The Seven C's of Communication Planning - The Foraker Group

The Seven C’s of Communication Planning This resource is not intended as legal advice. Your organizational goals, purpose, values, and bylaws should drive the creation of this document. Community/Core Competencies – our external and internal worlds  Who are we – our core purpose and core values? Who do we serve?  What needs exist in the community that fit with our purpose and values – and that we can successfully address?  Do we have a strategic plan?  What impact do we want to have?  What do we do best? What is our focus?  What are our internal capabilities – both human and financial?  What is the operating climate in our market? Opportunities and threats?  What additional information do we need to learn through research? Collaborators – the way to do more mission  Who offers a service similar to ours?  Can they become collaborators? How?  How is our organization positioned in the community compared to others? How are we unique? Customers – our partners to bring about change  Who are our customers? Who is most likely to take the action we seek? What action do we want from them? What barriers exist that need to be overcome?  What do we know about our customers? What more do we need to learn?  What do our customers perceive about us? How would people describe our brand? Is this accurate? Core Offerings – the way to influence customer behavior  What can we offer customers to help influence the behavior we need to accomplish our goals?  What can we do best to satisfy their wants? How can we turn their needs into wants?  How can we package our offering so it’s appealing to customers? Cost – the price our customer pays to engage in the behavior we seek  What are the many types of prices the customer must pay for the offering?  What are the hidden costs that often can be missed?  What incentives can help overcome the cost? Convenience – how we reach our customers  How can customers access the offering?  How can convenience be enhanced? Communication – our conversation with the customer  What messages should we deliver? How?  Do our messages resonate with the values and wants of our customers?  Which of the many communication tools are most appropriate to reach the consumer?  How does cost of producing communication material balance with its efficiency and effectiveness?  How do we integrate technology into our communication tactics?  How can we evaluate the campaign? How will we know we succeed? 161 Klevin Street, Suite 100, Anchorage, Alaska 99508 907-743-1200 forakergroup.org Copyright © 2014 by The Foraker Group. Please ask permission before copying or distributing.

Steps to a Successful Marketing Plan Step Six – Implementation What actions will we take? What deliverables will we produce? What will it cost? Who will be responsible? How will we know we succeed? Communication

Step Five – Messages Are they motivating? Consistent? Do they tell our story? Communication

Step Four – Strategies How will we accomplish our goals with our target markets? Core Offerings – Cost - Convenience

Step Three – Target Markets/Goals and Objectives What groups of people are most likely to take the action we seek? What do we know about them? What do we specifically want them to do? Customers

Step Two – Opportunities for Differentiation and Cooperation Who offers a similar service? How are we unique? How can we collaborate? How do we position ourselves in the marketplace? Collaborators

Step One – Community Needs/Organizational Capacity/Sustainability Who are we – our core purpose/core values? What business are we in? What is our focus? What are the needs in the community we can successfully address? What impact do we want to have? What is our capacity – human and financial? Do we have enough unrestricted dollars to do this? Community/Core Competencies

Copyright © 2014 by The Foraker Group. Please ask permission before copying or distributing.