As noted before, a communications plan doesn’t manage itself. You or an employee must review the communications plan at least weekly to make sure everything is on track. This also allows you to make notes in the Actions/Tasks section about different costs or people who are good contacts to call on again.
The communications plan should be a living plan that grows with your business. Even though you update it frequently, you should set a time (usually six months or a year) to evaluate the plan’s success. This is where you measure your tasks against your objective. Did you meet your goal? If not, why? Evaluation allows you to fine tune your plan for the next year.
There are a few ways you can evaluate your plan. If you chose a number for your goal (increase sales by 10 percent), then look at your sales records. In one year, how much more business did you do than the year before? That is your key to determining if your plan worked or not.
If your measurements were quantitative (increase awareness, increase knowledge, etc.), then you must conduct a survey or other measurement tool. Local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations can help with this task. For a fee, they can create, conduct and evaluate the results of such a questionnaire. If your area doesn’t support this, again, visit your local university’s Public Relations majors. They are always looking for field work.
Promoting your business isn’t like pulling teeth. It can be quite fun, especially when you get the results you want. Take time out now to pull together your communications plan. If used as suggested, it can be the biggest asset any company could have.