Building a Plan

1. Building a Plan Examples of organizations that are good a planning Examples of organizations that are good and bad at strategic planning Who are the leaders/experts in the area? (both in theory & practical applications?) What agencies (ie consulting orgs) are the best and why? Strategy Thinking Vs Strategic Planning Def: Process to determine the future direction of an Org/Product/Service. Allows team to sit together and think thru the qualitative aspects of the business Team to decide on a common or shared vision/strategy for the future of the business Starts with a vision of what we want the campaign to produce/image desired/position The Process (8 steps) Clarification of current situation (situation analysis, positioning, available research/data) Analysis of strategic variables (what is working for or against the org/plan, SWOT) Internal: Products, Geographic markets, User segments, Corp beliefs, Strengths, Weaknesses, Internal Opportunities External: Competition, Opportunities/Threats, Strategic Vulnerability Areas Explore different driving forces and possible strategic options (scenarios of top 2 and �profile�) Develop tentative future strategic profile/campaign/positioning Develop competitive profiles (SWOT out top 2-3) Test the implications of your strategy (Test Vs. Current, Variables, Competition) Finalize strategic direction/plan (campaign, positioning, talking points, evaluation). Identify Critical Success Factors (Metrics for success that will be monitored and measured)

3. Company Research: Financials, reputation, PR strengths/weaknesses Products and services Key players and their roles, ideas, philosophies Industry Research: How big is the industry or market, Who are the key players? Is the industry growing or in decline? How is PR used throughout the industry? Is it effective? Audience Research: Who is our target? Why are they important to us? How active or involved are they? What publics or markets are most important (rank) Industry and Market data Competition (leaders, laggards, and up-comers) Who are the 2-3 main competitors? What makes them a threat? What do they do well? Where are they weak?

4. Objectives The desired outcomes of the campaign. Output Objectives: The work to be produced Example: To send one news release to each of our 20 targeted publication during week of Nov 2nd Impact Objectives: Info, Attitudes, Behavior Informational: Message exposure, comprehension, retention. Example; Increase awareness of new product by 10% among top 3 segments during month of Sept. Attitudinal: Aim to modify the way an audience feels or sees a client�s org., products, or services. Example; Create (or change) favorable attitudes towards our new line of product during launch time frame. Behavioral: Modification of Behavior. Example; To accomplish adoption rates of new product or service� or To stimulate new sales for product X�

5. Programming (The Campaign) Positioning and theme. What messages need to be conveyed to the public? Positioning Framework and talking points Actions or special events to convey the messages Event plan, spokesperson assignments, training if necessary Plan of media targeted (both controlled & uncontrolled) Guidelines for effectively communicating the program Also supporting documents and hand-outs What 3rd parties will support your spokespeople�s claims? Customer testimonials Industry Experts Partner organizations Location specifics: setting, colors, music?, use of space, etc.

6. Evaluation Plan Evaluation plan for measuring informational objectives Ie Message exposure, comprehension, & retention Evaluation plan for measuring Attitudinal objectives Likert Scales and Semantic Differential tools Pre- and post testing Evaluation plan for measuring Behavioral objectives Pre and post questioning Observation of key indicators ( ie sales, participation, hits to website, requests for additional info, etc. Evaluation plan for measuring Output objectives Keeping records of activities Tear sheets and media searches