A communications plan should contain the following information:

Objective: Under the objective category, list what you are trying to accomplish. If you want to promote your services, you may list your objective as: To make the target audiences aware of the services X Corporation provides. To be more specific, include the percentage you would like to reach - To increase my target audiences’ awareness of the services X Corporation provides by 15 percent. Including a number value in your objective statement allows for a quantitative, rather than qualitative, measurement during the evaluation process.

Key Messages: When creating a communications plan, be sure to include your company’s key messages, or well thought out statements regarding your business. For example, if your business provides a shopping service for individuals, one key message would be: X Shopping Service places time back into your hands by handling the tedious chore of shopping. Or, X Shopping Service provides a cost-efficient, quality shopping service or your money back. Think of key messages as sound bites for your business. They tell the public what your business is about, and why they should become your customer. Now remember, your key messages must honestly represent your company. If you tell half-truths or outright lie in your key messages, it could cost you your customer base.

Target Audience: Under the target audience section, list all of those groups that can use your service. Break it down into Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Audiences. Under primary audience, list those groups who you absolutely know can use your service. For example, if you sell hospital equipment, hospitals, clinics and private practices would fall under your primary audience. Under secondary, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and group homes may be listed. Under tertiary, caregivers, private residents and equipment wholesale businesses may be listed. This allows you to see which audiences are most important and who you need to reach now, as well as who you can reach as the business grows.

Tools: This is where all the communications tools you plan to use in order to promote your business are recorded. Common tools include: billboards, television advertisements, radio advertisements, flyers, news programs, expos, client meetings, website, press releases, open house/grand opening and testimonials. Have a brainstorm session regarding all the ways you can reach your target audience. Each tool you list will be tied into the actions/tasks portion of the plan.

Actions/Tasks: This one of the more important pieces to a communications plan. Under Actions/Tasks, you will list each action your business will complete in a certain timeframe in order to successfully support the plan itself. When creating this portion, be sure to add a few headings – Action, or the task you plan on completing; Lead, or person responsible for completing the task; Deadline, or when the task is due; and Comments, or where you would write notes concerning the task. You may find it easier to place this information in a table. Placing all of this information in a table certainly makes it easier to read, and so attractive that you are bound to look at the plan frequently.

Writing a communications plan may take a few days or a few weeks, depending on your public relations and marketing knowledge. Once you have it in place, it will definitely make your business run much easier. But, you have to use the plan. A good suggestion is to go over the task portion of the plan during a weekly staff meeting, or if you are the lone employee, review it at the same time every week. This allows you to update any of the tasks, review your goals and keep you motivated.