The communication plan

A communication plan is very useful. When you have thought up a nice initiative or project and it comes to an actual implementation, it is nice if it is also seen by others. Of course you work in the cultural sector out of your passion and love for the profession. However, you will also have to be able to show cultural entrepreneurship and you often need public revenues to finance your initiative or project. If no one knows what you are doing, chances are there will be no visitors, audience or customers. This can have financial consequences and in most cases it will make you feel uncomfortable. Therefore, think carefully about how you want to communicate and promote and a communication plan is a very useful tool.

What is a communication plan?

In a nutshell, a communications plan is a summary of much of the marketing process. You describe the background in terms of objectives and target groups to the concrete implementation of promotional tools. Huge thick books have been written about marketing and there are entire studies for it. You could describe it as the study of the internal and external environment of your organization or your initiative or project. The more you know about that, the easier it is to determine the communication strategy.

Who are you writing the communication plan for?

You make the communication plan primarily for yourself. This way you can always look back at what your plans are, and you can copy different parts for the purpose of other documents you will need to create. You can keep it up to date and adjust it as the initiative or project develops and several issues become clear. When applying for grants and funds, you will also often be asked to name some of the things included in this plan. This way the person evaluating the application can clearly see what the scope of your initiative or project will be. When applying for a permit, you may also be asked to include (part of) the communication plan.

What is in a communication plan?

There are no legal rules regarding the content of a communication plan. However, some subsidy providers or funds have established a number of conditions regarding what they definitely want to see in a communication plan. Always follow your own feelings, but keep in mind that the following items should always be included, to a greater or lesser extent:

General data

Always include your contact information and links to digital communication tools if they already exist.

Preface / introduction

The preface is often the first thing read. Take this opportunity to interest and inform the reader about the document they have in front of them. In particular, keep the preface somewhat personal.

The initiative or project

Keep in mind that you know everything about your own initiative or project and the other person often does not, so describe here what you are planning and what it will look like. It is also advisable to list some established characteristics because you can start using them later in communication.

Objectives

Describe the goals you have for your initiative or project as clearly as possible. If you have already written a project plan or a plan of action, you may be able to take it from there.

Communication Objectives

Also describe precisely what your communication goals are. Consider, for example, the % growth in online reach, the number of tickets you sell, but also the expansion of your network or engaging your audience for a longer period of time.

Your target audience(s)

This is the time to describe in as much detail as possible the target groups you want to reach with your initiative or project. You yourself need this to determine what promotional tools you will use, and the reader may need it to judge whether it fits within their goals or practices. Describe these as clearly as possible and indicate the size of those target groups. Describe separately each group of people who have consistent characteristics. So there may be several.

General proposition

The overall proposition means what is the core of the messages you want to convey in your communications as an organization or for this initiative or project. With this you can outline the general image around it. These are backgrounds that you always keep in mind when working with any communication tools.

Proposition by target group

Do the same but specifically target each audience. Specify what message you want to give them and in what way you want to entice them to take action. That action could be buying a ticket or liking a page on social media, for example.

The division of labor

Describe here who from your organization is responsible for certain parts of the communication. This could be yourself, of course, if you plan to do everything yourself. But in some cases several people are involved. Write down their names, numbers, e-mail addresses and the part for which they are responsible.

Partners

You always have to deal with other organizations, such as sponsors, a venue, suppliers, governments, etc. They work with you for a reason, they often have an interest in your initiative or project. That means they are often only too happy to help promote it through their channels. Make an overview of this because later you can 'feed' them with information that will give you additional promotion channels.

Staff and volunteers

Do the same but for your employees and volunteers. You can encourage them to bring your initiative or project to the attention of their supporters.

Corporate identity

Often with an initiative or project you have developed a certain corporate identity. This is essential for recognizability. Especially when you are going to use multiple means of communication. For large projects, sometimes even a corporate identity manual is created.

Promotional materials

Describe here all the promotional tools you will use to promote, linked to the target audiences you want to reach. Make a distinction between online, offline and free publicity, especially when there are quite a few. Think for example of posters, advertisements, social media, press approach etcetera.

Budget

Also include the budget for communications in your plan. You have probably already created a general budget at this stage and make sure the amounts match or adjust it as needed.

Planning

Make a clear schedule that shows at what times you will use which communication tools.

Evaluation

Describe how you plan to look back on the communication afterwards. Indicate how you will verify that you achieved the target audiences.

The communication plan and grant

When you apply for a grant, they will always ask you to describe a few things about the communication. Indicate who you are targeting, what reach you expect to generate and what resources you will use. A lot of this information can be gleaned from this communication plan. Make sure you answer the questions that are asked and do not send the entire document.

Learn more

On this website we have written even more about promotion and publicity, among other things, and we have listed some tips for free promotion for you. Through this link you can download for free a document that serves as an example for writing a communication plan.

If, from your expertise, you yourself have knowledge that would fit this topic, or if you see opportunities to improve this text, we look forward to receiving your message at info@cultuuracademy.nl.