Writing an Effective Strategic Communications Plan: The Grammy Awards

It's no secret that every campaign requires a good, effective, and all-encompassing strategic plan. For instructional purposes, we'll look to last night's Grammy Awards as an example. In "7 Strategic Communication Lessons by Way of the Super Bowl", Larry Parnell outlines what elements should be included in every communications plan:

• Situation Analysis: What are you pulling off? You are in charge of a live, nationally syndicated awards show that has been on the air for 54 years. You are also competing against another awards show, the BAFTA Awards, on the same day. Evaluate your competition and research the background of previous Grammy Awards to see where you stand and what you can improve upon.
  
• Goals and Objectives: What do you want to accomplish? What objectives do you need to hit in order to execute a successful show? Yes, you want to increase viewership, but how will you do that? Better commercials, more celebrities, a better host, etc.
  
• Key Message(s): What message are you trying to get across to your audience? You want to show the public that the Grammy Awards is a respectable, entertaining, and diverse awards show that showcases the talent of musicians in various genres.
  
• Tactics: How will you pull all of this off? Increased social media engagement, more funding from investors, what performers will you choose to most engage your audience, etc.
  
• Measurement: During the event, how will you know that all is going according to plan? Or now that the event is over, how will you know if you did better, worse? Track statistics like viewers, live tweets, Facebook tags, online polls, anything that proves as solid evidence that you can use to directly compare to past shows.
  
• Contingency Plans: Prepare yourself for the worst. What if one of the performer's decides to ditch the Grammy's? Have a Plan B and make sure that your staff is aware of it and ready to mobilize.

How do you think the Grammy's accomplish their goals? Do you have any points to add? Let us know!

Hitting the Bullseye on your Target Audience

When writing a strategic plan for your client, a large portion of the process goes to establishing your target audience. It's important to target the correct audience, as they are the ones you are trying to sell your brand or idea to. These individuals will (hopefully!) buy into what you're pushing, and influence others to jump on the bandwagon. Below, PR strategist Catriona Pollard highlights tips on "How to determine your target audience":

• Who needs to hear your message? Suppose the client you're representing deals with housewares. You probably wouldn't be pitching to sports or business journalists, right? Think about who uses your client's product and frame your plan accordingly in order to reach the highest volume of potential outlets.


• Who are the influencers? Going along with the housewares example, if your target audience is comprised of stay-at-home moms, who will they look to for advice on what products to buy? Think logically; stay-at-home moms spend most of the day at home with the kids, so they have the computer and the TV at their fingertips. Mommy bloggers, for instance, are huge on the web. Mommy bloggers primarily write reviews on products they've tried and trusted, so pitching to them will hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Put yourself in the footsteps of your target audience, who influences you the most, family, friends, teachers, celebrities, talk show hosts, etc.?


• Who has the greatest impact on the business's outcome? Who will dictate whether your campaign or strategy succeeds or fails? Is it the media, consumers, or the influencers? Keep these in mind when you are laying down the foundation of your plan, and target the best way to cater to each game changer.

How are you targeting your audience? Have you included these tactics when writing your strategic plan? Let us know!