrong time can damage your reputation.

How do you communicate with your customers? Successful businesses know they can't respond to every customer inquiry, concern, or public relations issue as they happen; you must have a communication plan to help you prepare for answering tough questions.

A communication plan can help you respond to customers and the public, get the word out about new products and services, deliver your key brand messaging, and recover when there's a public relations blunder. If you're wondering how to market your business , you'll need to start with a comprehensive plan of action.

What is a communication plan?

A communication plan is a thorough plan explaining the actions you'll take to communicate information to stakeholders . It ultimately identifies your essential brand messaging, including branding basics like your value proposition, while using different types of storytelling to share information with the public. In addition, every communication plan has a crisis management strategy built in to help you respond in times of a crisis, so it's important to have conflict resolution skills .

Communication plans can be used for almost every aspect of your marketing strategy throughout different types of marketing , enabling you to communicate your key messages. It may also help you identify which personalized campaigns you'll use to share this information. Your communication plan will cover everything from discussing product launches with the media to handling a crisis.

Companies without plans are unprepared when there's a potential threat to their reputation. For example, if your product was misused and caused harm, you'll need a strategy for how to deal with the repercussions, including how to answer journalist questions. Most small businesses don't have to worry about worldwide PR nightmares, but reputation management is still vital to any effective communications plan.

How to write a communication plan

Your plan is part of your communication strategy . It'll need to cover several elements, including how you'll talk about your products and services and how your business will handle a crisis. For example, a project communication plan can help you discuss new products with investors, while an all-encompassing plan can be used to support key stakeholders deal with potential disasters.

Here's how to write an effective communication plan.

Review your existing methods of communication and guidelines

Your strategic plan should reflect on existing communication methods and guidelines to determine what works and doesn't. Some small businesses might not have a plan at all, allowing them to start fresh. However, if you have a plan, you'll need to go through it to determine if any areas are still relevant to your company.

For example, if you're writing a project communication plan for a new business, you'll need to convey different messages to stakeholders, such as deadlines and action items. Meanwhile, if you're writing a communication plan for a product launch, reviewing your marketing strategies to ensure they align with your new messaging is a good idea.

Identify the objectives based on your findings

Always define your goals after analyzing the existing communications materials. During your audit, you may have missed key marketing collateral like flyers or packaging designs to launch your new product effectively. Laying out your goals after identifying gaps is crucial to ensure you have a successful plan in place.

It's best to have specific and measured goals before starting your communications planning to ensure it can accomplish all essential objectives. For example, a company launching a new product might have a goal of increasing sales within the first month by 15%.

Different departments in your organization might have different communications plans. For example, your warehouse management team may have a plan to pitch new packaging to save money on shipping costs. This team would then need to identify specific goals, such as reducing shipping costs by x amount.

No matter the goals, they can help you have something to aim for with your communications plan. They'll also give you something to measure against after you get your initial baseline metrics.

Pinpoint your target audience

Identifying your target audience before writing your communications strategy is crucial because you need to understand who the plan is for. If you're writing a crisis communications plan, you'll write it for stakeholders like the CEO or a PR representative to speak on behalf of the company. In addition, if you're writing a communications plan for launching a new product, you'll need to consider who your customers are and how you'll market to them.

Make a draft

Now that you know your goals and who you're writing for, you can begin your first draft. If you already have a template to work from, you can start filling it in. However, if this is your first time writing a communications plan, you can begin with an outline to help you identify the essential messaging points.

Your communication plan should have information detailing what the plan is used for. For example, if it's used for product marketing, it should clearly state its purpose and appropriate times to use it. It should also include a crisis communication plan describing how potential problems will be handled and by whom.

Depending on your communication plan type, you may also specify different marketing campaigns or ways you'll achieve your goals, including steps to reach your objectives.

Obtain feedback

Get feedback from the appropriate team or audience to help you identify pain points and areas of improvement in your plan.

For example, if your communications plan is meant to help stakeholders deal with crises and threats to the company's reputation, you can talk to stakeholders directly about different responses to common issues. Many project stakeholders are experts in their fields and may have experienced some of these crises within their careers, which can help you get valuable feedback on handling them.

Additionally, if you're creating a communications plan for employees, you can speak to them directly or send them your draft to obtain feedback.

Determine which communication channels you'll use to distribute your message

How and where you distribute your message depends on the type of communication plan you have. For example, if you create a communications plan for employees, you'll likely distribute it internally via email.

However, if you make a communications strategy for stakeholders, you can discuss it with them in person to help them understand what it's for and how to use it.

Meanwhile, if you're trying to share your message with customers, you might use email marketing newsletters, leverage social media, or put it on your website in a strategic place, depending on what the message is.

Create a schedule

The timing of your message is just as important as the message itself. For example, if there's a crisis and you don't act fast enough, it can be challenging to recover, which is why a plan is vital in the first place.

Let's say you have a PR nightmare on your hands, and the media is making misleading claims about your company. In this case, you'll need to act fast to refute those claims and use various small business PR strategies to get your message out, including using social media to communicate with customers and the public and scheduling interviews with journalists to tell your side of the story.

The same is true if you're launching a product. Timing your message can help generate buzz and excitement before the release date. Then, when your product launches, you already have customers interested in purchasing it.

Know who's responsible for delivering the message

The type of communications plan you create will dictate who is responsible for delivering the message. For example, if you're launching a new product, your marketing team will likely market it through various strategies and channels. Meanwhile, if there's a reputation crisis, your CEO or a representative from the company will probably deliver the message to the public.

Conduct a final review

Once you've finished your communications plan, give it one more review with the team to ensure everyone is on the same page. By now, you should have all the information you need in terms of feedback, but reviewing it one more time can help you catch any potential issues, including grammatical mistakes or confusing action items.

Test and analyze your results

Once your communications plan is complete, you can start testing it and measuring your results. As you already know, you should always continue improving on your strategies. You can measure the results of your plan after it's presented. For example, if you launched a new product intending to increase sales by 15%, you can measure your progress throughout the campaign.

If you don't reach your goals, you at least now have a baseline to help you create more realistic objectives for your next communication plan.

Top components of an effective communication plan

To build an effective communications plan for any department, you'll need these elements:

• Intended audience: Who is your message intended for? Depending on your goals, this could be anyone, from customers to internal employees.
• Message format: What will your plan look like? The format of your message depends on what you've used in the past and what has worked. For example, you may use a simple PDF structure when working directly with stakeholders so everyone has a copy.
• Distribution: How will you share your message? How you share your message depends on what type of message it is. For example, if you're sharing news of a new product, you have many channels to choose from, including ads and social media.
• Timeline: When will your plan begin and end? Your plan timeline varies depending on the project, but you should always have a start and end date to ensure you can effectively measure your performance and progress.
• Message source: Who will share your message? The person who shares your message could be anyone, from the head of HR to the CEO, depending on your type of communication plan.

Why is communication planning important?

Communication planning is important because it can help you effectively communicate with your audience, giving you the right thing to say at just the right time. It can also help everyone understand their role in the strategy. For example, for a product launch, product development is responsible for creating the product, while marketing is in charge of getting the word out to the public.

Communication plans can also improve stakeholder and client relationships by helping everyone get on the same page and plan easily. With a good communication plan, no one is left in the dark. Additionally, it can help those using the communication plan to articulate smart responses quickly, which can be beneficial when your reputation is at risk.

To summarize, a few of the advantages of communication planning include:

• Effectively communicate with your audience
• Understand individual and team responsibilities
• Improve stakeholder and client relationships
• Articulate smart responses quickly

Avert a crisis with comprehensive communication planning

Communication planning is key to the success of any company because it can improve internal communication and your relationships with the public. Anyone can write a communications plan and share it, but what's most important is the message.

Ready to share your communications plan with customers, employees, or stakeholders? Draft your communications plan and share it with Mailchimp. With our email editor, you can design simple yet elegant emails to share messages with your audience.

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How to write a communication plan (with template and examples)

Communication is one of the product manager’s primary responsibilities. After all, a PM can’t do their job without effectively communicating risks, dependencies, and changes.

In small companies, communication is somewhat more intuitive and often easier to manage. The problems begin to appear when the company grows.

A bigger company means more teams, more stakeholders, more initiatives, and more of everything. Beyond scale-ups, communication often becomes either too chaotic or too infrequent.

In cases like that, having a robust communication plan can be a life saver. In this guide, we’ll demonstrate how to write a communication plan in six easy steps. You can also use our free communication plan template , which contains both a blank spreadsheet for you to fill out and a practical example to help you get started.

What is a communication plan?

A communication plan is an inspectable artifact that describes what information must be communicated as well as to whom, by whom, when, where, and via what medium that information is to be communicated. In addition, a communication plan outlines how communications are tracked and analyzed.

A communication plan can take various forms. For example, it might take the form of a(n):

• Weekly checklist
• Spreadsheet
• Automated Trello board

In general, a communication plan should be whatever works for you and your team, as long as it allows you to inspect and adapt your approach to communicating with others.

Benefits of a communication plan

Investing time in creating and maintaining a communication plan brings many benefits. A communication plan serves as a(n):

Checklist and reminder

Inspectable artifact, alignment with stakeholders.

Who hasn’t forgotten to inform some critical stakeholder about a recent change/discovery?

Product management is such a fast-paced and dynamic profession that it’s very easy to let small details slip. Unfortunately, it’s these small details that often matter the most.

A written communication plan serves as a checklist that ensures minute details don’t slip too often. Whenever something relevant happens, you can easily refer to your communication plan to double-check whether you’ve connected with everyone who needs to be in the loop.

A tangible communication plan allows product managers to slow down, inspect, and adapt their current processes.

Whenever there’s a communication mishap, they can review what led to it and adjust their approach to communication. A concrete plan makes a vague and sometimes intimidating term such as “communication” more tangible.

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A communication plan, when done well, brings alignment and facilitates input from other stakeholders. It also lays out expectations of how communication is being handled and executed.

If stakeholders feel they aren’t getting all the relevant information, they can quickly check the communication plan to see what they are missing and what is lacking in the communication process that is causing them to miss that information. If they find the communication inadequate, they can share their feedback with the communication plan owner.

It’s easier to facilitate feedback and alignment when something is on paper.

How to create a communication plan in 6 steps

As mentioned above, there are various ways to create a communication plan.

A simple way to write a communication plan is to answer six questions:

• What type of information do you produce?
• Who should receive that information?
• How often should they receive it?
• What channels are most appropriate for this type of information?
• When is communication done for that type of information?
• Who should make sure it happens?

1. What type of information do you produce?

Start by reviewing what information you produce and process.

If you manage roadmaps , you probably produce a lot of information regarding roadmap changes, delays, and anything else that may relate to roadmaps.

If you manage releases, you also produce information regarding the release progress, stage, and anything else that related to releases.

Capture it all.

To make it easier, start with the broader, more general concepts. And if you notice the need for more precision, split them into more detailed communication positions.

2. Who should receive that information?

For a given type of information you produce or process, who should receive it? These are usually people who are:

• Direct stakeholders
• Dependent on the initiative
• Contributing to the initiative

Investing some time in defining the receipts has two main benefits.

First, it ensures you don’t miss a critical person in your communication flow, but it also helps you answer the question of who is not interested in certain information. Over-communication creates noise and should be avoided.

3. How often should they receive it?

You should identify the frequency of updates being sent out depending on the information being shared and which stakeholders are included. Should it be daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly?

You probably won’t nail it at first, but that’s OK. What’s important is to search for a sweet spot between over-communication and under-communication.

Although it might seem excessive at first, finding the right balance will be increasingly important as the amount of and need for communication grows over time.

4. What channels are most appropriate for this type of information?

What medium is most suitable for a given type of information?

For example, it would be silly to inform someone about a mission-critical dependency in a comment under a Jira ticket. At the same time, you shouldn’t spam other people’s Slack with every minor change.

Before sending out an update, ask yourself:

• Where would people seek such information?
• How fast should it reach the audience?
• How critical is it?
• Is it a one-sided update or a potential conversation starter?

The answers to these questions will help you find the best channel for the given information piece.

5. When is communication done for that type of information?

Many people fall into the concept trap that once you send out a message, your communication responsibility is over. This is not always the case.

If you send a company-wide FYI update, then yes, your job is probably completed when you press send, but what if you have roadmap changes that impact multiple teams. Shouldn’t you be making sure everyone on those teams are informed?

In cases like that, you can’t say you are done just because you’ve sent a message. You should chase all key stakeholders and ensure that they have read and understood your message to avoid any misconceptions.

Let’s face it: messages sometimes slip. Your job isn’t to send messages, but to ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s not the same thing.

I’m a fan of having a simple definition of done for communication items. Sometimes, it’ll just mean pushing an update. Other times, it might mean getting a signature of approval from another stakeholder.

6. Who should make it happens?

Last but not least, if it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure communication happens, then it’s no one’s responsibility.

Although the whole team should be responsible for ensuring effective communication, I believe in having a dedicated owner for a given communication stream. The owner can be permanent or rotate every sprint.

If you have communication owners in place, the chance of communication actually taking place increases dramatically.

Communication plan example

Let’s take a look at an example of a communication plan created using the framework I just outlined:

This communication plan can now serve as an artifact for alignment, process improvement, and double-checking if everything is communicated as needed.

Since some of the items in the communication plan happen as needed, it’s imperative to review the artifact on a regular basis. Otherwise, details are bound to slip sooner or later.

Communication plan template

To make it easy to get started with creating your own communication plan, we’ve created a communication plan template for you. Click File > Make a copy to customize the template.

When you start, ask yourself:

• What you want to communicate
• By what channel
• When you consider the communication as done
• Who should own the given communication item

Although it may lack in the beginning, use it as an inspectable artifact to improve your communication approach every sprint. I promise you, it’ll make your job as a product manager significantly easier.

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Communication Technology Business Plans

Administrative service business plan.

Everywhere Assistant is a new start-up virtual assistant business, offering administrative, accounting, marketing, and graphic design services to clients.

Cell Phones Retailer Business Plan

Garbles Cellular’s mission is to offer its customers the highest quality cell phone products and services.

Computer Laser Accessories Business Plan

Brilliant Points develops cutting edge laser/optical controls for computers used in large audience business presentations.

Computer Repair Business Plan

PC Repair will provide computer and technical consulting to local small businesses as well as home PC users.

Integrated Communications Business Plan

Aero Technologies, Ltd., is a start-up company that offers high-tech communications systems to businesses in Botswana.

Satellite Communications Business Plan

Blue Sky Satellite Communications is an ongoing comunications solutions and satellite service provider in Africa.

Telecom Wireless Business Plan

Cellular Providers is taking advantage of an opportunity to become a highly distinguished and recognized industry leader in the cellular communications industry.

Telecommunications Business Plan

TeleSpace, Inc. develops and markets programmable personal communications and unified messaging services for individuals and businesses.

Telecommunications Products Business Plan

OSS Telecom Technology is an established steel conglomerate which is now branching out into the telecommunications sector.

Telephone Sales Business Plan

University Telephones will offer State University students landline phones, cell phones, and cell phone plans.

Tracking Device Maker Business Plan

RQM Technologies (RQM) is a start-up company which will develop and distribute miniaturized Personal Locator Devices.

Wi-Fi Kiosks Business Plan

Stroll Net, a start-up company, will install Wi-Fi compatible, Internet access kiosks in public venues, offering customers casual walk-up anytime access to World Wide Web applications.

Wireless DataComm Business Plan

Pie in the Sky Wi-Fi specializes in the setup, delivery, marketing and maintenance of secure wireless communications (Wi-Fi) for individuals, businesses, and entire communities.

Communication technology, also known as information technology, involves any and all equipment, software, or devices that process and communicate information. It’s an ever-evolving industry, with opportunities for new businesses to enter the market with different, advanced, or alternative communications solutions. However, it can be a difficult industry to find success without a solid business plan to guide you.

Start your telecom provider, cell phone or computer retailer, or other communications company out on the right track with a sample business plan.

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

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15 Communication Plan Templates for Professional Use (2024)

Written by: Orana Velarde

Communication plans can help you deliver information timely and effectively to stakeholders in various situations — from a PR crisis to a new product launch. They are excellent tools to share with your team and prepare them to communicate properly in any given situation.

If you're intimidated by the idea of creating a communication plan from scratch, it's okay. You can simply use a pre-designed communication plan template to speed up the process.

We've put together a list of 15 professional communication plan examples for various use cases.

The best part?

You can edit these communication plan templates online and download them or share them with your team.

Here's a short selection of easy-to-edit Communication plan templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more below:

Just choose the category from the list below that best describes your needs and start designing a successful communication strategy.

15 Communication Plan Templates for Professionals

Template #1: strategic communication plan, template #2: crisis communication plan, template #3: it communication plan, template #4: project management communication plan, template #5: internal communication plan, template #6: event communication plan, template #7: simple communication plan, template #8: change management communication plan, template #9: stakeholder communication plan, template #10: donor communication plan, template #11: school communication plan, template #12: emergency communication plan, template #13: marketing communication plan, template #14: product launch communication plan, template #15: diversity and inclusion communication plan, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Before you start scrolling, here’s a video on how to create attractive documents with Visme to get your creative juices flowing.

Strategic communication plans are essential documents that corporations, organizations and companies use to maintain stable and constant communication with their audiences. Below is an example of a communication plan template you can use to streamline communication.

This sleek strategic communication plan uses contrasting desaturation with bright colors to bring attention to the content. The placeholder sections in the table of contents include:

• Executive Summary
• Situational Analysis
• Demographics

Adding your content is easy as all you have to do is copy and paste into the template and adjust as needed. If you want to add pages with a type of graph or more text content, just duplicate a page. Use the same colors as the rest of the design to have a balanced look and feel.

And if you’re short on time, you can use the Visme AI document generator to generate your communication plans or any other document in a matter of seconds. Just type in your prompt, provide a bit more context, select your preferred design and watch the tool produce your first draft in seconds.

Check out how the AI document generator tool works.

Every startup, company or enterprise is bound to have a moment of crisis to deal with. It could be an unhappy customer or a global pandemic. For that reason, you need a crisis communication plan to specify actionable practices in any crisis.

Create your own Communication Plan with this easy-to-edit template! Edit and Download

With crisis communication plan templates like this one, all involved parties have access to the necessary information. Our designers have put together a collection of pages and sections to get you started, including:

• Crisis Communication Policy
• Crisis Command Center Team
• CCC Activation Hierarchy
• Media Liaison

To personalize your brand’s communication plan, simply change the colors and fonts using your Brand Kit . If you need more pages for more key messaging sections, it’s easy to duplicate the pre-designed pages and add your content.

You’ll need to adjust the layout a bit, so the pages don’t look the same. Change the image background for another and customize the text boxes and icons to match your content.

Here’s another great example of a communication plan. Share your project ideas and future goals effectively with our easy-to-use IT communication plan template. It's designed to help you choose the right communication channels and strategies for your IT projects.

The communication template has a bold dark and red design theme that sets a powerful visual tone. With eye-catching visuals and straightforward layouts, this template makes it simple to present your project proposals, timelines, and resource allocation.

Collaborating with your team becomes a seamless experience, ensuring that your message is conveyed accurately and efficiently to all stakeholders.

Upgrade your project communication with this attention-grabbing dark and red-themed IT communication plan template, and make a lasting impression while conveying your ideas and goals with impact.

Is your team working on a project together and you need to keep everything in check and on track? Are you looking for a way to let everyone know what needs to be done and when?

This project management communication plan sample is just what you need as the basis of your action plan.

Be clear and direct about what needs to be done, by whom and when. Putting it all in this project management communication framework template is going to create transparency within your team.

Your job as a project manager is to make sure everything is taken care of correctly and on time. When you use project communication plan templates like this one, your success rates go up.

Use the table of contents in this project management plan to outline all necessary information and key messaging. Explain how and when deliverables are to be expected and who are the key stakeholders in the process.

Link to collaboration channels and give instructions on how to use them best. Give instructions on how to name files and where everything is stored in the cloud.Use the Visme workflow tool to assign and manage each task, set deadlines and review and approve projects—all within your workspace.

Working on a project together takes careful planning. A project manager needs to ensure that everyone knows what’s expected of them and who to contact about different things. That's where an internal communication strategy comes in play.

This internal communications strategy template is just what you need to keep the team on track.

Our professionally designed internal communication plan is easy to use and customize with your content. The sections are separated as follows:

• Stakeholders
• Implementation
• Team Involved

If you plan to share your communication plan as a digital PDF, add links to the respective pages. This way, the reader can navigate to their desired content from the table of contents .

Use the timeline feature in the implementation section to visually schedule the tasks for the project. If you need to make the timeline longer, simply duplicate the page. Customize the colors and fonts for your brand using your Brand Kit.

Simplify the process of planning, organizing, and executing your events with our outstanding event communication plan template.

This complete communication strategy template comes equipped with step-by-step instructions, enabling you to seamlessly coordinate crucial event particulars, create detailed timelines, and ensure your guests are well-informed, all within a single platform.

Featuring captivating visuals, contemporary fonts, and customizable color schemes, this template not only enhances the functionality of your event communication plan. The rich blend of serene blues, pristine whites, and vibrant pinks also adds an aesthetic touch that will leave a lasting impression.

Add flipbook effects so readers can interact with the document as if they are reading a book. Make event planning a breeze while keeping everything visually appealing with this versatile template.

Communications planning doesn’t always need to be complicated. A simple communication plan will do the job for any small project. All you need for effective communication is the key messaging and the relevant links to the preferred communication channels.

This corporate communication plan template is simple and keeps things to only two pages. It effectively uses icons , progress bars and a table format to visualize possible situations of crisis and the appropriate response to each situation.

You can remove the cover page and download your communication plan as a single-page infographic . Or you can add more pages to turn it into a more comprehensive document.

If you’ve ever had to change something inside a company, you know how difficult it can be to it seamlessly. Change can be about a piece of software, a physical working location, a process or system.

A change management communication plan will help everyone involved in the transition by making sure they’re all on the same page.

This change management communication plan designed by our Visme designers uses placeholder content for a change in CRM. The sections apply to any type of change and are:

• Summary: What is changing and why?
• Stakeholders: Who is involved in the change and how?
• Phases: How will the change take place with the help of a timeline?

This is the perfect communication plan template to help your team change something seamlessly without affecting other aspects of your work.

When working on your plan, use Visme’s shortcut tool to easily find anything you want in the editor. Simply type forward slash (/) on your keyboard and search bar will appear. Type in a keyword to easily find design assets, tools and features in the Visme editor.

Having many stakeholders aiming for the same goal requires good organization and planning. Make sure everyone’s on board with this stakeholder communication plan example.

This professionally designed template offers all the pages you need to organize the information for your stakeholders. Share everything they need to know about your company, the goals, objectives, changes, projections and more.

Plus, share all relevant information like the dates for team meetings, a project roadmap , and the manager’s phone number.

If you need more pages than the template provides, simply duplicate and add your content in text boxes. Also, maintain a visual balance in the general look-and-feel of the page.

To keep the communication plan easy to read and understand, link to longer content with popups or external hyperlinks. Make sure to share the finished communication plan as a digital PDF file.

A well-planned donor communication strategy is essential to the success of any fundraising campaign. With our user-friendly template, you can impress your donors and streamline your fundraising efforts. This comprehensive tool includes easy-to-follow sections for outlining your donor engagement strategy, establishing effective communication channels and tracking the progress of your campaigns.

Our template features engaging graphics and icons, sleek fonts, and customizable colors that not only make it visually appealing but also allow you to tailor it to your organization's unique branding.

Every part of this template is customizable. With Visme’s intuitive editor, you can change colors, fonts and more to fit your branding. Elevate your fundraising endeavors and make a lasting impression on your valued supporters with this visually captivating and user-friendly template.

Ensuring that all communication levels are clear and concise within a school setting can be difficult without a communication plan. That's because precise instructions and direction are often essential for teachers, staff, parents and managerial positions.

Our school communication plan sample was created especially for you by our Visme designers. The three main sections cover communication strategies at three different levels:

• Academic Communication
• Staff Communication
• School-Wide Communication

Customize the tables with your school colors and input your specific information into the cells. Make your communication plan interactive by adding links to the correct communication channels for direct messaging and virtual or in-person meetings, and then share it online.

An effective emergency communication plan is vital for ensuring the safety and well-being of your team members. When a disaster strikes, a well-structured and thorough plan can ensure swift, coordinated responses and minimize risks.

Prepare your organization for emergency situations by sharing proven methods and solutions with this invaluable template. This stunning and user-friendly template simplifies the process, allowing you to outline essential procedures, contact information, and crucial resources. It provides indispensable guidance to your personnel in times of crisis, ensuring they are well-prepared and can respond effectively when needed most.

What makes this template shine are the striking images, visuals and design elements. In Visme’s library, you’ll find tons of visuals and design assets to communicate your ideas. Feel free to swap the template color theme to match your branding.

Need help writing or proofreading content for your plan? Visme’s AI writer is your handy assistant. All you need to do is write an accurate prompt that reflects your need and watch the magic happen.

Marketing and social media campaigns are successful when everyone involved knows what their part is in the process and what their tasks are. Setting every team member up with the information they need to reach a common goal is the primary purpose of this marketing communication plan.

This marketing communication plan example has a colorful, modern feel. Circles form a big part of the visual layout, making the content easier to digest and more interesting to look at.

In this marketing communication plan template, there are four sections for your key messaging:

• Goal and Objectives
• SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis page is a practical guide to see where your project has weaknesses and what strengths will pull it through. On the last page, you’ll find a timeline to help keep every team member on track of their tasks and in what timeframe.

Easily customize the template to match your brand by using your Brand Kit. Share the template with team members to get feedback and collaborate on the final design. Track how many people have viewed or taken action on your plan using our analytics feature .

When launching a new product, it’s good practice to work as a team. The best way to make sure all the pre-launch tasks are taken care of is to create a product launch communication plan.

In the six pages of this attractive product launch communication plan, you can lay out all the steps for your product’s pre and post-launch activities.

Use the timeline page to explain in detail what needs to happen. Specify which communication teams take care of what tasks, like the press release and influencer outreach emails.

Use hyperlinks to more in-depth content for specific teams and don’t forget to share the links to relevant communication platforms.

Use the sections set up for you in the template or create your own. Your key messaging will probably be similar to this but it’s easy to personalize or add more.

• Launch Phases
• Pre-Launch Activities
• Post-Launch Follow Up

Make sure to include the steps for recording post-launch metrics as these are just as important as the ones done pre-launch. Plus, measurable insights can help with other product launch projects in the future.

Achieving diversity and inclusion in the workplace requires a clear and comprehensive communication plan. A plan will serve as a strategic framework to promote diversity and inclusion initiatives across your organization.

This remarkable, fully customizable template is your compass for systematically advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization. The template has a clean and creative design layout with high-quality images and graphics that add visual excitement.

The eye-catching images are carefully selected to support your narrative and enhance the overall aesthetic of your plan. With its captivating design, you can effortlessly engage your entire workforce, presenting your vision, initiatives, and progress with impact and clarity.

There are multiple options for sharing your plan with stakeholders. You can share it online with a link or embed it on your website or landing page. Alternatively, you can download it in multiple formats.

Design Your Own Communication Plan Online

Creating a communication plan is easy when you have practical and inspiring templates to guide you. To get started with designing your communication plan, simply choose the template that best fits your vision and input your content.

If you're new to Visme, use one of the free templates and adjust the content accordingly. That said, you’d be surprised at what you can do with a premium Visme subscription .

With a premium subscription, not only will you get access to premium templates and graphic assets, you'll also be able to create any type of visual — from documents and presentations to infographics, charts, surveys, social media graphics and more.

You'll also be able to download your designs in multiple formats, from image to PDF to HTML5, work in collaboration with your team, create a Brand Kit and much more.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free Visme account today and create a great-looking, comprehensive communication plan to share with your team.

Are you still weighing your options about creating a communication plan? Hopefully, the templates on this list inspired you to take a look and give them a try.

But you might still need a little help deciding if this is a suitable document for what you need. That’s why we’ve put together the most common questions asked about communications plans.

Q1. What is a communication plan?

A communication plan is a strategic document that shares coordinated, consistent and directed messaging for achieving a specific goal, such as managing a PR crisis or successfully launching a new product.

A communication plan can be printed, sent via email as a PDF or shared as a live online link. A well-structured and effective communication plan is the single most crucial factor of project management in any industry and for every use case.

Q2. What is the purpose of a communication plan?

The primary purpose of a communication plan is to deliver consistent information about a shared goal. It keeps everyone on the team on the same page about what needs to be done, how and when.

A communication plan solves many problems that teams usually face when there’s no clear direction for everyone involved. With a clear communication plan, everything is explained in detail and easy to follow.

All communication needs are laid out in detailed sections covering topics from goals and objectives to timelines and schedules . A communication plan brings together all the communication channels into one single document. From there, team members can spread out through relevant links and supplementary documents.

Q3. What’s included in a communication plan?

Every communication plan example is different, just how every project is different. But what remains the same across the majority of communication plans is the relevant and strategic information.

A standard communication plan includes sections like:

• Short and long-term goals for the project.
• A set of key messages to be explained in detail, separated into sections.
• Strategies for communication, both in-house and outbound.
• Details about the people involved in the project.
• A schedule and timeline for specific events, deadlines and reporting.
• Further communication methods.
• Specific instructions about your company’s communication process.
• Strategies for measuring success.

Apart from the list above, a communication plan must also include details pertinent to the specific project. If there are folders or systems that people need to access for the project’s success, list them and explain how to use them.

Q4. What is the first step in communication planning?

The first step in communication planning is to define the goals you and your team want to achieve. Outline both short and long-term goals so it’s easier to plan the project as pieces of a whole.

Following the goals, set the objectives. Explain how you plan to achieve these with the help of timelines, schedules, and tables. Include a list of involved stakeholders and links to further means of collaboration.

Q5. What are the key messages of a communication plan?

A communication plan’s specific key messages will depend on what you want to achieve and who your target audience is. Your key messages are the most essential communication points for any particular project.

For example, let’s say you’re creating a communication plan for a product launch. The key messages would cover;

• The goals and objectives of the product launch.
• The reason and story about why this product was created and what problem it solves for people.
• A timeline of pre-launch activities including who will be contacted for outreach and what information will be shared with them.
• What messaging and visual strategies to use for social media and advertising.

An excellent way to make sure all key messaging is clear is to add each one as an item in the Table of Contents.

Q6. What’s the best tool to create a communication plan online?

If you want to create a communication plan that makes an impact, use Visme! Our professionally designed communication plan templates will look amazing with your content and be super easy to customize.

With a Visme communication plan, you can include data visualizations using data from a Microsoft Excel sheet. In fact, if you’ve been creating project communication plans in an Excel spreadsheet, it’s time to upgrade your communication efforts!

Knock your team out of their seats with your impactful communication plan!

Head over to Visme's professional document creator and look through the template library, or click on any of the communication plan template buttons in the list above.

Q7. How to Write a Communications Plan

• Audit Your Existing Communication Plan: Before you put pen to paper, do a situational analysis of communications in your company. The goal is to identify gaps, problem areas and opportunities for improvement.
• Set SMART Goals: Based on the audit results, highlight SMART goals you want to achieve with your communications plan. An example of a SMART communication goal would be to improve client response time to complaints from six hours to three hours within the next 2 months.
• Identify Your Target Audience: Are you working with media outlets, customers, partners, investors, employees, customers or the government? Understand who your intended audience is. Consider their demographics, interests, needs, and communication preferences. This will help you tailor your messages and select appropriate channels.
• Communication methods, both in-house and outbound.
• Team members responsible for delivering communication
• Escalation plan
• Communication channels
• Choose appropriate and effective channels: Consider using a combination of channels such as email, meetings, presentations, the intranet, newsletters, social media, or face-to-face interactions. Adapt your channels based on the nature of the message and the preferences of your audience.
• Assign responsibilities: Determine who will be responsible for executing different aspects of the communication plan. Assign roles and responsibilities to team members or stakeholders involved in the process. Clearly define each person's tasks and deliverables.
• Set a timeline for execution. It's important to have a rough estimate of the time required for each step in implementing your strategy. For example, if your plan involves sharing information from top-level management to employees, it's wise to consider the duration it will take to go through the chain of command.
• Regularly review and assess your communication plan's performance : Evaluate the effectiveness of your messages, channels, and activities. Identify areas for improvement and make adjustments accordingly.

Q8. What are the Top Communication Planning Tips?

When it comes to communication planning, here are some tips to ensure effective and successful communication:

• Define clear objectives and identify the target audience: Whether it's providing information, generating buy-in, or addressing concerns, having clear objectives will guide your communication strategy. Understanding who your target audience is will help you tailor your communications to their needs, interests, and preferences.
• Be consistent and transparent: Maintain consistency in your messaging across different channels and ensure transparency throughout the change process. Share relevant information, progress updates, and any challenges or risks involved. This helps build trust and credibility with your audience.
• Engage leaders and influencers: Leverage the support of influential leaders and stakeholders within the organization. Engage them early on and involve them in the planning process to help drive change and promote a culture of open communication.
• Establish a feedback loop: Create channels for employees to share their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. Actively listen and respond to feedback to build trust and engagement.
• Evaluate and Adapt: Gather feedback, track engagement, and assess whether your communication objectives are being met. Use the insights gained to adapt and refine your communication plan as needed.

Q9. How to Use Communication Plan Templates

To effectively use communication plan templates, follow these steps:

Choose a suitable template: Select a communication plan template that aligns with your specific needs and goals. Visme has a comprehensive library of templates that provide a comprehensive structure and include sections relevant to your project or initiative.

Gather relevant information: Collect the necessary information to complete each section of the template.

This may include objectives, target audience details, key messages, communication channels, timelines, budgets, and evaluation methods. Refer to existing documentation, conduct research, and consult with stakeholders as needed to gather accurate and relevant information.

Customize the template: Tailor the template to fit your specific requirements.

• With Visme's intuitive editor, you can easily modify section headings, add or remove sections as needed, and adapt the content to align with your project or organization.
• Customize the visual elements of the template to match your branding or style guidelines by adding your logo, adjusting colors, and modifying fonts.
• Access a rich library of images, videos and design assets to make your plan visually appealing.
• Automatically generate and incorporate captivating images, art, and graphics into your plan using Visme’s AI image generator .

Share and collaborate: Share the completed communication plan with relevant team members and stakeholders using Visme's collaboration features . Encourage them to provide feedback, input, and suggestions for improvement.

Implement and monitor : Implement the communication plan and monitor the progress and effectiveness of your communication efforts. Make adjustments as needed based on feedback, data, and changing circumstances.

Create a effective communication plans in minutes with Visme

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How to Communicate Your Company’s Strategy Effectively

by David Lancefield

Summary .   

For too long, communicating strategy has been an afterthought. Executives have shared long, bombastic documents or withheld critical information and expected people to just “get it.” And it hasn’t worked. Greater external uncertainty, collaboration, employee anxiety, and organizational openness demands a change of approach. The author presents five actions that will improve the clarity and quality of communication, enabling stakeholders to make a more substantive and meaningful contribution to the strategy.

Most people can’t recall the strategy of the organization they work for. Even the executives and managers responsible for strategy struggle, with one study reporting that only 28% of them could list three strategic priorities.

Partner Center

How to create a business analysis communication plan

Lucid Content

Reading time: about 6 min

Business analysts help companies improve their processes, systems, and operations by analyzing current practices, defining business needs, and proposing solutions. In other words, business analysts (BAs) are in the business of change. 

Once BAs define the problems and the solutions, they help initiate changes through careful communication and planning across the organization. Because business analysis covers the entire organization, BAs must facilitate cross-functional communications that effectively speak to the needs for change and the path forward so stakeholders at every level support the initiative.  

That’s where a strong communication plan comes in.

BAs must be skilled communicators, enabled by a robust communication strategy and plan. Without buy-in from employees and leaders throughout the company, change initiatives will fall flat. 

Below we’ll cover what a business analysis communication plan is, why it’s important, and best practices for developing a BA communication strategy.

Why is it important to have a communication plan?

A formal communication strategy helps business analysts communicate change requirements, project initiatives, and business needs clearly and consistently. This is an important part of the communication strategy because business analysts must be able to communicate clearly across the organization throughout the iterative change management process. 

As projects and requirements evolve and different stakeholders engage in the process (or are impacted by the initiatives), communication acts as the glue that holds everything together and keeps everyone on the same page.

A communication plan provides a roadmap to guide messaging decisions and ensure that information is relayed in the right way to the right people. 

In short, a strong communication plan:

• Keeps things organized
• Drives efficiency through a set process
• Ensures the communications reach the right audience

What is a business analysis communication plan?

Requirements communication is an important part of a BA’s responsibilities. Ongoing, iterative communication helps BAs convey key business requirements, findings, and recommendations throughout the business analysis process. 

Business analysis and requirements communication involve numerous activities including:

• Managing conflicts
• Determining the requirements format
• Creating a requirements package
• Presenting the analysis and requirements
• Reviewing requirements
• Obtaining requirements signoff

To successfully communicate through each of these tasks, BAs need a clear communication plan. 

A business analysis communication plan is a framework that helps BAs document: 

• What information needs to be shared.
• Who needs to receive the information.
• When information should be delivered.
• How information will be shared (platform and setting).
• Required stakeholder actions (sign off, review, give feedback).
• Next steps after stakeholder actions.

A communication plan should outline the purpose of the communication, how those goals will be achieved, the audience, the timeline for delivery, and how results will be measured.

Use visuals to outline your communication plans and keep track of key messaging strategies. Visuals like a communication plan chart or communication matrix can help you get started.

Visualizing your communication plan will keep your framework organized into key categories such as stakeholders, deliverables, task or project owners, priority, and delivery method. Take advantage of visualization solutions that are easily shareable and collaborative to disseminate information efficiently and keep everyone on the same page. 

Best practices for developing communication plans

Creating and implementing a robust communication plan takes work. But the payoff is worth it. Use the following tips and best practices to nail your business communication every step of the way.

1. Determine your communication goals

What is your purpose for the communication? For instance, are you managing conflict, creating a requirements package, or seeking sign-off from stakeholders? Each objective will affect how you communicate with your audience and the tools and strategies you use. 

For example, if you are managing conflict surrounding business requirements and stakeholder expectations, you might have to get everyone in a room together to have a meeting to bridge the gap. Or, you may need to prepare a presentation with additional supporting research to back up your initial requirements analysis. 

2. Consider your audience 

How you communicate information will also depend on who your audience is. Consider what communication format and messaging is most effective for each individual or group you’re communicating with. 

For example, your audience may be most receptive to a formal presentation with follow-up emails. Meet your audience where they are while ensuring all requirements are fully documented throughout the process for reference.

Communication methods could include:

• Status reports
• Meeting summaries
• Presentations
• Video conferencing
• Chat or email
• Shared collaboration tools like interactive visuals

3. Pay attention to frequency

Communication can make or break your company’s engagement. While what you say is important, how often you communicate can play an equally important role in building trust and keeping everyone on the same page throughout the change management process. 

Don’t leave people to guess what is going on in the business or how it might impact them. Bring people into the conversation so you are always working from the most up-to-date information and ensuring no one is left in the dark. 

Paying attention to the frequency and cadence of your communications will improve engagement and buy-in from your stakeholders across the organization.  

4. Use visuals to deliver your communication

Communication must be consistent and clear. Avoid text-heavy, complex plans in favor of easy-to-digest roadmaps. While many BAs outline their plans in spreadsheets or text documents, visuals can help you organize and present your messaging plans and information simply and effectively through every business analysis stage.

The following templates can help you get started:

BPMN process flow diagrams help analysts understand current business processes and identify opportunities to improve them. These are a great addition to your BA toolbelt both for analyzing and documenting as-is processes as part of your analysis, as well as communicating your findings to stakeholders. Use these diagrams to illustrate current processes and pinpoint where and how your recommendations fit in.

Current vs. Target Balanced Scorecard

Balanced scorecards help BAs compare current business metrics to strategic goals. These are a great tool for analyzing the gap between where the business is now and where it would like to be. Use balanced scorecards to help communicate gaps in your strategic targets and support your case for recommended requirements.

Business Model Canvas

A Business Model Canvas is a one-page document that summarizes your business plans. This is a great asset for BAs because it succinctly communicates strategy, plans, and vision with enough detail to provide context and clear information about process and decision-making. 

Business Model Canvas organizes the following information in one easy-to-digest visual:

• Value proposition —What problem are you solving
• Key partners —Who needs to be involved in producing and delivering these solutions
• Key activities —What needs to be done to achieve your goal
• Key resources —What you need to deliver these results
• Customer relationships —How do you talk to your market about these solutions
• Customer segments —Who needs your solution 
• Channels —How will you deliver your solution

This visual is a great tool for organizing your plans and communicating the business value of your recommendations to stakeholders at every level.

A successful business analysis isn’t complete without a well-executed communication plan. Use these tips to bring your organization together on key business requirements and make an impact today. 

Create a robust communication plan and strategy to gain employee buy-in and communicate key details with stakeholders in Lucidchart.

About Lucidchart

Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.

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39+ SAMPLE Communication Plan Templates in PDF | MS Word

Communication plan templates in pdf | ms word, 39+ sample communication plan templates, what is a communication plan, top benefits of a communication plan, the main components of a communication plan, how to make an effective communication plan, what makes a good communication plan, what are the five major types of communication, what are the 7 c’s of communication, what are the key components of effective communication.

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Step 1: State the Purpose of the Plan

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Why a clear communication plan is more important than you think

More often than not, clear communication can make or break successful projects. Clear communication in project management isn’t just about where you should be communicating—it’s also about which team members should be receiving which types of messages.

The good news is, creating an effective communication plan isn’t difficult. All you need to do is define your communication channels and align on when team members should use each. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to set up a communication plan and show you a template so you can create your own.

What is a communication plan?

Sharing a communication plan can give your team clarity about which tools to use when and who to contact with each of those tools. Without a communication plan, you might have one team member trying to ask questions about work in a tool that another team member rarely checks. Rather than being able to clearly communicate and move forward with work, each team member would end up frustrated, confused, and disconnected from the work that matters. Then, if they don’t have clear insight into who is responsible for each channel, they might end up reaching out to an executive stakeholder with questions that person can’t answer. What started out as a simple miscommunication has spiraled into three frustrated team members—and all the while, work isn’t moving forward.

What should a communication plan include?

Your communication plan is your one-stop-shop for your project communication strategy. Team members should be able to use the communication plan to answer project questions like:

What communication channels are we using? What is each channel used for?

When should we communicate in person vs. asynchronously?

What are the project roles? Who is the project manager ? Who is on the project team? Who are the project stakeholders ?

How are important project details, like project status updates, going to be communicated? How frequently will these be shared?

What shouldn’t be included in a communication plan?

A communication plan will help you clarify how you’re going to communicate with your project team and project stakeholders—whether these are internal team members that work at your company, or external stakeholders like customers or contractors.

A communication plan in project management is not a PR plan. This plan will not help you align on your social media strategy, identify a target audience, or establish key messages for different demographics. If you need to build out those plans, consider creating a  social media content calendar  or a  business strategy plan .

The benefits of a communication plan

Obviously  clear communication in the workplace  is a good thing. But do you really need a written communication plan to do that?

In a word: yes. A good communication plan can help you communicate the right information to the right project stakeholders. Executive stakeholders don’t need to be notified about every project detail—similarly, every project team member might not need to be on a conference call with your external partners. By clarifying where and how you’ll be communicating, you can reduce the guessing game and unblock your team.

Less app switching

We recently interviewed  over 13,000 global knowledge workers  and found that the average knowledge worker switches between 10 apps up to 25 times per day. Instead of focusing on high-impact work or even collaborating effectively with their team members, knowledge workers are sinking hours into simply trying to figure out where they should be communicating.

A communication plan can eliminate this guessing game. For example, if your team knows that you only communicate about work in a  work management tool , they can search for key information there—instead of digging through document folders, Slack messages, and multiple email chains. Similarly, when you know that a team member is only tangentially working on the project—and is only being looped in during high-level status reports—you won’t bother them with a question about when the next  project deliverable  is due.

We have created communication guidelines around what software or what tools are best for what. Asana is for action, Slack is for quick responses or answers to things that are floating around. Email is more official and mostly external facing. By doing that, and creating the proper communications guidance, it really helps reduce the noise.”

Increased collaboration

Team collaboration isn’t an effortless process that happens by itself—it’s a skill that you and your team have to build. One part of creating effective  team collaboration  is clarifying your team’s communication conventions. That’s because a big barrier to effective collaboration is feeling comfortable communicating—especially if you work on a  remote or distributed team . If your team feels unsure because they’re still trying to figure out how or where to communicate, they won’t be fully comfortable talking to one another.

Your communication plan is a chance to clarify where team members should be communicating. Depending on the level of detail, you can also include when team members should be communicating—and clarify team conventions towards setting “Do not disturb” mode or snoozing notifications.

By providing these guidelines, you’re effectively removing one of the biggest barriers to easy communication and collaboration between team members. When team members know where to communicate—and just as importantly, where not to communicate—they can be confident they’re sending the right message at the right time.

Less duplicative work

Currently, knowledge workers spend  60% of their time on work about work  like searching for documents, chasing approvals, switching between apps, following up on the status of work, and generally doing things that take time away from impactful work. Part of this work about work is not knowing where things should be communicated.

If team members don’t have a clear sense of where information is shared—things like your  project plan  or  project timeline —then they’ll have to dig through multiple tools or ask several team members just to find the right information. As a result, team members who are unclear about where they should be communicating about work also have a harder time simply finding existing work.

Work about work leads to more manual, duplicative work and less clarity overall. In fact, according to the  Anatomy of Work Index , we spend 13% of our time—236 hours per year—on work that’s already been completed. By sharing your communication plan, you can give your team clarity into exactly where work lives, so they don’t have to spend all that time finding it themselves.

How to write a communication plan

A communication plan is a powerful tool—but it’s also relatively easy to create. You can create a communication plan in four steps.

1. Establish your communication methods

The first step to creating a communication plan is to decide where your team will communicate—and about what. This includes when to use which tools and when to communicate live vs. asynchronously. Live, synchronous communication is communication that happens in real time. Conversely, asynchronous communication is when you send a message without expecting someone to reply right away. We all use asynchronous communication every day without realizing it—most notably, every time we send an email.

As you define your communication plan, identify what to use each tool for. For example, you might decide to use:

Email to communicate with any external stakeholders.

Slack for synchronous communication about day-to-day updates and quick questions.

Asana to communicate asynchronously about work, like task details, project status updates , or key project documents.

Zoom or Google Meet for any team meetings, like project brainstorms or your project post mortem.

2. Align on communication cadence

Now that you know where you’ll be communicating, you also have to identify how frequently you’ll be communicating. Your communication cadence is your action plan for updating different stakeholders about different project details.

For example, you might decide to schedule:

Weekly project status updates posted in Asana to all project stakeholders and sponsors.

Monthly project team meetings to unblock any work or brainstorm next steps.

Asynchronous project milestone updates in Asana as needed.

3. Add a plan for stakeholder management

Running a successful project often depends on getting stakeholder support and buy-in. At the beginning of the project, you’ll do this during the  project kickoff meeting —but it’s also critical to maintain stakeholder support throughout your project.

Take some time as you’re drafting your communication plan to detail when to communicate with each project stakeholder, and about what. Some people, like your key project team members, will be communicating about this project regularly—maybe even daily. Other project stakeholders may only need to be looped in during project status updates or maybe just at the final readout.

By listing out how you’ll be managing communication with stakeholders, you can ensure they’re being contacted at the right time about the right things. The communication they recieve should answer questions at their level of detail and with a focus on business results and overall, high-level impact.

4. Share your communication plan and update it as needed

Once you’ve created your communication plan, it’s time to share it with your project team. Make sure your communication plan is accessible in your central source of truth for all project information. We recommend using  Asana  to track all project communication and work, so you can talk about work where you’re working.

If any changes impact your project communication plan, make sure you update it and communicate those changes. That way, team members always have access to the most up to date information.

Example communication plan

Communication plan template

Description of communication.

What type of communication is it?

How often will you be communicating?

Which tool will you be using? Is this synchronous or asynchronous communication?

Who is receiving this communication?

Who is in charge of sending out this communication?

Good communication starts with a communication plan

Clear communication can help you send the right message at the right time. Empower effortless collaboration while also ensuring every team member is being looped in at the right times. That way, your team can spend less time communicating about work and more time on high-impact work.

Related resources

7 steps to crafting a winning event proposal (with template)

How Asana drives impactful product launches in 3 steps

How to streamline compliance management software with Asana

New site openings: How to reduce costs and delays

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Communication plan template

This article provides communication plan templates for businesses, organizations, or individuals to interact with their internal and external stakeholders effectively. It includes tips for creating an efficient communication plan, and the importance of having one in today's fast-paced world. The templates cover crisis communication, launching marketing campaigns, and internal communication plans.

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Communication plans outline how a business, organization, or individual will interact with its internal and external stakeholders to keep them up-to-date on the latest developments.

It includes the who, what, when, where, why, and how of communication strategies and tactics tailored for a specific project or campaign.

In this blog post, we will provide communication plan templates that you can use for your own business whenever you need to get different types of messages across to various shareholders. We will also discuss some tips for creating an effective communication plan.

The importance of having a communication plan

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world, it is more crucial than ever to have a clear and concise plan for communication in place ready for when the need arises.

Without one, businesses can easily get bogged down in the details and miss important opportunities to connect with their stakeholders, or fail to do so quickly enough.

A communications plan template can be a valuable tool for organizations of all sizes. Whether you are communicating with your employees, customers, partners, or the media, a communication plan can help ensure that your message is clear, concise, and on target. In this case, a pr template can also help you to structure an announcement if you need to deliver it quickly and effectively.

How to title a communication plan

The title of this document should reflect its purpose, which usually (but not always) means including “communication plan” and some specific details. This way, everyone who comes into contact with the document will know what it is for and can easily reference it when needed.

For example, if the communication plan is for a new product launch or a certain marketing campaign, you may give it a title stating precisely that. Other elements that could be included in the title are the dates that the communication plan will be in effect and the name of the organization or team that it applies to.

Including this kind of information in the subject of the document will inform the relevant parties about the plan for messaging and get everyone involved on the same page with regards to when certain communication activities can or need to take place.

Communication plan subject line examples

New product launch communication plan, [title]: marketing campaign communication plan, [company name] internal communication plan, strategic communication plan: [company name].

• [Project Name] Project Management Communication Plan

New [Change in Company] Communication Plan

Plan for communication with stakeholders: [company name].

• [Start Date] – [End Date]: March Communication Plan

How to write a communication plan

The way a communication plan is started depends on the purpose or type of communication.

Sometimes it is helpful to begin with an introduction that provides context and sets the tone for the communication style to follow, while at other times it makes more sense to jump right into the communication objectives and strategies.

In general, it will be useful to follow the steps below to write an effective communication plan for ensuring that your message hits the mark:

• Carry out an audit of your existing communication strategy (if applicable) – this will allow you to identify any problem areas or content gaps (e.g. missing marketing materials) that need to be included in the new or updated plan.
• Define SMART goals for your communications plan – setting objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bounded will help you to determine its effectiveness.
• Develop your organization’s mission statement, core values, and key messages – these should be the foundation on which all communication strategies and activities are built. They might also be specified explicitly in the communication plan (e.g. business proposals ).
• Identify the target audience segments of your communications plan – knowing and understanding the recipient of your messaging makes it easier to set the right tone for them.
• Decide which channel(s) your messages will be delivered through – whether the best method for reaching your target audience would be via email or a press release, for instance, affects how the communication plan will be written.
• Assign responsible parties – decide who will be in charge of delivering your communications plan on the various channels and to each different audience.
• Calculate how each step will take and thus how long the communication plan will run for in total – this is necessary for clarifying the timeline and allocating a budget to make the necessary resources available.
• Measure the results of your plan after communicating with the relevant stakeholders – recognizing areas for improvement means that you can update your strategy to increase its effectiveness.

What to include in a communication plan

• Purpose – what this specific communication plan is intended to achieve
• Target audience – the target audience of your messaging
• Dates – when it was created and/or when this specific communication plan will apply
• Methods – which communication channels you will send your messages via
• Roles and responsibilities – what tasks each involved party will take care of
• Do’s and don’ts – good practices and common mistakes to avoid when communicating with the project stakeholders
• Framework for escalation – e.g. your ‘first line of defense’ and identifying the ‘greater response team’
• Updates – how and when to modify the document to maintain an effective communication plan

Communication plan examples and templates

[Company Name]: [Product Name] Launch Communication Plan

This communication plan applies to the launch of [Product Name] and is in effect from [start date] – [end date], before and after the launch date of [launch date].

Objectives:

• Ensure that all employees are aware of the launch date and have the necessary information about the product • Generate excitement and interest in the product amongst employees • Provide a clear and concise message to customers about the product • Manage expectations with regards to delivery times and availability

Communication mediums:

• Email • Press release • Social media post – [Channel 1], [Channel 2], …

Launch Phases:

• Pre-Launch Activities • Launch Day • Post-Launch Follow Up

Pre-Launch Activities ([X] months prior to launch):

• [Activity 1] • [Activity 2] • [Activity 3] …

Launch Day:

• Live product unveiling • Interviews with [Media Outlets] • Tracking reactions

Post-Launch Follow Up (up to [X] months following launch):

Roles and responsibilities:

• [Person 1] will be responsible for drafting all communication materials • [Person 2] will be responsible for sending out communication materials to the media • [Person 3] will be responsible for handling customer inquiries

• Create a communication timeline to ensure that all communication activities are carried out in a timely and coordinated manner • Make use of visuals (e.g. images, infographics) to break up text and add interest • Proofread all communication materials before sending them out

• Overload stakeholders with too much information at once – provide updates on a regular basis to avoid overwhelming them. • Forget to include a call-to-action (e.g. visit our website, sign up for our newsletter) in order to engage the reader • Neglect to test communication materials (e.g. send out a test email) before sending them to the entire list of stakeholders

Framework for escalation:

• If there are any problems with the communication plan, please contact [Person Responsible]. • If [Person Responsible] is unavailable, please contact [Alternative Contact]

• This communication plan will be reviewed and finalized on [review date] • Changes may be made to the communication goals, target audience, and channels • Updated communication plans should be sent to the [Internal Team/Department Responsible]

[Company Name] will be launching a marketing campaign for [Product Name] from [start date] to [end date].

• [Goal 1] • [Goal 2] • [Goal 3] …

SWOT Analysis:

• Strengths – [Strength 1], [Strength 2], [Strength 3], … • Weaknesses – [Weakness 1], [Weakness 2], [Weakness 3], … • Opportunities – [Opportunity 1], [Opportunity 2], [Opportunity 3], … • Threats – [Threat 1 ], [Threat 2 ], [Threat 3 ], …

• [Tactic 1] • [Tactic 2] • [Tactic 3] …

• Email • Paid search • Display advertising • Social media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram • Press release • Blog post • Events and webinars – [Event 1], [Event 2], [Event 3], …

• [Person/Team Responsible 1 ] will be responsible for drafting all communication materials. • [Person/Team Responsible 2] will be responsible for sending out communication materials to the media. • [Person/Team Responsible 3] will be responsible for handling customer inquiries. • [Person/Team Responsible 4] will be responsible for managing the budget.

• $[X] for [Tactic/Channel 1] • $[Y] for [Tactic/Channel 2] • $[Z] for [Tactic/Channel 3] …

Evaluation:

• [KPI 1] will be used to measure the success of this marketing campaign • [KPI 2] will be tracked on a weekly basis and reported to the [Person/Team Responsible] • [KPI 3] …

• [Activity 1] – [start date] to [end date] • [Activity 2] – [start date] to [end date] • [Activity 3] – [start date] to [end date] …

This communication plan will be finalized on [review date] and is therefore subject to change until that date.

Objectives: To ensure that all stakeholders are kept up to date with developments, and to keep communication channels open.

Situational Analysis: Internal communication at [company name] has been identified as an area that needs improvement. In particular, communication between management and staff, and communication amongst team members has been identified as needing improvement.

Stakeholders: all employees of [company name]

Implementation:

• A communication plan will be put in place to improve communication at [company name] • All employees will be made aware of the communication plan and their roles in it • The communication plan will be reviewed on a regular basis and updated as necessary

Teams Involved: Management team, HR team, communications team

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Management team – responsible for communication with staff • HR team – responsible for communication amongst team members • Communications team – responsible for drafting and sending communication materials

Key Messages:

• Effective communication at all times is crucial • Communication at [Company Name] requires improvement • This communication plan will be put in place to effect the necessary changes • All employees have a role to play in the communication plan • The communication plan will be reviewed on a regular basis • Communication is a two-way process • Employees should feel free to ask questions and give feedback

Guidelines:

• All communication should be clear and concise • Communication materials should be sent out in a timely manner • Communication channels should be monitored regularly • Communication should be respectful and professional at all times

Approval: [Person Responsible], [Position], [Creation date]

Executive Summary: This communication plan is for [purpose] and will be in effect from the [start date] until [end date].

Objectives: Maintain effective communication with the various audiences to uphold the mission and values of the company.

Mission Statement: [Company mission statement]

Core Values: [Company values]

Situational Analysis: [Background information and context about the situation or problem that the communication plan is designed to address]

Audience | Message(s) | Media or Channel | Frequency | Timing | Assigned Team Member | Feedback Method

[Audience 1 | [Message 1] | Face-to-face | Weekly | Every [Weekday] | [Person/Team Responsible 1] | Survey

[Audience 2 | [Message 2] | Report | Monthly | Within [X] hours of approval | [Person/Team Responsible 2] | Evaluation Form

[Audience 3 | [Message 3] | Email | Daily | [Time] | [Person/Team Responsible 3] | Review …

[Project Name] Management Communication Plan

Project Name: [Project Name]

Project Manager: [Project Manager’s Name]

Beginning Date: [start date]

Completion Date: [end date]

Project Objectives: Design and build a website and mobile app for the client’s new e-commerce business. Optimize the former for search engine ranking (SEO) and both for conversion, in accordance with [Company Name]’s latest SEO guidelines. Make the website and app user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and visually appealing, including an effective call-to-action (CTA) that encourages users to convert easily.

Communication Goal | Communication Method | Audience | Frequency

[Goal 1] | [Method 1] | [Audience 1] | [Daily/Weekly/Monthly]

[Goal 2] | [Method 2] | [Audience 2] | [Daily/Weekly/Monthly]

[Goal 3] | [Method 3] | [Audience 3] | [Daily/Weekly/Monthly]

Created By: [Person Responsible]

Effective Of: [start date]

• [Change 1] is happening because [reason 1] • [Change 2] is a result of [reason 2] • [Change 3] is necessary in order to [reason 3] …

What does this mean for employees?

[Explanation of how the change will affect employees]

Stakeholders:

• [Audience 1] will be impacted by [change 1] • [Audience 2] will be affected by [change 2] • [Audience 3] will need to adjust as a result of [change 3]

Task | Timeline | Person/Team Responsible

[Task 1] | Day 1/Week 1/start date/etc.] | [Person/Team Responsible 1]

[Task 2] | Day 2/Week 2/mid date/etc.] | [Person/Team Responsible 2]

[Task 3] | Day 3/Week 3/end date/etc.] | [Person/Team Responsible 3] …

Effective from: [start date] to [end date]

• [Objective 1] • [Objective 2] • [Objective 3] …

• [Change 1] • [Change 2] • [Change 3] …

Projections:

• [Projection 1] • [Projection 2] • [Projection 3] …

Stakeholder communication:

• [Channel 1] • [Channel 2] • [Channel 3] …

Contact Details: [Person Responsible], [Position], [Phone number/email address/etc.]

[Start Date] – [End Date]: Communication Plan

Company Name: [Company Name]

Date Created: [creation date]

Contact Information: [contact details]

Introduction:

This communication plan has been created for [purpose] and will be in effect from the creation date.

• [Target user 1] • [Target user 2] • [Target user 3] …

Communication plan good practices

• Start with a table or chart to identify message types – which communication channels you will use, who you are targeting, and the tone, etc.
• An action plan should be created before any communication is sent out – it’s best to be proactive and have strategies for various messages mapped out prior to starting out with your activity or before anything goes wrong.
• Include a crisis communication plan as a part of your larger communication – more on that here ➡️ Crisis communication plan checklist
• Review and update your communication plan regularly as the project moves forward – things will inevitably change and you want your messaging to adapt accordingly.
• Make sure everyone on the communication team is aware of the document and knows their role – action plans are only as effective as the people carrying them out.
• Assign someone to be in charge of communication and make sure they have the time and resources they need to be successful.

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Communication is key to success in any business, and creating a plan for how to do it doesn’t have to be a complicated process.

By following a template, you can write an effective communications plan that outlines how you will message your key audiences in various situations.

With a well written communication plan document, you can get everyone in your organization on the same page about what kind of messages need to be sent out, when, and how.

Having this in place will keep your messaging strategy cohesive and aligned with your business objectives, increasing your chances of achieving your communication goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should i create a communication plan.

As soon as possible or at least early on in a project or initiative, before any key activities have begun. This allows you to think through all of the potential key stakeholders and how best to reach them with your message. If you wait until later in a project to develop a communication plan, it may be more difficult to get everyone’s buy-in and participation.

What is different about a crisis communication plan?

Other types of communication plans may be used on a daily basis, but a crisis communication plan is specifically tailored to handle communications during and after a major emergency or incident. The goal of a crisis communication plan is to ensure that the right information is communicated to the right people in a timely manner regardless of external factors.

How often should I update my communication plan?

It is generally best to revise and update the communication plan at least once a year to keep the information contained within it relevant and accurate, as well as allowing for any necessary changes or additions to be made in a timely manner. However, if there are any major changes or events within the organization that could potentially impact its communication strategy, then an update to the plan should be made as soon as possible instead of waiting for the regular review time frame. This will make everyone involved in executing the plan aware of any new developments or potential risks so that they can take appropriate actions accordingly.

Who can benefit from a communication plan?

Individuals, groups, and businesses can all improve their messaging by clarifying the desired results of communication, specifying the steps needed to achieve those outcomes, and identifying who is responsible for each step. This is beneficial for both those people or organizations, as well as the stakeholders who will receive the messages, since a plan will help to make all communication clear and concise, as well as preventing any miscommunication or misunderstandings from occurring.

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How effective business communication can transform your company

The right business communication solutions and strategies can boost team morale and productivity.

By the team at Slack April 15th, 2024

People spend the vast majority of their workweek—88%—communicating, according to Grammarly’s 2024 State of Business Communication report . So when it comes to company success, a strong business communication strategy can go a long way.

Effective business communication helps promote collaboration, mitigate conflicts and encourage creative thinking among employees. By communicating thoughtfully, you can reduce misunderstandings and errors within your workplace and ensure that every team member gets the support they need.

Let’s explore communication tools and methods that can help you build better relationships with your employees, colleagues and clients.

Types of business communication

Communication can flow in several different directions within a company.

• Upward: Communication flows upward when an employee responds to messaging from leaders or managers, such as when a customer service rep responds to feedback from a supervisor.
• Downward: Downward communication happens when higher-ups cascade information to lower-level employees, such as when the CEO issues an announcement to mid-level managers, who then relay the message to their direct reports.
• Lateral: Communication moves laterally when it flows between colleagues at the same hierarchical level. This might occur among managers in a strategy meeting or HR employees discussing policies and procedures.
• External: External communication flows out of the organization, such as when a sales rep talks to a prospective client or a vendor.

Written vs. verbal vs. nonverbal communication in business

• Written communications use written words as their medium. These might include company newsletters , marketing emails or blog posts.
• Verbal communication can take place over the phone, in a video conference or in person. Verbal business communications happen during meetings, presentations, business workshops, and even spontaneous Slack huddles and informal watercooler chats.
• Nonverbal communication uses wordless cues such as physical gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice and even emoji to relay information . For example, a manager might react with a 🙌 :thankyou: emoji to a direct report’s progress update in Slack to indicate a job well done.

What are the different methods of business communication?

From direct messages in Slack to external press releases, you can convey information using many business communication methods , but some methods work better than others for certain audiences or types of messaging. Let’s look at some of the most common business communication mediums.

• Business messaging: Platforms like Slack support business messaging in either direct messages or channels . Use threads to organize conversations about specific topics, create a collaborative Slack canvas to record notes from a team meeting and use emoji to convey nonverbal messages.
• Meetings: Meetings are ideal for discussions that require immediate feedback, such as brainstorming or planning sessions. You can conduct a meeting either in person or virtually by using video-conferencing software.
• Phone calls: Phone calls enable quick information exchanges and urgent updates, often in a less formal environment than video conferencing.
• Emails: Email is a relatively quick, efficient and informal way to deliver updates, responses and feedback. However, it lacks many of the collaborative features and dynamic characteristics of an intelligent productivity platform such as Slack.
• Reports: Reports are detailed, formal knowledge sharing documents that present research findings, analyses or updates to either internal team members or external stakeholders.
• Press releases: These are official statements distributed to media outlets to announce new developments, events or achievements.
• Memos: A staple of internal business communication, memos are often used for company announcements such as policy or staffing changes.

Developing effective communication strategies

Regardless of your chosen medium, you should choose your business communication techniques wisely. As you set up a business communication process for your company, keep a few best practices in mind.

Adapt the message to your audience

Customize your message to your intended audience. Regardless of what you’re trying to communicate, you’d deliver the message differently to a group of kindergartners than you would to tech CEOs, or cattle farmers, or personal trainers. Evaluate your audience to make sure you provide an appropriate amount of context and assume a suitable tone.

Consider how you’ll present yourself

Your presentation is particularly important if you’re holding a meeting in person or through video conferencing. Take a few deep breaths, and evaluate your body language: Are you open and inviting? Are you making eye contact (or looking into the camera)? Maintaining a relaxed demeanor can help others feel relaxed too.

Whether you’re communicating in a video conference, over the phone or in person, stay enthusiastic and engaged while you’re speaking.

Manage nonverbal signs to control the message

Consider what you might be communicating with your nonverbal signals. In an in-person meeting, avoid glancing at the clock or the door. In a video meeting, try not to look at your phone or your second monitor. Otherwise, your audience may think you’re not engaged.

Nonverbal communication is even important on text-dominant platforms like Slack. A survey by Slack and Duolingo found that 53% of respondents use emoji when messaging their colleagues, and 67% feel closer and more bonded when their recipient understands the emoji they’re using.

Plus, emoji make professional conversations more efficient. Fifty-four percent say emoji can make workplace communication faster; 58% say emoji allow them to communicate nuanced messages in fewer words.

But not all emoji are appropriate, of course: 💋 : kiss: , 👅 :tongue: , 💩  :poop: and 🍆 :eggplant: rank among the most off-limits emoji to use at work.

Practice active listening when people respond to you

Active listening involves asking questions and giving thoughtful responses to show that you’re engaged with the discussion. By demonstrating your interest in the other person’s message, you’ll strengthen your relationship with them and make it easier to remember details from the conversation. Active listening matters no matter which communication method you’re using.

Ask for feedback from team members

One of the most effective and efficient ways to improve your communication practices is by asking for feedback. Implement a process for delivering feedback, and make sure your teammates feel comfortable using it. This could be a brief post-meeting survey or a thread or quick huddle in Slack .

Handle conflicts respectfully

Even with a flawless communication strategy, disagreements will inevitably crop up. When you don’t see eye to eye with a teammate, manager or direct report, ensure that you continue to communicate thoughtfully and respectfully.

Addressing common barriers in business communication

Communication problems arise due to various factors, including interpersonal differences and tech-related snafus. Let’s explore some of the most common barriers and how you can break them down for better business communication on your team.

Technological hurdles

Technology lets colleagues communicate instantaneously, seamlessly and cost-effectively, even across long distances. But software glitches, connectivity issues and hardware malfunctions are also commonplace and can significantly disrupt communication flow.

Make it a point to:

• Regularly update hardware and software
• Train employees on best practices for using communication technology
• Implement backup methods to ensure continuity in case of system failures
• Establish communication protocols in case primary systems fail

Email overload

Ever find yourself avoiding your email inbox on a Monday morning? Email overload can make it easy to lose track of important messages or fall behind on responding to colleagues.

To curb the negative effects of email overload:

• Use folders, filters and labels to organize email by priority or project
• Limit email checking to specific times of the day
• Unsubscribe from non-essential notifications or newsletters
• Train employees on email best practices, such as how to write subject lines and when to CC other team members
• Shift to a more efficient team chat platform like Slack for quick questions and updates, reserving email for more formal communications

Language and cultural differences

Nonverbal cues, such as direct eye contact, convey different meanings across cultures. For example, Americans regard it as a sign of honesty and confidence, while the Japanese perceive it as disrespectful, even confrontational.

Certain nonverbal cues, idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms may not translate well across different cultures. This even applies to emoji: While many Americans might consider 🍑 :peach: flirty and inappropriate for work, 71% of Korean respondents to Slack’s survey interpreted the emoji as a literal peach. Similarly, 56% of Chinese respondents see 🍆 :eggplant: as simply an eggplant.

To enhance cross-cultural communication in business:

• Invest in employee cultural training to prepare them for the nuances of working with diverse teams
• Use professional interpreters and translators to prevent misunderstandings
• Be ready to adapt strategies, communication methods and decision-making processes to accommodate cultural differences

Send the right message at the right time and place

Effective business communication takes time and effort. It’s up to team leaders to implement strong systems and processes to ensure that communication flows smoothly through their organizations.

Slack provides a feature-rich, scalable, AI-powered platform that easily integrates with third-party applications. No matter where your teammates are located around the world, Slack makes it easy for them to collaborate, stay informed and drive projects forward.

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MetLife Beats Appeal Over $65 Million Health Plan Drug Rebates

By Jacklyn Wille

MetLife Group Inc. on Wednesday defeated a Third Circuit appeal by former employees who said the company mismanaged their health plan by improperly pocketing $65 million in drug rebates.

The MetLife employees didn’t show they’d suffered an injury establishing standing to sue, because there’s no indication they had an “individual right” to the rebate money they say was improperly withheld, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said .

It’s therefore only “speculative” that MetLife’s retention of this money caused them to pay more for their health insurance or had “any effect at all,” the court said in ...

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Why Your Business Needs a Communication Plan

by Mike Vestil  

Communication is the backbone of any organization, and having a clear and effective communication plan in place is essential for success. A communication plan is a document that outlines the objectives, strategies, and tactics a company will employ to communicate with its stakeholders.

This plan describes the information that needs to be communicated, who needs to receive it, and how it will be relayed. With a well-formulated communication plan in place, organizations can enhance collaboration, resolve conflicts, and improve overall performance. In this article, we will delve deeper into the importance of having a communication plan and how you can develop an effective one.

Introduction

A communication plan is a document that outlines the strategies and approaches that a company will use to communicate with its stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and investors. It is a formalized plan that identifies the goals of communication, target audiences, key messages, and timing.

The purpose of a communication plan is to ensure that all communications are consistent, effective, and audience-appropriate. It provides structure and guidance for communication-related decisions and actions, thereby minimizing confusion and maximizing the impact of communication efforts.

The importance of a communication plan cannot be overstated, as effective communication is integral to successful business operations. A well-designed plan can help a company build strong relationships with stakeholders, enhance brand reputation, and achieve organizational objectives such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement.

The purpose of a communication plan is to establish a framework that guides communication efforts within a project, organization, or team. The plan outlines the goals, objectives, and strategies to be used when communicating with various stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and the media.

The plan’s primary objective is to ensure that stakeholders receive the right message at the right time through the right channel. By doing this, the plan helps reduce communication inefficiencies, misinterpretations, and errors, which can lead to negative outcomes, such as delays, disputes, low morale, and lost opportunities.

Furthermore, the communication plan serves as a reference document that ensures consistency in communication across the organization, project, or team. The plan establishes guidelines for language, tone, style, format, and content, ensuring that communications remain aligned with organizational values, branding, standards, and legal requirements. By doing this, the plan enhances the organization’s reputation, credibility, and trust, which are critical in building relationships and achieving success.

The communication plan also helps to identify potential communication risks, such as misunderstandings, conflicts, cultural differences, and information overload. By analyzing these risks, the plan outlines mitigation strategies that help reduce the likelihood and impact of the risks. In addition, the plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of the communicators, ensuring that everyone understands their duties and obligations concerning communication. This helps to avoid confusion, duplication of effort, and omission of critical communication activities.

Overall, the purpose of the communication plan is to provide a roadmap for effective and efficient communication that supports the organization’s strategic objectives, enhances stakeholder relationships, reduces communication risks, and ensures consistency and alignment in communication activities. By having a well-crafted communication plan, organizations, projects, and teams can communicate effectively, build trust and credibility, and achieve their goals.

A communication plan is a document that outlines how an organization will communicate with its stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, and investors. This plan is important because effective communication is essential for achieving organizational goals and objectives.

Without a communication plan, the organization may experience confusion, miscommunication, and ultimately failure. A communication plan can help to build relationships with stakeholders, increase employee engagement, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance the organization’s reputation.

It can also be used to manage crises and mitigate the impact of negative events. By identifying key messages, target audiences, communication channels, and metrics for evaluating success, a communication plan can ensure that the right message is delivered to the right people at the right time.

Key Elements of a Communication Plan

One of the most critical aspects of a communication plan is identifying the target audience. It is essential to know who the message is intended for so that it can be tailored to meet their specific needs, interests and preferences. The audience can be defined by demographics like age, ethnicity, gender, income, or location. It can also include psychographic information such as personality traits, values, lifestyles, and attitudes.

Understanding the audience becomes even more critical for international or multicultural audiences as barriers such as language and cultural differences can lead to misinterpretations, misunderstandings and even mistrust.

Once the audience has been identified, the next step is to determine the appropriate message that resonates with them. Messages can either be informational or persuasive, depending on the desired outcome. The message should be clear, concise, and consistent across all channels. The tone and language used should align with the audience’s communication style and preferences while conveying the intent effectively.

The channels selected to deliver the message should also align with the audience’s behavior and preferences. Traditional channels such as newspapers, radio, and television may not be the best choice for a younger audience as they prefer social media platforms. Likewise, direct mail may not be an ideal choice for an audience that prefers email communication. The channels chosen should provide maximum exposure to the audience, and the mode of delivery should be easy to access and convenient.

Timing is another crucial factor to consider when communicating with an audience. The message should be communicated at a time that is convenient for the audience and aligns with their schedules. For example, if the target audience is working professionals, it may be advantageous to send communications outside of working hours or on weekends when they are most likely to check their emails or social media accounts.

Finally, the responsibility for executing an effective communication plan may vary depending on the size and complexity of the project. It may be the responsibility of an individual or a team to manage the plan and ensure its successful execution. The team members responsible should have clear roles and responsibilities, and deadlines should be set to ensure timely delivery of the message.

The subsection Message is a critical aspect of any communication plan as it is the information being conveyed to the target audience. When crafting a message, it is essential to understand the audience and tailor the message to their needs and interests, ensuring it resonates with them.

The message should be clear, concise, and easily understood by the target audience. The language used should also be appropriate for the audience, avoiding technical jargon and using simple language where necessary. Furthermore, the message should be consistent across all channels to ensure that it is easily recognizable and reinforces the core message.

It is also crucial to consider the tone and style of the message. The tone should match the intent and be appropriate for the subject matter. The message should be positive and convey a sense of authority and credibility to gain the trust of the audience. Additionally, the message should be emotive and appeal to the audience’s emotions as this can help to create a deeper connection with the message.

When crafting the message, it is essential to consider the key messages that need to be conveyed. These are the most important points that need to be communicated and should be prioritized over any other information. The key messages should be simple, memorable, and directly related to the audience’s needs and interests. They should also be consistent with the brand’s values and messaging.

One key consideration when crafting a message is the use of visuals. Images, videos, and other visuals can help to convey messages more effectively, create a deeper connection with the audience, and make the message more memorable. However, it is also essential to consider the appropriateness of the visuals and ensure they match the tone and message of the overall campaign.

In conclusion, the message is a critical aspect of any communication plan and should be carefully crafted to ensure it resonates with the target audience. The message should be clear, concise, and easily understood, appropriate for the audience, and consistent across all channels. The tone and style of the message should match the intent and be positive and emotive. Furthermore, key messages should be prioritized, and visuals should be used where appropriate to help convey the message more effectively.

Channels refer to the various methods of communication used to deliver messages to the target audience. It is important for an organization to choose the most effective channels based on the audience’s preferences, needs, and behaviors.

The most common channels include email, social media, websites, newsletters, blogs, and direct mail. Email is a popular and efficient channel for delivering messages to a large audience quickly. Social media is also a powerful tool for reaching a large audience, especially younger generations who spend a significant amount of time online.

Websites serve as a hub for information and can be used to disseminate a variety of messages. Newsletters and blogs can be used to provide detailed and engaging content about the organization’s activities and initiatives. Direct mail can be an effective channel for reaching audiences who may not have access to digital channels.

The Timing subsection in a communication plan is crucial as it ensures that the right message is communicated to the intended audience at the appropriate time. Proper timing is an essential component of an effective communication strategy. The timing of communication is critical as it can have a significant impact on how the message is received and perceived by the audience. In determining the timing for communication, it is essential to consider the audience, the message, and the channels that will be used.

The audience is a critical consideration when determining the timing of communication. Knowing the audience’s schedule, location, and availability is essential as it ensures that the message is delivered when the audience is most receptive. The timing of communication also depends on the audience’s demographics, such as their age, gender, and occupation. For example, if the target audience is working professionals, it is best to communicate during business hours when they are most likely to be available.

The message itself also plays a crucial role in determining the timing of communication. The level of urgency of the message, its relevancy, and its complexity all influence when it should be communicated. Urgent messages should be communicated as soon as possible, while less urgent ones can be communicated later.

The relevance of the message to the audience also affects timing. Messages that are timely and have a high degree of relevance are most effective when communicated promptly. Finally, the complexity of the message should also be considered when determining timing, as complex messages may require more time or additional resources to communicate effectively.

The channels used to communicate the message are also essential in determining the timing of communication. Different channels have different timeframes for communication, and it is essential to understand the delivery timeline for each channel.

Some channels deliver messages instantly, such as social media or instant messaging. Others, such as email or direct mail, may take longer to deliver the message. Therefore, it is essential to consider the appropriate delivery channel in determining the timing of communication.

In conclusion, the Timing subsection in a communication plan is a crucial aspect of an effective communication strategy. It ensures that the message is communicated to the intended audience at the appropriate time, and it depends on several factors such as the audience, the message, and the delivery channels used. Effective timing ensures that the message is well received, and the intended communication objectives are achieved.

Responsibilities

The Responsibilities section of a Communication Plan outlines the specific tasks and obligations of each team member involved in the communication process. This section ensures that everyone understands their role in the plan and is held accountable for their individual contribution to the project’s success. Responsibilities typically include a designated spokesperson to deliver the message, content creation, audience targeting, channel selection, message formatting, and timing of communication.

Each team member’s responsibility should be clearly stated and agreed upon, with a plan for communication and collaboration to ensure successful execution. It is essential to have an open line of communication to establish a shared understanding of the plan’s meaning and objectives to avoid confusion and errors. Strong coordination among team members ensures an accurate and consistent message across all channels.

Steps to Develop a Communication Plan

Identify objectives.

Identifying objectives is a critical step in developing a communication plan. These objectives define the purpose and goals of the plan, which will help guide decision-making throughout the planning process. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) to ensure they are effective and achievable.

When setting objectives, it is essential to consider the organization’s mission, goals, and values while also taking into account the target audience’s needs, attitudes, and behaviors. Objectives can include increasing awareness about a product or service, promoting a particular message, developing a positive image, or improving customer satisfaction. Once objectives are identified, they can help determine the key messages, channels, timing, and responsibilities required to achieve them.

Analyze Audience

The Analyze Audience subsection of a Communication Plan is essential to identify the target audience and shape the messaging to achieve the desired objectives. Audience analysis is crucial because it ensures the message resonates and connects with the audience, ultimately leading to effective communication. To analyze the audience, one must understand their demographics, psychographics, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior patterns.

Demographics refer to the audience’s age, gender, education, income, and occupation. Psychographics encompass the audience’s personality traits, lifestyles, and interests. Values refer to what the audience finds essential, while beliefs encompass assumptions the audience holds to be true. Attitudes refer to the audience’s feelings or opinions about something, and behavior patterns refer to how the audience reacts to something.

Analyzing these factors ensures the audience receives communications tailored to their interests, preferences, and cultural background. Effective audience analysis also involves answering questions such as What information does the audience need? What motivates the audience? What channels are the audience most likely to use to receive information?

Are there any barriers that could prevent the audience from receiving the message? By answering these questions, one gains valuable insights about the audience’s communication needs and preferences. This analysis enables the communication plan to be more targeted, effective, and impactful, resulting in better engagement, feedback, and success.

Develop Key Messages

In developing a comprehensive communication plan, the crucial phase of identifying the objectives and analyzing the audience has to lead to the next step of developing key messages that align with the objectives and resonate with the audience. Key messages are the central ideas, themes, or concepts that you want to communicate to your audience.

It is essential to generate messages that are clear, concise, consistent, and relevant to the audience’s needs, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Messages should use simple language, avoid technical jargon, and be tailored to the audience’s literacy level. The messages should highlight the benefits of the proposed action, idea, or product and address any potential concerns or objections that the audience might have.

They should be framed positively and use active verbs to convey action steps in a concrete manner. Key messages should ideally fit on a business card or a one-sentence slogan to make them memorable and easy to share. In developing the key messages, it is critical to involve the stakeholders who will be communicating the messages to ensure that they convey the messages accurately and consistently.

It might be useful to conduct a pilot test of the messages and revise them based on feedback from the target audience. The ultimate goal is to create messages that inspire action and motivate the audience to move towards the purpose of the communication plan.

Select Channels

The Select Channels subsection is a critical aspect of developing an efficient communication plan. Communication is most effective when it is tailored to the appropriate audience and conveyed through the best possible channels. It is essential to consider the audience’s preferences and habits while choosing channels.

Selecting the right channels can help ensure that the messages are delivered and interpreted correctly. Organizations use various channels to communicate, and the best one will depend on the type of message being delivered, the audience, and the desired action. Common communication channels include face-to-face meetings, phone calls, email, newsletters, social media, websites, and advertising.

Face-to-face meetings provide the opportunity for audience engagement and can convey nonverbal cues such as body language, making them ideal for building relationships and gaining feedback. Phone calls can provide a personal touch when face-to-face meetings are not possible.

Email is useful for straightforward messages, such as meeting reminders, but it is not effective for communicating more complex information. Newsletters can be used to deliver information to large groups of people, while social media is ideal for communicating with younger audiences. Websites are an excellent way to provide detailed information and allow audiences to access it at their convenience. Advertising is beneficial for reaching a large audience but can be costly.

When selecting channels, it is also important to consider the organization’s resources and goals. For instance, if the company has limited resources, it may not be feasible to use high-cost advertising channels. Likewise, if social media does not align with the company’s values or goals, then it may not be the best communication channel to use.

In conclusion, selecting the appropriate channels is crucial for the success of the communication plan. Choosing the right channels can help ensure that messages are delivered effectively, leading to improved audience engagement, and ultimately, achieving the communication objectives.

Determine Timing

The timing element is an essential aspect of developing a communication plan. Timing concerns when messages should be conveyed and which events or occasions need to be addressed. Choosing the correct time to deliver messages is just as important as the content of the message itself. The timing of a communication plan must also consider the target audience and their schedules.

A message delivered at the wrong time may not receive the desired response from the audience, and may even result in alienating them. Timing may be sensitive in certain scenarios, such as when announcing a promotion, a merger, or a layoff.

When scheduling messages, it’s critical to consider possible conflicts, potential cultural and religious holidays, and other significant events that may affect the message’s effectiveness or cause people to miss it. For example, If a corporate event is announced the same day as a national holiday, the message may be overlooked, ignored, or generate minimal response. Therefore, the timing of the communication plan must be carefully determined with consideration for the audience, message content, and external factors.

Assign Responsibilities

Assigning responsibilities is a critical component of any effective communication plan. This involves identifying the specific tasks that need to be completed and determining who is responsible for each task. It is important to ensure that each member of the team has a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities to avoid confusion or overlap in tasks.

A clear, comprehensive document outlining roles and responsibilities should be created and communicated to all team members. It is also crucial to continuously monitor and evaluate the progress of each team member to ensure that tasks are being completed on time and to the expected standard.

Assigning responsibilities also involves closely collaborating with team members to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to provide training or support as needed. By clearly defining and assigning responsibilities, team members will feel empowered and motivated to contribute to the communication plan, ultimately resulting in a more successful implementation.

Implement Plan

The implementation stage involves putting into action what has been planned in the previous stages. This is where the communication plan is executed through consistent and proactive communication. It is crucial to have a clear understanding of the objectives, target audience, key messages, channels, timing, and assigned responsibilities before implementing the plan.

One way to ensure the success of the implementation stage is to establish a centralized communication hub to keep all team members informed and up-to-date. The hub must be accessible to everyone involved, and it should contain all the necessary information, including deadlines, content, the target audience, and communication channels.

The implementation stage requires meticulous attention to detail and effective communication among team members. All communication should be consistent, be timely and appropriate for the target audience, and follow the key messages.

To effectively implement the plan, each communication touchpoint must align with the plan’s objectives, and all team members should be aware of their assigned responsibilities’ details. This is a critical stage in the communication plan, and it is essential to monitor feedback regularly and continually review the plan to ensure its effectiveness.

The success of this stage is measured by how effectively the messages are communicated and received by the target audience. Metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and other relevant data should be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the communication plan.

Based on these metrics, adjustments can be made to improve the plan’s overall effectiveness. The implementation stage requires continuous monitoring and improvement to ensure the communication plan’s overall success, leading to the desired outcomes.

Evaluate Effectiveness

Evaluating the effectiveness of a communication plan is crucial to refine its strategy, assess its impact, and determine its success. It involves measuring the progress towards achieving the set objectives, analyzing the feedback and response from the targeted audience, and identifying areas that need improvement.

The evaluation process enables the team to make data-driven decisions and adapt the plan to suit the changing needs of the audience and organization. It helps to ensure that the plan aligns with the overarching goals of the company, and the message is delivered cohesively across all communication channels.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a communication plan, the team should first define the metrics that they will use to assess the performance of the plan. These metrics should be based on the goals and objectives identified earlier, so that they are relevant and measurable. Depending on the organization’s priorities, these metrics can include a range of factors such as engagement rate (click-through, open rate), conversion rate, audience reach, and feedback received. By tracking these metrics, the team can determine the success of the plan and adjust it accordingly.

Another crucial aspect of evaluating effectiveness is analyzing the response from the audience. This can be done by collecting feedback from various sources such as surveys, focus groups, social media, and customer service channels. The team should carefully review the feedback received, identifying patterns, and areas that require improvement. By doing so, they can make data-driven decisions and tailor the communication plan accordingly. Additionally, conducting audience research can be beneficial in understanding the needs and preferences of the audience and refining the key messages in the plan.

Regularly monitoring the plan’s progress is also critical to evaluate its effectiveness. This involves setting up checkpoints and milestones throughout the campaign to assess the performance against the pre-defined metrics. By doing so, the team can proactively identify any areas that require attention, adjust the plan, or take corrective action before it’s too late.

In conclusion, evaluating the effectiveness of a communication plan is a critical component of ensuring its success. By defining measurable metrics, analyzing feedback, and monitoring progress, the team can refine the plan and make data-driven decisions that align with the organizational goals. This process also allows the communication team to adapt to changing needs and ensure that the message is delivered effectively to the audience.

Examples of Communication Plans

Internal communication plan.

Effective communication is a crucial element in any organization, and a well-implemented internal communication plan can prove to be immensely beneficial. An Internal Communication Plan is a documented strategy that outlines how information is disseminated and received within an organization.

The aim of this plan is to ensure that employees get the necessary information in a timely manner, that there are open channels of communication, and that employees feel engaged and involved. Such a plan aims to build a culture of transparency, trust, and collaboration within the organization. An effective Internal Communication Plan must identify the key communication objectives, target audience, channels, and frequency.

Essentially, the plan aims to promote employee engagement, ensure smooth flow of information, and facilitate decision-making processes. Some of the key benefits of a well-executed Internal Communication Plan are improved employee satisfaction, increased teamwork and collaboration, enhanced organizational culture, increased productivity and improved morale.

Crisis Communication Plan

The Crisis Communication Plan is an essential component of any organization’s communication strategy. This plan outlines the protocols and procedures that an organization will follow in the event of a crisis or emergency situation. A crisis can take many forms, such as a natural disaster, workplace accident, product recall, or reputational damage.

The purpose of a Crisis Communication Plan is to minimize the impact of the crisis on the organization and its stakeholders by providing timely, accurate, and consistent communication. The plan should address several key elements, including the chain of command, communication channels, messaging, and spokespersons.

The chain of command in a Crisis Communication Plan defines the roles and responsibilities of different members of the organization during a crisis. This includes the crisis management team, public relations staff, and other key personnel. The plan should also specify how communication will flow within the organization and to external stakeholders.

The communication channels that are used will depend on the type of crisis and the target audience. For example, social media may be an effective way to reach customers during a product recall, while traditional media outlets may be more appropriate for communicating with investors or the general public.

The messaging in a Crisis Communication Plan must be consistent, clear, and transparent. The plan should specify the key messages that will be communicated, as well as the tone and language that will be used. It is important to be upfront about the situation and to provide regular updates as new information becomes available. The Crisis Communication Plan should also address potential challenges, such as rumors or misinformation, and provide guidance on how to respond to them in a timely and effective manner.

Finally, a Crisis Communication Plan should identify spokespersons who will be responsible for communicating with the media and other stakeholders. These spokespersons should be trained and prepared to handle difficult questions and to provide consistent messaging throughout the crisis. The plan should also outline the procedures for media interviews, press conferences, and other public appearances. By having a well-designed Crisis Communication Plan in place, organizations can minimize the impact of a crisis on their reputation, their stakeholders, and their bottom line.

Marketing Communication Plan

A Marketing Communication Plan is a comprehensive document that outlines an organization’s approach to promoting its brand, products, or services to target customers. It is a subset of the larger communications plan, and it typically includes strategies for advertising, public relations, sales promotions, direct marketing, and personal selling.

The plan must identify the target market, positioning, and key messages, as well as the marketing mix that will be used to communicate these messages. It should also allocate a budget, specify a timeline, and identify the metrics that will be used to measure the effectiveness of each tactic.

The Marketing Communication Plan must coordinate with other divisions of the organization to ensure that their efforts are complementary and aligned with the overall business goals. A well-presented Marketing Communication Plan will increase brand awareness, customer engagement, and ultimately lead to growth in revenue.

Project Communication Plan

The Project Communication Plan is a key component of any project management process, which outlines how communication will be handled throughout the lifespan of a project. The objective of creating a communication plan is to ensure all stakeholders have the information they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities to keep the project on track.

A good project communication plan helps in fostering clarity, teamwork, and promotes transparency. A plan should include guidelines on the types of communication, frequency, format, responsibility, and escalation process. The plan should also identify the stakeholders involved, their interest, contact information, and their communication needs.

The Project Communication Plan should include the purpose and scope of the communication activities to ensure that stakeholders receive the right information at the right time. These may include regular updates on the progress of the project, the budget status, and change orders. The plan should also identify potential communication challenges such as language barriers, time-zone differences, and other cultural differences that may affect the team’s ability to communicate.

The plan should also detail how information will be shared, including the method of delivery and an agreed-upon format. Creating templates for regular communication, such as status reports, progress reports, and meeting minutes, can help to establish consistency in the communication process.

The Project Communication Plan should also identify who will be responsible for communication activities, which includes both the communication deliverables and the communication process itself. Communication roles and responsibilities should be assigned to ensure that everyone involved understands their participation and when they will contribute to the process.

A communication matrix should be established showing who is responsible for which type of communication, how often, and to whom. This matrix should be available to all stakeholders for easy reference throughout the project.

Regular communication with stakeholders is important in managing project risks. Frequent communication helps to identify and address issues before they have a significant impact on the project. The Project Communication Plan should include contingencies for managing communication, such as the escalation process for issues that require immediate attention or the need for additional communication touchpoints during times of crisis or stress. Crisis management should be addressed in the project communication plan, including a communication strategy for dealing with unexpected events that may arise throughout the project lifecycle.

In conclusion, the Project Communication Plan is a foundational tool for effective project management. The plan should include guidelines on the types of communication, frequency, format, responsibility, and escalation process. When creating a plan, it is essential to identify the stakeholders involved, their communication needs, and to establish clear roles and responsibilities. Regular communication with stakeholders helps to ensure the project stays on track, and potential issues are addressed before they become significant problems.

The section on Summary provides a succinct overview of the Communication Plan. It gives readers a clear understanding of what the Communication Plan is, who it is meant for, and its relevance in today’s business environment. It underscores the need for organizations to have a communication strategy that aligns with their business goals and objectives. The summary highlights the key elements that make up a communication plan, including the definition of the target audience, the message to be communicated, the communication channels to be used, and the evaluation metrics to measure the plan’s effectiveness.

Moreover, the summary emphasizes the importance of having a clear communication plan to ensure that all stakeholders are informed and engaged, thereby improving organizational efficiency and productivity. The Communication Plan is essential for managing internal communication within an organization, communicating with customers, sharing critical business information to suppliers or partners, and managing crises, among others. Therefore, companies should take the time to develop and implement a communication plan that is tailored to their specific needs and goals.

The summary also highlights the need for continuous evaluation and improvement of the communication plan to ensure that it remains effective and relevant. In the current business environment, where technology and trends are continuously changing, organizations must be agile and adaptable in their communication strategies.

The summary concludes by reiterating the importance of having a communication plan that aligns with an organization’s culture and values, as well as its business objectives. By doing so, companies can enhance their reputation, improve employee engagement and productivity, and build lasting relationships with customers and other stakeholders.

Future Considerations

In planning for the future, it is important to understand that communication plans should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure their effectiveness. The world is constantly changing, and so are communication technologies and methods. As such, companies and organizations need to remain agile and adaptable to remain relevant in their industries. Moreover, it is essential to monitor the success of communication plans and make the necessary adjustments to achieve the desired outcomes.

Future considerations for communication plans should include an evaluation of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have made significant strides in enhancing communication channels.

Other factors to consider include shifts in consumer behavior and preferences, regulatory changes, and disruptions to the market. New developments like the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology will also have an impact on communication plans. These technological advances will pave the way for new strategies such as a greater emphasis on personalized communication and the use of virtual and augmented reality to create more immersive experiences.

Another future consideration for communication plans is the need to address the changing demographics of the workforce. Millennials and Generation Z are becoming a larger part of the workforce, and they possess different communication preferences and styles compared to their predecessors. As such, communication plans need to cater to these audiences by incorporating social media platforms and mobile apps that these generations use more frequently.

Lastly, communication plays a crucial role in crisis management. Therefore, companies and organizations should have a crisis communication plan in place to mitigate any potential risks. This plan should include a clear chain of command, predefined communication channels, and a messaging framework that addresses different scenarios. The plan should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure its effectiveness.

In conclusion, future considerations are essential in communication planning to maintain a competitive edge in the constantly evolving business landscape. Companies and organizations that are proactive and adaptable to change are more likely to succeed in their goals. Future considerations may include emerging technologies, shifting demographics, and crisis management plans that are reviewed and updated continuously to remain effective.

Communication Plan — FAQ

1. what is a communication plan.

A communication plan is a document that outlines the strategies and tactics to effectively deliver information to a target audience. It also establishes the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the communication process.

2. Why is a communication plan important?

A communication plan is important because it helps ensure that messages are clear, consistent, and relevant to the target audience. By defining roles and responsibilities, it also ensures that the right message is delivered to the right people at the right time.

3. How do you create a communication plan?

To create a communication plan, start by identifying your target audience and what information they need to know. Then, determine the best channels and tactics to reach them. Next, develop a timeline and assign roles and responsibilities to individuals involved in the communication process. Finally, establish a system for evaluating the success of your plan.

4. What are the key components of a communication plan?

The key components of a communication plan include identifying your target audience, defining your key messages, determining your communication channels and tactics, establishing a timeline, assigning roles and responsibilities, and setting metrics for measuring success.

5. How often should a communication plan be updated?

A communication plan should be updated whenever there are changes to your target audience, key messages, or communication channels. It may also need to be updated if there are changes in the organization’s priorities or if the plan is not meeting its objectives.

6. What are some common challenges in implementing a communication plan?

Some common challenges in implementing a communication plan include lack of resources, resistance to change, and difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of communication strategies. It is important to address these challenges by securing adequate resources, involving stakeholders in the planning process, and establishing clear metrics for measuring success.

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About the author 

Mike Vestil

Mike Vestil is the author of the Lazy Man's Guide To Living The Good Life. He also has a YouTube channel with over 700,000 subscribers where he talks about personal development and personal finance.

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So, You’ve Been Hacked. Now What?

Cyber attacks can happen to any company. Here’s what to do after a breach and how to protect your business against another one.

Every organization is at risk of a data breach or cyber attack . Cybercriminals and malicious adversaries are becoming more and more sophisticated . And with the wealth of sensitive customer data businesses are privy to, hacking can pay off in information that can be sold or ransomed for substantial financial gains.

In 2023, 3,205 data breaches occurred in the US breaking the previous record and marked a 72 percent increase from the previous year, according to a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). Healthcare , finance, business and retail were the most attacked, affecting not only the companies but their customers.

6 Steps to Take After a Cyber Attack

• Assemble your incident response team.
• Identify and contain the breach.
• Understand your legal requirements.
• Develop a communication plan and notify those affected.
• Protect against another attack.
• Learn from the experience. 

It’s not a matter of if an attack occurs, but when. Companies need to be protected from both angles: a proactive approach that includes threat hunting, penetration testing , security awareness training and a remediation plan to respond to an attack if it occurs.

If your company has experienced a data breach, here are the steps you can take to respond, mitigate damage, and arm yourself for the future.

1. Assemble Your Incident Response Team

Cybersecurity incident response is the first critical step to manage and mitigate the effects of a cyberattack or security breach. This process includes:

• Identification: Use IT monitoring to detect, evaluate, validate and triage security incidents.
• Containment: Take appropriate steps to stop an incident from worsening and regain control of IT resources.
• Eradication: Eliminate any threat activity, including malware and malicious user accounts. Identify vulnerabilities that may have been exploited by the attackers.
• Recovery: Restore normal operations and mitigate relevant vulnerabilities. 

Assemble your incident response team, which may include legal, forensics, information security, information technology, communications, human resources and management. You may wish to hire independent forensic investigators to help you determine the source and scope of the breach, collect and analyze evidence and outline the steps for remediation.

You should also speak with legal counsel to ensure you’re following federal and state laws that may be impacted by a breach. If you hire outside counsel, make sure they have expertise in data security and privacy .

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2. Identifying and Containing the Breach

One of the first and most important steps your incident response team should take is to identify and contain any breach that has occurred. The decisiveness of your team in this area will play a significant role in how quickly the business will be able to bounce back.

During this stage, teams should work closely with their respective incident response team leads to analyze all available evidence, including any preserved data, logs, or security solutions, to pinpoint the source of the breach and quickly incorporate any necessary access restrictions if they haven’t automatically been put in place.

Containment is a vital part of this process since an ongoing breach could quickly derail efforts being made to reverse any malicious actions that have been taken. Part of the containment process could be further segmenting compromised systems from larger networks, identifying and blocking any suspicious IP addresses, and working with security teams to patch any discovered vulnerabilities that have been exploited.

If third-party service providers are involved, it’s crucial to determine what sensitive information they can access. If necessary, change privileges. Contact service providers to ensure that they’re taking the necessary steps on their end to ensure another breach doesn’t occur.

3. Understand Your Legal Requirements

After a breach has been successfully identified and contained, it’s important to analyze the scope of the incident and take note of what type of data was accessed or compromised. Depending on the extent of the breach, your business may need to take additional actions to remain compliant with certain legal requirements.

For example, if personal credit card information or PII (Personal Identifiable Information) has been compromised, your business will be accountable for following all PCI-DSS guidelines , including notifying acquiring banks, payment brands, law enforcement, and any other required parties of the incident.

Other laws or regulations may apply as well. For example, electronic personal health records are covered by the Health Breach Notification Rule , which requires you to notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the media. The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule may also apply, which requires you to notify the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

While not all security breaches may require the same legal actions, it’s important to document any regulations your business is subject to in the event of a breach. This will help you to streamline your recovery efforts and ensure you carry out any legal requirements your business has during the process.

4. Develop a Communication Plan and Notify Those Affected

Depending on the type of data that has been compromised, you’ll want to have a plan of action in place on if, when, and how you communicate all areas of a security breach. Certain breaches may only require you to notify certain personnel, while others may be much larger in scope and require a much more thorough communication plan that includes investors, business patterns or your customers.

It’s important to anticipate the questions that people will ask. Prepare and relay the appropriate information to the appropriate parties.

5. Protect Against Another Attack

In addition to mitigating the effects of the current attack, you need to determine how it occurred and revise your existing cybersecurity strategy to prevent future attacks.

Take the information you’ve gathered about the vulnerabilities that were exploited and use it to build a comprehensive cybersecurity plan with vulnerability assessments, employee education and training and incident response procedures.

Your cybersecurity or information technology teams should be involved in your strategy. If necessary, consider working with a third-party cybersecurity provider to shore up your defenses and gain access to ongoing support and monitoring. These providers are experts in their field and may find weaknesses in your defenses that you may otherwise miss. They test against the latest security standards. 

With training, employees can be your greatest cybersecurity asset. Make awareness and accountability part of your company culture and encourage your employees to be vigilant against potential threats.

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6. Learn From the Experience

Dealing with a cyberattack can be overwhelming and stressful. However, taking appropriate action after your business is breached can mitigate the damage to your stakeholders, reputation, and bottom line. Once the threat is neutralized, you can learn from the experience to safeguard your company’s data security in the future.

Cyber threats are ever evolving. Staying proactive in addressing your cybersecurity – and having a robust plan in place to mitigate the threat if it occurs – can ensure your company is prepared and protected.

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