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Comment élaborer un plan de communication? Méthodes et outils inclus

Un plan de communication permet aux équipes de comprendre comment elles vont recevoir l’information et par qui. En gestion de projet, c’est un outil essentiel, qui permet de gagner du temps en garantissant des échanges aussi clairs que possible.

La communication s’avère souvent déterminante dans la réussite d’un projet : communiquer efficacement forgera votre réussite, mais cette dernière risque d’être compromise si vos échanges manquent de clarté. En matière de gestion de projet, communiquer clairement ne consiste pas seulement à savoir sur quels canaux échanger : il faut aussi déterminer quels messages envoyer, et à qui.

Rassurez-vous : créer un plan de communication efficace n’est pas si difficile. Il vous suffit d’identifier sur quels canaux vous communiquerez avec votre équipe et à quel moment.

Dans cet article, nous vous expliquons comment élaborer un plan de communication qui fonctionne, quel que soit le secteur d’activité.

Nous vous parlerons des bonnes pratiques et vous proposerons également un exemple de plan de communication pour vous inspirer.

La plateforme de gestion du travail Asana permet de suivre facilement les tâches et les objectifs de votre plan de communication. Faites un essai gratuit dès maintenant !

Qu’est-ce qu’un plan de communication ?

Dans le cadre de ce plan, il convient de préciser aux parties prenantes quel canal utiliser, quand (à quelle fréquence) ces différentes informations doivent être communiquées, et qui est responsable de chacun des canaux.

Élaborer un plan de communication aide votre équipe à éliminer toute hésitation : ils sauront pour quels outils opter, à quel moment, et qui contacter par le biais de tel ou tel canal. Renoncer à un plan de ce type, c’est ouvrir la porte à la confusion.

Quels sont les éléments à inclure dans un plan de communication?

Votre plan de communication constitue votre source unique de référence pour élaborer la stratégie de communication de votre projet. Les membres de l’équipe doivent être en mesure d’utiliser ce plan pour répondre à un certain nombre de questions liées au projet :

Quels canaux de communication utilisons-nous ? Quelle est la finalité de chacun d’eux ?

Vaut-il mieux communiquer en face-à-face ou en différé ?

Quels sont les rôles de chacun ? Qui est chef de projet ? Qui fait partie de l’équipe projet et quelles sont les parties prenantes ?

Comment communiquer les détails clés du projet, comme les différentes actions, les mises à jour de statut, et à quelle fréquence ?

Les éléments qui n’entrent pas dans un plan de communication 

Un plan de communication vous aide à clarifier la manière dont vous allez communiquer avec votre équipe projet et les parties prenantes, qu’il s’agisse de membres d’équipes internes à votre entreprise ou d’intervenants externes (des clients ou prestataires, par exemple).

Mais attention : en gestion de projet, un plan de communication n’est pas un plan de relations publiques (communiqués de presse). Ce plan ne vous aidera pas à maintenir une stratégie de communication cohérente sur les réseaux sociaux, à identifier un public cible ou à entretenir l’image de marque de l’entreprise.

Si vous avez besoin d’élaborer ce type de plans (communication digitale, livre blanc, campagne d’emailing), envisagez de créer un calendrier de contenu des réseaux sociaux ou un plan stratégique de marketing digital.

Les avantages d’un plan de communication

Communiquer efficacement au travail est essentiel, c’est évident. Mais avez-vous vraiment besoin d’un plan de communication écrit pour y parvenir ?

En un mot : oui. Un plan de communication bien ficelé peut vous aider à mener des actions de communications efficaces vis-à-vis des parties prenantes concernées. La direction n’a pas besoin d’être informée de tous les détails de votre initiative. De même, il n’est peut-être pas utile que l’ensemble des membres de l’équipe projet participe à une conférence téléphonique avec vos partenaires externes. Vos collaborateurs ne doivent pas évoluer à l’aveugle, ni se retrouver bloqués : établir des méthodes, des objectifs de communication et définir des canaux de communication vous aidera à éviter ces écueils.

Définir les outils de communication

Dans le cadre de notre récente étude sur l’Anatomie du travail 2021, nous avons interrogé plus de 13 000 travailleurs , partout dans le monde. Les résultats ont révélé qu’un travailleur bascule en moyenne 25 fois par jour entre 10 applications. Les membres d’équipe passent donc des heures à trouver le bon outil parmi tous les moyens de communication, ce qui réduit considérablement le temps passé à accomplir des tâches utiles ou à collaborer efficacement avec leurs pairs.

Un plan de communication vous évitera ce jeu de devinettes en définissant les supports de communication. Prenons un exemple : si votre équipe est informée que toutes les informations liées aux activités sont regroupées sur un outil de gestion du travail , chacun peut faire ses recherches facilement. Finies les heures passées à écumer les piles de dossiers, les messages Slack ou autres chaînes d’e-mails interminables.

Vous souhaitez connaître l’échéancier du prochain livrable ? Il doit être facilement consultable, sur votre outil de gestion du travail par exemple. Vous épargnerez ainsi des questions banales et chronophages aux collaborateurs qui travaillent sur le projet de manière indirecte (qui n’ont pas un rôle actif dans l’élaboration des rapports d’avancement).

Nous avons instauré des règles d’usage pour communiquer, et décidé quels logiciels ou outils utiliser pour transmettre tel ou tel message. Asana est idéal pour produire un travail effectif, Slack est parfait pour des questions/réponses rapides ou pour des mises au point ponctuelles. Les e-mails sont plus formels et principalement utilisés pour communiquer avec nos partenaires externes. Définir ces normes de communication précises nous a vraiment permis de réduire les notifications, et donc, la dispersion.”

Optimiser la collaboration

La collaboration d’équipe n’est pas innée ; c’est bel et bien un savoir-faire que chacun de vos collaborateurs doit développer, vous y compris. Instaurer une collaboration d’équipe efficace passe par la définition de conventions de communication. L’incertitude règne encore trop souvent en entreprise, surtout au sein des équipes à distance ou décentralisées : ces dernières ont bien du mal à choisir où et comment communiquer. C’est d’ailleurs l’un des principaux obstacles rencontrés par les ressources humaines pour la mise en place d’une collaboration efficace. Si votre équipe n’est pas sûre des outils ou canaux auxquels recourir, elle rencontrera très certainement des difficultés à communiquer.

Votre plan de communication est l’occasion de préciser aux membres de votre équipe quels sont les canaux de diffusion. Selon le niveau de précision des informations à transmettre, vous pouvez également indiquer à vos pairs quels moments sont les plus opportuns pour échanger, mais aussi clarifier les conventions d’équipe quant à l’activation du mode « Ne pas déranger » ou à la mise en sourdine des notifications.

Ces règles et conventions vous permettront de vous affranchir facilement de ce qui constitue l’un des principaux obstacles à une communication et une collaboration d’équipe efficace. Savoir où communiquer et, tout aussi important, les canaux à éviter est le meilleur moyen pour chacun d'envoyer le bon message, au moment opportun.

Réduire les tâches redondantes

Les travailleurs du monde entier passent aujourd’hui près de 60 % de leur temps sur ce que l’on nomme le « work about work » . Ce terme désigne tout le travail d’organisation : recherche de documents, course aux approbations, va-et-vient entre applications, suivi de l’état d’avancement du travail et, de manière générale, toutes les petites tâches de moindre importance qui empêchent de se concentrer sur les activités les plus utiles. Vous l’aurez deviné, toutes les questions et incertitudes autour de la communication interne constituent, elles aussi, des tâches connexes.

Si les membres de votre équipe n’ont pas une idée précise de l’endroit où les informations sont regroupées et mises à disposition, notamment votre plan de projet ou votre chronologie de projet , ils devront partir à la chasse aux informations sur plusieurs outils ou poser de multiples questions à leurs collègues avant de réussir à trouver ce qu’ils cherchent.

Par conséquent, sans conventions de communication claires, vos collaborateurs auront bien du mal à retrouver la trace de tâches ou documents existants.

De manière générale, le « work about work » nous conduit à effectuer davantage de travail en double et à multiplier les tâches manuelles. Selon l’Anatomie du travail , nous consacrons 13 % de notre temps à des tâches déjà effectuées par quelqu’un d’autre, soit un total de 236 heures de travail effectif perdues chaque année.

Établir un plan de communication permet d’offrir plus de clarté à votre équipe : elle sait où elle en est à tout moment puisqu’elle est en mesure de localiser chaque tâche, information, etc. La perte de temps n’est plus qu’un lointain souvenir.

Comment élaborer un plan de communication?

Un plan de communication est un outil performant et sa rédaction est relativement aisée. Quatre étapes suffisent. Retrouvez également notre exemple de plan de communication en fin d’article.

1. Établissez des méthodes de communication

Première étape de l’élaboration d’un plan de communication : décider quels canaux seront dédiés à la communication d’une entreprise. Il s’agit notamment de savoir quand utiliser vos différents outils et à quel moment communiquer en direct ou en différé. La communication en direct, dite synchrone, se déroule en temps réel. À l’inverse, la communication dite asynchrone (ou en différé) consiste à envoyer un message sans attendre une réponse immédiate.

L’élaboration de votre plan de communication doit vous permettre d’identifier quels outils votre équipe va employer et à quelles fins. Vous pouvez notamment utiliser :

Des e-mails pour communiquer avec les parties prenantes externes.

Slack pour communiquer de manière simultanée à propos des mises à jour quotidiennes ou poser des questions rapides.

Asana par le biais de la description des tâches et des mises à jour de statut de projet, ou pour mettre à disposition des documents clés.

Zoom ou Google Meet pour les réunions d’équipe, comme les sessions de brainstorming ou les retours sur expérience (les post-mortem).

2. Définissez un rythme de communication et respectez-le

Vous savez sur quels canaux communiquer, il est donc temps de déterminer la fréquence de vos échanges. Votre rythme de communication constitue votre plan d’action pour tenir les différentes parties prenantes informées de tous les détails clés du projet.

Vous pouvez notamment planifier :

La publication d’une mise à jour de statut toutes les semaines sur Asana, pour toutes les parties prenantes et les sponsors du projet.

Une réunion mensuelle avec l’équipe projet pour débloquer toute tâche en attente ou réfléchir aux prochaines étapes.

Des mises à jour des jalons du projet sur Asana, en différé et selon les besoins.

3. Précisez comment gérer les échanges avec les parties prenantes

La réussite d’un projet dépend souvent du soutien et de l’adhésion des parties prenantes. Si c’est en début de projet qu’il vous faut gagner la confiance de ces dernières, précisément lors du kick-off, n’oubliez pas qu’il est essentiel de conserver leur soutien tout au long du projet. La campagne de communication se doit alors d’être particulièrement soignée.

Lors de la rédaction de votre plan de communication, prenez le temps de préciser quand communiquer avec chaque partie prenante du projet et à quel sujet. Certains communiqueront régulièrement, si ce n’est quotidiennement, sur les activités en cours. Ce sera notamment le cas des membres clés de l’équipe projet. D’autres pourront être mis au courant des dernières avancées un peu plus tard, lors des mises à jour de statut du projet ou même à l’occasion de la mise au point finale.

Indiquer clairement votre manière de gérer la communication avec les parties prenantes vous permettra de vous assurer qu’elles sont informées en temps opportun, et à bon escient. Les informations que vous leur transmettez doivent comporter le niveau de détail pertinent, être centrées sur les résultats et, de manière générale, sur les répercussions du projet à plus grande échelle.

4. Diffusez votre plan de communication et effectuez les mises à jour nécessaires en temps voulu

Votre plan de communication créé, il est temps de le transmettre à votre équipe projet. Assurez-vous que votre plan est accessible depuis votre source unique de référence, laquelle regroupe toutes les informations clés relatives à votre projet.

Nous vous recommandons d’utiliser Asana : notre outil vous permettra de suivre l’ensemble de vos communications et activités plus facilement, en un seul et même endroit.

Si des modifications devaient être apportées au projet, avec des répercussions sur votre plan de communication, veillez à actualiser ce dernier et informer vos collaborateurs de ces changements. Ainsi, les membres de l’équipe auront toujours accès aux informations les plus récentes.

Plan de communication: exemple en image

Modèle de plan de communication

Description de la communication.

De quel type de communication s’agit-il ?

À quelle fréquence allez-vous communiquer ?

Quel outil allez-vous utiliser ? La communication aura-t-elle lieu en direct ou en différé ?

Public cible

À qui vous adressez-vous ?

Propriétaire

Qui est chargé d’envoyer les messages ?

Le plan de communication, un outil essentiel pour communiquer efficacement

Une communication transparente vous aide à communiquer les bonnes informations au bon moment. Encouragez une collaboration sans effort, tout en veillant à ce que chaque membre de l’équipe soit mis à contribution en temps opportun. Votre équipe passera ainsi moins de temps à communiquer sur le travail d’organisation et se consacrera davantage aux tâches qui importent vraiment.

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Comment faire un plan de communication ? [exemples & modèles]

Mis à jour : 20 mars 2024

Publié : 19 mars 2024

Êtes-vous sur le point de lancer un nouveau projet et d'annoncer cette nouveauté à votre public cible ? Pour permettre aux entreprises de communiquer de manière efficace, il existe un outil simple : le plan de communication. Voici les 10 étapes à suivre pour en construire un efficace.

Qu'est-ce qu'un plan de communication ?

Un plan de communication englobe toutes les actions nécessaires pour guider la stratégie de communication d'une entreprise. Une fois les différentes actions planifiées, elles sont mises en place, suivies de près, puis évaluées pour vérifier si le plan est efficace et s'il atteint les objectifs fixés à l'avance.

Pourquoi faire un plan de communication ?

Toute stratégie de communication commence par l'élaboration d'un plan de communication. Celui-ci détermine avec précisions les actions à entreprendre pour attirer un public cible, le fidéliser et valoriser l'image de marque de l'entreprise. Le plan de communication, c'est un peu comme le plan de construction d'une maison. Il aide à visualiser les détails du projet, à anticiper les étapes et à n'en oublier aucune. Grâce à lui vous pouvez vérifier que la communication globale se réalise sans encombre et que les délais sont respectés. En regroupant tous les éléments stratégiques, le plan de communication apportera en outre de la cohérence à l'ensemble de vos messages. Le suivi et l'analyse qui en découleront permettront ensuite d'établir les points forts à reconduire, les points faibles et la rentabilité des différentes actions.

Pour résumer, un plan de communication bien pensé réunit de nombreux avantages.

• Il met en avant les besoins de l'entreprise en matière de stratégie de communication.
• Il apporte organisation, cohérence et coordination dans les différentes actions.
• Il permet d'estimer et de maîtriser les coûts de communication .
• Il facilite l'évaluation de la performance des actions réalisées par l'entreprise

Comment faire un plan de communication ?

Téléchargez ce guide gratuit et utilisez-le pour établir un plan de communication efficace., construire un plan de communication en 10 étapes.

• Définir le mandat
• Analyser la situation
• Définir les objectifs
• Identifier le public cible
• Établir l'axe de communication
• Élaborer une stratégie de communication
• Déterminer les moyens de communication
• Rédiger le message
• Définir le budget
• Dresser le bilan et évaluer les résultats

Le plan de communication permet d'établir, étape par étape, les stratégies à mettre en place pour vous permettre de livrer une communication efficace auprès du public cible : analyse du contexte global, définition de la cible, identification des objectifs à atteindre, choix des canaux de communication … Bien préparer son message est un gage inévitable de réussite. De plus, cela permettra à tous les collaborateurs impliqués dans le projet d'accéder au même niveau d'information, facilitant ainsi la coordination et le management des équipes.

Voici donc comment réaliser un plan de communication efficace en 10 étapes concrètes.

1- Définir le mandat

Définir le mandat est le point de départ d'un plan de communication efficace. Il est en effet primordial de définir le problème à résoudre ou l'enjeu recherché au travers de cette communication. Vous souhaitez promouvoir un nouveau produit ? Sensibiliser votre cible à une cause ? Mettre en avant l'un de vos services ? La définition du mandat est véritablement la base de tout projet, quelle que soit sa nature.

2 - Analyser la situation

La deuxième étape consiste à analyser la situation dans laquelle votre entreprise se trouve et le contexte dans lequel elle évolue. Cette étape permettra de poser un diagnostic précis de l'environnement et donc de valider, ou non, la faisabilité de votre mandat. Afin d'analyser le contexte, il convient d'utiliser la revue de presse, d'analyser éventuellement les résultats du sondage réalisé, d'effectuer des recherches sur le secteur d'activité, sur la compétition, d'établir les forces et les faiblesses de son entreprise et de ses concurrents.

3 - Définir les objectifs

Pour mesurer l'efficacité finale de sa communication, il s'agit de savoir si les objectifs de départ ont été remplis. Il est donc primordial de fixer des objectifs à atteindre. Ceux-ci sont souvent regroupés sous trois axes principaux : faire connaître, sensibiliser et informer sur un service ou un produit. L'objectif peut donc être de faire connaître un nouveau produit à ses clients, de les sensibiliser à l'une de vos causes, ou de les informer sur l'un de vos services. Cet objectif doit être SMART  : spécifique, mesurable, acceptable, réaliste et temporellement défini. Toutes les stratégies mises en place avec le plan de communication doivent servir à atteindre cet objectif.

4 - Identifier le public cible

Afin d'optimiser vos chances d'atteindre vos objectifs, il est primordial d'identifier la cible, c'est-à-dire le persona ou groupe de personnes que vous visez avec vos objectifs. Lorsque la cible est identifiée, il est important d'en apprendre davantage sur son profil. Plus vous en apprenez sur votre cible et ses besoins et plus vos actions pourront être concluantes. Pour chacune des cibles, il faudra personnaliser l'approche et le style de la communication.

5 - Établir l'axe de communication

L' axe de communication est la clé de voûte de votre stratégie de communication. Il s'agit du thème de votre campagne. Il orientera la ligne éditoriale et donnera le ton de toutes vos communications. C'est l'élément qui permettra à votre projet de conserver toute sa cohérence. Cet axe est défini en fonction de l'objet de la communication (le service que vous souhaitez promouvoir ou le produit que vous souhaitez faire connaître, par exemple), de votre public cible et de vos objectifs.

6 - Élaborer une stratégie de communication

La stratégie de communication détermine l'ensemble des actions que vous allez mettre en œuvre pour atteindre vos objectifs. Lors de cette étape, vous déterminerez comment vous allez livrer le message et comment vous allez capter l'attention de votre cible. Le rôle de la stratégie de communication est également de planifier vos différentes actions à l'aide d'un échéancier. Voici un exemple de plan de communication utilisant ce principe.

7 - Déterminer les moyens de communication

Une campagne sur les réseaux sociaux, un spot radio, une publicité, un communiqué de presse, un événement, etc. : tous les moyens pour communiquer sont envisageables. Il est toutefois important de sélectionner ces outils en fonction du public que vous cherchez à atteindre. Cela dépendra aussi des objectifs recherchés et, évidemment, de vos ressources. À vous de trouver le canal le plus adapté pour atteindre le plus grand nombre de personnes ciblées sans exploser votre budget. Voici des exemples de plan de communication tenant compte de cela.

8 - Rédiger le message

Le message est le cœur de votre communication. Il doit donc être réalisé avec beaucoup de rigueur et de cohérence. Sa forme dépendra de l'outil que vous avez choisi pour communiquer. Une publicité sur les réseaux sociaux ne sera pas rédigée de la même manière qu'un communiqué de presse. Quelle que soit la formule utilisée, ce message vise à informer, sensibiliser, convaincre et séduire le public cible. Une bonne communication est un message qui induit un changement de comportement ou d'attitude de la part du public.

9 - Définir le budget

Le budget alloué à vos communications doit être pensé dès le début. Cela vous permettra de mettre certaines barrières et de vous faire gagner du temps au moment de collaborer avec les différents fournisseurs. Il est important, d'évaluer quelles sont les ressources matérielles, humaines et financières nécessaires pour les différents moyens de communication établis.

10 - Dresser le bilan et évaluer les résultats

Le moment est venu de dresser le bilan. Évaluer les résultats en cours d'opération permet, si nécessaire, de réajuster les actions, pour atteindre le public cible ou les objectifs souhaités.

Les objectifs ont-ils été accomplis ? Partiellement ? Votre plan a échoué ? Si oui, à quel moment ? En tirant des conclusions, vous pourrez déterminer si votre plan de communication a été efficace et s'il peut être reporté à d'autres projets. Débriefer les différentes actions est un moyen efficace pour affiner ses compétences et gagner en expérience.

Pour aller plus loin, téléchargez ce guide gratuit et utilisez-le pour établir un plan de communication efficace.

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How to write a communication plan (with template and examples)

Communication is one of the product manager’s primary responsibilities. After all, a PM can’t do their job without effectively communicating risks, dependencies, and changes.

In small companies, communication is somewhat more intuitive and often easier to manage. The problems begin to appear when the company grows.

A bigger company means more teams, more stakeholders, more initiatives, and more of everything. Beyond scale-ups, communication often becomes either too chaotic or too infrequent.

In cases like that, having a robust communication plan can be a life saver. In this guide, we’ll demonstrate how to write a communication plan in six easy steps. You can also use our free communication plan template , which contains both a blank spreadsheet for you to fill out and a practical example to help you get started.

What is a communication plan?

A communication plan is an inspectable artifact that describes what information must be communicated as well as to whom, by whom, when, where, and via what medium that information is to be communicated. In addition, a communication plan outlines how communications are tracked and analyzed.

A communication plan can take various forms. For example, it might take the form of a(n):

• Weekly checklist
• Spreadsheet
• Automated Trello board

In general, a communication plan should be whatever works for you and your team, as long as it allows you to inspect and adapt your approach to communicating with others.

Benefits of a communication plan

Investing time in creating and maintaining a communication plan brings many benefits. A communication plan serves as a(n):

Checklist and reminder

Inspectable artifact, alignment with stakeholders.

Who hasn’t forgotten to inform some critical stakeholder about a recent change/discovery?

Product management is such a fast-paced and dynamic profession that it’s very easy to let small details slip. Unfortunately, it’s these small details that often matter the most.

A written communication plan serves as a checklist that ensures minute details don’t slip too often. Whenever something relevant happens, you can easily refer to your communication plan to double-check whether you’ve connected with everyone who needs to be in the loop.

A tangible communication plan allows product managers to slow down, inspect, and adapt their current processes.

Whenever there’s a communication mishap, they can review what led to it and adjust their approach to communication. A concrete plan makes a vague and sometimes intimidating term such as “communication” more tangible.

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A communication plan, when done well, brings alignment and facilitates input from other stakeholders. It also lays out expectations of how communication is being handled and executed.

If stakeholders feel they aren’t getting all the relevant information, they can quickly check the communication plan to see what they are missing and what is lacking in the communication process that is causing them to miss that information. If they find the communication inadequate, they can share their feedback with the communication plan owner.

It’s easier to facilitate feedback and alignment when something is on paper.

How to create a communication plan in 6 steps

As mentioned above, there are various ways to create a communication plan.

A simple way to write a communication plan is to answer six questions:

• What type of information do you produce?
• Who should receive that information?
• How often should they receive it?
• What channels are most appropriate for this type of information?
• When is communication done for that type of information?
• Who should make sure it happens?

1. What type of information do you produce?

Start by reviewing what information you produce and process.

If you manage roadmaps , you probably produce a lot of information regarding roadmap changes, delays, and anything else that may relate to roadmaps.

If you manage releases, you also produce information regarding the release progress, stage, and anything else that related to releases.

Capture it all.

To make it easier, start with the broader, more general concepts. And if you notice the need for more precision, split them into more detailed communication positions.

2. Who should receive that information?

For a given type of information you produce or process, who should receive it? These are usually people who are:

• Direct stakeholders
• Dependent on the initiative
• Contributing to the initiative

Investing some time in defining the receipts has two main benefits.

First, it ensures you don’t miss a critical person in your communication flow, but it also helps you answer the question of who is not interested in certain information. Over-communication creates noise and should be avoided.

3. How often should they receive it?

You should identify the frequency of updates being sent out depending on the information being shared and which stakeholders are included. Should it be daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly?

You probably won’t nail it at first, but that’s OK. What’s important is to search for a sweet spot between over-communication and under-communication.

Although it might seem excessive at first, finding the right balance will be increasingly important as the amount of and need for communication grows over time.

4. What channels are most appropriate for this type of information?

What medium is most suitable for a given type of information?

For example, it would be silly to inform someone about a mission-critical dependency in a comment under a Jira ticket. At the same time, you shouldn’t spam other people’s Slack with every minor change.

Before sending out an update, ask yourself:

• Where would people seek such information?
• How fast should it reach the audience?
• How critical is it?
• Is it a one-sided update or a potential conversation starter?

The answers to these questions will help you find the best channel for the given information piece.

5. When is communication done for that type of information?

Many people fall into the concept trap that once you send out a message, your communication responsibility is over. This is not always the case.

If you send a company-wide FYI update, then yes, your job is probably completed when you press send, but what if you have roadmap changes that impact multiple teams. Shouldn’t you be making sure everyone on those teams are informed?

In cases like that, you can’t say you are done just because you’ve sent a message. You should chase all key stakeholders and ensure that they have read and understood your message to avoid any misconceptions.

Let’s face it: messages sometimes slip. Your job isn’t to send messages, but to ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s not the same thing.

I’m a fan of having a simple definition of done for communication items. Sometimes, it’ll just mean pushing an update. Other times, it might mean getting a signature of approval from another stakeholder.

6. Who should make it happens?

Last but not least, if it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure communication happens, then it’s no one’s responsibility.

Although the whole team should be responsible for ensuring effective communication, I believe in having a dedicated owner for a given communication stream. The owner can be permanent or rotate every sprint.

If you have communication owners in place, the chance of communication actually taking place increases dramatically.

Communication plan example

Let’s take a look at an example of a communication plan created using the framework I just outlined:

This communication plan can now serve as an artifact for alignment, process improvement, and double-checking if everything is communicated as needed.

Since some of the items in the communication plan happen as needed, it’s imperative to review the artifact on a regular basis. Otherwise, details are bound to slip sooner or later.

Communication plan template

To make it easy to get started with creating your own communication plan, we’ve created a communication plan template for you. Click File > Make a copy to customize the template.

When you start, ask yourself:

• What you want to communicate
• By what channel
• When you consider the communication as done
• Who should own the given communication item

Although it may lack in the beginning, use it as an inspectable artifact to improve your communication approach every sprint. I promise you, it’ll make your job as a product manager significantly easier.

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10 communication plan templates—and how to write your own

There's a warning on the box my steam iron came in that says, "Do not iron clothes while wearing them."

This gave me pause for a few minutes, but it got me thinking about the kind of lawsuit that prompted lawyers to include an otherwise obvious warning on the box and the kind of crisis communication plan that came to exist in the aftermath.

Add that to the "pudding will get hot when heated" warning and the trademark "shower cap fits only one head" disclaimer, and you've got yourself an era in which communication plans are not only a helpful organizational tool but a very necessary one.

Successfully running a company requires clear communication across the board: with employees, customers, investors, and any other stakeholders. Any gap in communication can lead to difficulties that range from minor project blips to absolute disaster. And while they're necessary for crisis management, communication plans have plenty of other uses beyond ensuring your consumer doesn't give themselves third-degree burns.

Table of contents:

Communication plan templates 

How to write a communication plan

Communication plan essentials, what is a communication plan.

A communication plan is your blueprint for delivering key information to appropriate stakeholders. It outlines the information that needs to be communicated, who it's meant for, the channel it's delivered through, and the folks in charge of it to ensure clear, consistent, and purposeful communication.

This document can look different depending on what it's used for. Here are some examples to give you an idea:

If I were creating a crisis communication plan for the unlikely event that someone irons their shirt while wearing it, I'd consider all the steps we'd have to take to avoid scrutiny and legal issues, like seeking medical attention, designating a spokesperson to represent our company, or press release strategies to address the issue. (I'd also consider whether the box should come with a logical analysis puzzle the user needs to solve before they can open it, but that's just me trying to fix the world one steam iron at a time.)

A marketing communication plan plays a different role. It's designed to outline responsibilities and initiatives within the grand scope of the marketing strategy to keep teams aligned and informed. One initiative I'd underline twice for our steam iron product would be to produce marketing imagery that clearly demonstrates how to iron a shirt—i.e., on an ironing board, not a body.

A product launch communication plan helps keep everyone on the same page regarding brand messaging, intended effects, and progress throughout the launch. Let's take Apple as an example. They're known for their meticulously planned and executed product launches. Their communication strategy involves creating anticipation through teaser campaigns, leveraging secrecy to build excitement, and hosting live events to unveil new products.

Bottom line: communication plans run the gamut. When it comes to format, some plans may be in a table format, outlining talking points and deadlines. Others may contain more of a narrative, meant to inform and update the reader on how a situation is being handled.

You can use a communication plan for both external and internal communication. An employee communication plan, for example, is only meant for your team's eyes. On the other hand, public relations communication plans can be used internally and can also be shared with relevant third parties for outreach and marketing purposes.

Communication plan templates

A communication plan is that one bookmark every employee clicks at the beginning of their day until they associate its main page with the smell of coffee.

Knowing what it is and why it matters is one thing, but understanding the different ways you can use a communication plan is another. Since there are so many different types of plans, I've put together a few templates to highlight the differences. Pick your (well-labeled) poison.

1. Marketing communication plan

This communication plan outlines your marketing initiatives for each audience. It tracks relevant information, including the person or team in charge of the project, tasks, timeline, communication channels, audience, and notes.

It also organizes this information based on each aspect of your marketing strategy, whether it's targeting existing clients, potential leads, investors, events, or any PR third parties. 

2. Crisis communication plan

No organization is immune to unexpected and challenging situations that can potentially harm its reputation and operations. This communication plan outlines a systematic approach to addressing crises, including key team members, their responsibilities, communication channels, and the predefined strategy.

It should include clear guidelines for rapid response, methods for updating stakeholders, and ways to mitigate potential damage to the organization's image. The plan should always outline the key crisis management team, their roles and responsibilities, procedures for identifying the crisis, and how to work with media outlets and external entities.

3. Internal communication plan

This communication plan is designed to ensure employees receive timely and relevant information, have clear visibility of organizational goals, and stay informed about key developments within the organization.

It includes details on communication channels, such as newsletters, meetings, and virtual seminars. Typically, it outlines how the leadership team communicates with employees, how frequently they can expect updates, and methods for gathering feedback to enhance internal communication across the board.

4. Social media communication plan

A social media communication plan guides a company's strategy in utilizing social media platforms for its communication goals. It's important for building a strong online presence, engaging with your target audience, and managing your company's reputation in the digital world.

This plan includes an overview of your social media content strategy , detailing the type of content you intend to share, how often you should publish posts, and the voice of the message. 

To make the most of your social media communication plan, define the target audience on each platform, outline KPIs for measuring success, and establish helpful guidelines that can tie into your crisis communication plan and leverage social media in case of an emergency.

5. Change management communication plan

If your company goes through grand-scale change such as mergers, rebranding, restructuring, or process optimization , a change management plan is crucial for ensuring your team is informed, engaged, and supportive of the changes. 

The team's going to need an explanation and a plan of action now that Janice is walking down the office toward the door marked "manager" with a big smile on her face.

Its goal is to facilitate a smooth transition and should always include clear messaging regarding the reasons for the change, the anticipated benefits, and how this could affect employees. It outlines the timeline for the change, strategies for addressing concerns, available communication channels, and any feedback regarding the process.

6. Non-profit communication plan

Non-profits operate differently from other organizations, and their communication plans reflect that. The document effectively conveys the non-profit's cause, engages stakeholders, and develops support. 

Since it's designed to build awareness, foster donor relationships, and maintain a level of transparency about the organization's impact, a non-profit communication plan should include well-crafted messaging that aligns with the org's values, outlines the strategy for reaching and mobilizing donors, and plans how to make the most of communication channels such as social media, newsletters, and events.

For a unique touch that sets your non-profit communication plan apart, emphasize storytelling to humanize your cause and connect with your audience on an emotional level. For example, you might include an initiative that triggers an automatic email when a donor registers or makes a contribution—something that reflects their impact on the cause.

7. Product launch communication plan

Developing a new product is a stressful and tedious process on its own. Introducing it to the world can be its own hassle, but a good communication plan can help simplify the process by creating anticipation, generating excitement, and breaking down the approach for a successful product launch.

Your plan should include key features and details about the product, the target audience, and market positioning . To nurture and engage that anticipation, you should also include a timeline for communication activities and strategies that cover the channels you intend to use, like social media, email marketing, and press releases.

To take it a step further, include messaging that addresses potential challenges and opens up the opportunity to receive feedback and gauge your customers' response to the launch.

8. Public relations communication plan

This communication plan is ideal for organizations that want to manage their brand reputation and build relationships with the public. Your brand image is an important aspect of business that can affect operations on every level, and nurturing it requires strategic communication, especially with media and public inquiries. You want the public eye to see you in your nice, freshly-ironed shirt.

A public relations communication plan includes key messaging, a media relations strategy, and a calendar of planned PR initiatives, as well as goals, target audiences, and metrics for monitoring the success of your PR efforts.

9. Employee communication plan

Any organization with a team bigger than six people can face major communication challenges, to say nothing of companies that employ staff in the hundreds and thousands. Company news, updates, policies, and initiatives that employees need to be aware of can be difficult to disseminate properly.

Sure, you can take your chances on a company-wide email, but it'll likely end up buried unopened somewhere in everyone's inbox, and you'll be standing there with the corporate equivalent of eating mango-scented shampoo.

An employee communication plan helps foster organizational transparency and workplace alignment within your team. It'll contribute to your company culture and enhance your employees' sense of belonging and connection to company goals.

This plan includes channels for internal communication as well as a content strategy that touches on employees' needs and concerns. While an internal communication plan focuses on the company's business goals, an employee communication plan addresses the company's internal development initiatives. 

10. Event communication plan

This communication plan guides your organization's efforts surrounding an event, ensuring effective promotion, coordination, and engagement. It's useful for managing the flow of information before, during, and after an event.

The plan includes key messaging, the timeline for the event's communication activities, strategies for putting channels like social media and email marketing to use, and how to properly approach inquiries and feedback from event attendees.

Each type of communication plan contains a different set of elements, but the process of putting a communication plan together, regardless of its purpose, remains the same. 

1. Set communication goals

I hate sounding like every therapist ever, but communication goals are very important. If your roommate doesn't understand that your scream of pain from the other room means you might have accidentally ironed a shirt while wearing it, help isn't coming, and your room will smell like barbeque. 

Your goals can range from increasing brand awareness and engagement to notifying stakeholders about a new product launch or managing an emergency. Setting these goals beforehand lays the foundation for the entire plan and defines communication channels, messaging strategies, and evaluation metrics. Focus on setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) business objectives .

If I were ironing a shirt, I'd outline my goal for a smooth, freshly-ironed shirt free of wrinkles, and I'd prepare for that by neatly placing the shirt, being conscious of those pesky corners, and keeping it nice and aligned before getting started. In the same vein, If I were writing a communication plan that focuses on brand awareness, I'd outline goals for social media campaigns and content marketing strategies. I'd aim to increase user engagement on each social media platform by a certain percentage, increasing visibility, ad clicks, and interaction with my brand.  

Clear communication goals give your organization a sense of direction and allow your team to accurately measure success, making adjustments based on tangible results.

2. Identify the audience

Each audience you're trying to reach through your communication plan will have its own unique expectations and concerns. The plan and the message within need to align with the audience's values and interests.

If you're writing for investors, the plan needs to outline your communication goals for them specifically, touching on relevant topics and important points. It would also designate how the information will be conveyed, by whom, and how to move forward if any variables were to shift. 

Conduct thorough market research , and collect relevant insight into your target audience's demographics, behaviors, and preferences. What data are you sharing with your investors? What kind of information would be both relevant and important to share with them? How can you best phrase that communication so it has a positive impact?

Who's telling the board that a customer ironed their shirt while wearing it?

A good practice is to segment your audience and create detailed personas to ensure your message is not only read but understood and embraced.

3. Outline key messages

The key information you're distributing through your communication plan is a delicate balance between the organization's goals and resonance with the audience. 

For example, a product launch communication plan doesn't really need your 25-year company trajectory outlined and explained. The key information here would pertain to the product itself, the process for the launch, steps to take, tasks to perform, and the timeline for the entire project.

Make your messages clear, concise, and compelling to leave a lasting impression. 

4. Choose communication channels

Outline which communication channels are best suited to execute your plan. For example, an employee communication plan should utilize private internal channels like meetings, internal platforms, or emails. Product launch communication plans should leverage external channels as well, like websites, social media, newsletters, and press releases.

Choose communication channels that fit the plan and can be integrated for a cohesive communication strategy that aligns with both your company's goals and the audience's preferences. Ask yourself: 

Who's meant to read this? 

How can I reach them? 

Is this private internal communication or is it meant for public distribution? 

Which channel would have the best visibility for my audience? 

5. Create a timeline

For the plan to be effective on any level, you need to outline its execution in a detailed timeline that sets the start and end dates of each initiative or item on the document.

Details such as specific dates for key events, launches, and regular updates anchor the plan and facilitate a proactive approach. The timeline is your audience's visual roadmap, and it is handy for allocating resources when you're executing your communication plan. 

6. Allocate resources

Putting the plan into action will require resources like budgets and staffing needs. Even time is a resource that needs to be considered. For example, your budget should account for advertising costs, materials, technology investments, and communication channels.

Allocating resources as soon as the timeline is clear ensures the communication plan runs smoothly and delivers the intended message across all initiatives. 

7. Designate responsibilities

If you run into an unexpected crisis situation while at the helm of an organization, even the most detailed communication plan won't make a difference if no one knows what they're supposed to be doing.

Designate responsibilities and outline who owns which task so that when the plan goes into action, your team can just refer to the document to know who's taking care of each task, who to reach out to, and what their part in the operation is.

This is important even in non-crisis situations. Let's say you're launching a new tech product. Your plan should designate your marketing director as responsible for presenting the new product concept and strategy to the company's executive board. It should also designate your marketing coordinators as responsible for any workshops or seminars for external partners like retailers and distributors. 

8. Create contingency plans

Always prepare for the unlikely. Create contingency plans to deal with challenges that might come up when you're executing your plan. What should the team do in the case of negative public reactions or technical difficulties? Who's taking charge of directing efforts in each aspect? How do you address potential issues should they arise? How do you pivot or proceed if you don't achieve your goals?

Be prepared for gaps in the execution, and outline proactive responses to bring the plan back on track.

9. Set metrics for evaluation

Measurement and evaluation are key for the development of your communication plan. You want to track and gauge how well the efforts outlined in your plan are performing.

You can monitor public perception and sales volume before and after implementing your crisis communication plan, or you can monitor KPIs like audience engagement, reach, and conversion rates when your new marketing plan goes into effect. In the case of internal and employee communication plans, you can monitor the change in processes and how it affects your team's efficiency and comfort levels. 

Leverage your communication channels to identify these metrics and areas for improvement, so you can keep adjusting your plan as you go.

10. Perform testing and gather feedback

While testing and gathering feedback are encouraged throughout the process, this relates more to testing your communication plan before you launch it.

For example, you can test how effective your communication plan is and how well it would be received through focus groups, pilot programs, or even internal experimentation.

Once you have feedback from your target audience, you'll be better positioned to refine your messaging and its presentation, and address pitfalls before you execute the plan.

You don't want your communication plan to be just another document in your arsenal of organizational tools. The goal is to make it a piece of your strategy that actively contributes to better communication and company-wide transparency. In order to write an effective communication plan, here are some essential points to consider:

Establish messaging and branding guidelines: Stick to your organization's tone, style, and visual uniqueness to keep your brand identity alive in all communications.

Monitor and adjust: Keep an eye on the plan's performance. Make efforts to adapt based on emerging trends, feedback, and unforeseen challenges.

Report and review: Set KPIs and review them to gauge the effectiveness of the communication plan and better prepare for future strategies.

Document your plan: Keep your plan detailed and well documented , so all team members are on the same page regarding your strategy.

Consistency and long-term planning: Maintain and encourage consistency in your messaging and plan for the long term. Align initiatives with your long-term communication goals.

You can launch exceptional initiatives with a communication plan template and set a unique process that's invaluable for your company's strategy in marketing, PR, change management, and crisis situations. The right plan can make your operations smoother, a bit like a steam iron would your shirt if you're conscious enough to not turn yourself into an ironing board.

Most importantly, it defines how your organization communicates—both internally and externally. It sets the pace and tone for future initiatives. As you become more accustomed to how they work, you'll be able to customize and create your own document templates for other aspects of your business. As you establish the foundation for business communication, you'll be able to automate every part of your project management flow and communicate those goals seamlessly. Find out how Zapier can help you streamline project management . 

Related reading:

The 6-step client onboarding checklist (with template)

7 meeting minutes templates for more productive meetings

One-pager examples and how to create your own

An exhaustive guide to customer acquisition strategy (with 13 examples)

20 free proposal templates to ace your pitch

How to create a sales plan (and 3 templates that do it for you)

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Hachem Ramki

Hachem is a writer and digital marketer from Montreal. After graduating with a degree in English, Hachem spent seven years traveling around the world before moving to Canada. When he's not writing, he enjoys Basketball, Dungeons and Dragons, and playing music for friends and family.

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How to Write a Communication Plan in 10 Steps

A communication plan can help you effectively communicate with your audience, employees, and stakeholders. Read this guide to learn the basics.

Effective communication can help improve every aspect of your business by enabling you to share information with customers and the public. However, your communication shouldn't be spontaneous because saying the wrong thing at the wrong time can damage your reputation.

How do you communicate with your customers? Successful businesses know they can't respond to every customer inquiry, concern, or public relations issue as they happen; you must have a communication plan to help you prepare for answering tough questions.

A communication plan can help you respond to customers and the public, get the word out about new products and services, deliver your key brand messaging, and recover when there's a public relations blunder. If you're wondering how to market your business , you'll need to start with a comprehensive plan of action.

What is a communication plan?

A communication plan is a thorough plan explaining the actions you'll take to communicate information to stakeholders. It ultimately identifies your essential brand messaging, including branding basics like your value proposition, while using different types of storytelling to share information with the public. In addition, every communication plan has a crisis management strategy built in to help you respond in times of a crisis, so it's important to have conflict resolution skills .

Communication plans can be used for almost every aspect of your marketing strategy throughout different types of marketing , enabling you to communicate your key messages. It may also help you identify which personalized campaigns you'll use to share this information. Your communication plan will cover everything from discussing product launches with the media to handling a crisis.

Companies without plans are unprepared when there's a potential threat to their reputation. For example, if your product was misused and caused harm, you'll need a strategy for how to deal with the repercussions, including how to answer journalist questions. Most small businesses don't have to worry about worldwide PR nightmares, but reputation management is still vital to any effective communications plan.

How to write a communication plan

Your plan is part of your communication strategy. It'll need to cover several elements, including how you'll talk about your products and services and how your business will handle a crisis. For example, a project communication plan can help you discuss new products with investors, while an all-encompassing plan can be used to support key stakeholders deal with potential disasters.

Here's how to write an effective communication plan.

Review your existing methods of communication and guidelines

Your strategic plan should reflect on existing communication methods and guidelines to determine what works and doesn't. Some small businesses might not have a plan at all, allowing them to start fresh. However, if you have a plan, you'll need to go through it to determine if any areas are still relevant to your company.

For example, if you're writing a project communication plan for a new business, you'll need to convey different messages to stakeholders, such as deadlines and action items. Meanwhile, if you're writing a communication plan for a product launch, reviewing your marketing strategies to ensure they align with your new messaging is a good idea.

Identify the objectives based on your findings

Always define your goals after analyzing the existing communications materials. During your audit, you may have missed key marketing collateral like flyers or packaging designs to launch your new product effectively. Laying out your goals after identifying gaps is crucial to ensure you have a successful plan in place.

It's best to have specific and measured goals before starting your communications planning to ensure it can accomplish all essential objectives. For example, a company launching a new product might have a goal of increasing sales within the first month by 15%.

Different departments in your organization might have different communications plans. For example, your warehouse management team may have a plan to pitch new packaging to save money on shipping costs. This team would then need to identify specific goals, such as reducing shipping costs by x amount.

No matter the goals, they can help you have something to aim for with your communications plan. They'll also give you something to measure against after you get your initial baseline metrics.

Pinpoint your target audience

Identifying your target audience before writing your communications strategy is crucial because you need to understand who the plan is for. If you're writing a crisis communications plan, you'll write it for stakeholders like the CEO or a PR representative to speak on behalf of the company. In addition, if you're writing a communications plan for launching a new product, you'll need to consider who your customers are and how you'll market to them.

Make a draft

Now that you know your goals and who you're writing for, you can begin your first draft. If you already have a template to work from, you can start filling it in. However, if this is your first time writing a communications plan, you can begin with an outline to help you identify the essential messaging points.

Your communication plan should have information detailing what the plan is used for. For example, if it's used for product marketing, it should clearly state its purpose and appropriate times to use it. It should also include a crisis communication plan describing how potential problems will be handled and by whom.

Depending on your communication plan type, you may also specify different marketing campaigns or ways you'll achieve your goals, including steps to reach your objectives.

Obtain feedback

Get feedback from the appropriate team or audience to help you identify pain points and areas of improvement in your plan.

For example, if your communications plan is meant to help stakeholders deal with crises and threats to the company's reputation, you can talk to stakeholders directly about different responses to common issues. Many project stakeholders are experts in their fields and may have experienced some of these crises within their careers, which can help you get valuable feedback on handling them.

Additionally, if you're creating a communications plan for employees, you can speak to them directly or send them your draft to obtain feedback.

Determine which communication channels you'll use to distribute your message

How and where you distribute your message depends on the type of communication plan you have. For example, if you create a communications plan for employees, you'll likely distribute it internally via email.

However, if you make a communications strategy for stakeholders, you can discuss it with them in person to help them understand what it's for and how to use it.

Meanwhile, if you're trying to share your message with customers, you might use email marketing newsletters, leverage social media, or put it on your website in a strategic place, depending on what the message is.

Create a schedule

The timing of your message is just as important as the message itself. For example, if there's a crisis and you don't act fast enough, it can be challenging to recover, which is why a plan is vital in the first place.

Let's say you have a PR nightmare on your hands, and the media is making misleading claims about your company. In this case, you'll need to act fast to refute those claims and use various small business PR strategies to get your message out, including using social media to communicate with customers and the public and scheduling interviews with journalists to tell your side of the story.

The same is true if you're launching a product. Timing your message can help generate buzz and excitement before the release date. Then, when your product launches, you already have customers interested in purchasing it.

Know who's responsible for delivering the message

The type of communications plan you create will dictate who is responsible for delivering the message. For example, if you're launching a new product, your marketing team will likely market it through various strategies and channels. Meanwhile, if there's a reputation crisis, your CEO or a representative from the company will probably deliver the message to the public.

Conduct a final review

Once you've finished your communications plan, give it one more review with the team to ensure everyone is on the same page. By now, you should have all the information you need in terms of feedback, but reviewing it one more time can help you catch any potential issues, including grammatical mistakes or confusing action items.

Test and analyze your results

Once your communications plan is complete, you can start testing it and measuring your results. As you already know, you should always continue improving on your strategies. You can measure the results of your plan after it's presented. For example, if you launched a new product intending to increase sales by 15%, you can measure your progress throughout the campaign.

If you don't reach your goals, you at least now have a baseline to help you create more realistic objectives for your next communication plan.

Top components of an effective communication plan

To build an effective communications plan for any department, you'll need these elements:

• Intended audience: Who is your message intended for? Depending on your goals, this could be anyone, from customers to internal employees.
• Message format: What will your plan look like? The format of your message depends on what you've used in the past and what has worked. For example, you may use a simple PDF structure when working directly with stakeholders so everyone has a copy.
• Distribution: How will you share your message? How you share your message depends on what type of message it is. For example, if you're sharing news of a new product, you have many channels to choose from, including ads and social media.
• Timeline: When will your plan begin and end? Your plan timeline varies depending on the project, but you should always have a start and end date to ensure you can effectively measure your performance and progress.
• Message source: Who will share your message? The person who shares your message could be anyone, from the head of HR to the CEO, depending on your type of communication plan.

Why is communication planning important?

Communication planning is important because it can help you effectively communicate with your audience, giving you the right thing to say at just the right time. It can also help everyone understand their role in the strategy. For example, for a product launch, product development is responsible for creating the product, while marketing is in charge of getting the word out to the public.

Communication plans can also improve stakeholder and client relationships by helping everyone get on the same page and plan easily. With a good communication plan, no one is left in the dark. Additionally, it can help those using the communication plan to articulate smart responses quickly, which can be beneficial when your reputation is at risk.

To summarize, a few of the advantages of communication planning include:

• Effectively communicate with your audience
• Understand individual and team responsibilities
• Improve stakeholder and client relationships
• Articulate smart responses quickly

Avert a crisis with comprehensive communication planning

Communication planning is key to the success of any company because it can improve internal communication and your relationships with the public. Anyone can write a communications plan and share it, but what's most important is the message.

Ready to share your communications plan with customers, employees, or stakeholders? Draft your communications plan and share it with Mailchimp. With our email editor, you can design simple yet elegant emails to share messages with your audience.

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5 Ways to Make an Exciting Business Communication Plan

By Daleska Pedriquez , Sep 28, 2021

Good communication is a very important aspect of our lives.

A business with struggling internal and external communications often lags behind in growth and suffers from poor employee retention.

That is why most organizations learn how to create a  business communication  plan.

This ensures that the company won’t fall prey to any of the pitfalls above and ensures seamless communication.

Don’t know how to start creating a communications plan? No problem. With Venngage’s plan templates, you can design effective plans without design experience.

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• What is a communication plan in business ?

What are the benefits of having a good business plan communication?

Examples of business communication strategies, business communication plan templates, what is a communication plan in business.

Business communication can be divided into two categories: internal and external.

Internal communications deal with how effectively anybody within the company communicates with each other.

It deals with issues regarding the flow of information, processes, and ideas in more specific terms.

On the other hand, the external part deals more with communication with the shareholders and the customers.

However, an internal communication plan, like this project plan template , is effective if the target audience in the organization understands and embraces it.

CREATE THIS PLAN TEMPLATE

It is not as simple as putting all those strategies in a manual, handing them out to your employees, and telling them to go nuts with it. Obviously, that won’t work.

A good communication plan needs to be able to seep itself slowly but effectively into your company’s culture and values.

Employees need to eat, sleep, and breathe good communication.

This is the reason why you need to have solid communication strategies in business . Be strategic about it, like with this crisis communication plan, and include some out-of-the-box ideas.

A business communication plan needs to have consistency, variety, informativeness, and entertainment.

That is what we want to help you with today. We want to give exciting business plan strategies that you can implement to boost your organization’s communication exponentially.

But before we go into that, let us dive into the importance of a communication plan.

Once your branding has been imported, you can add your  brand colors  to all templates with one click.

Related: 8 Steps to Create an Actionable Employee Development Plan [with Templates & Examples]

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Let us get to know first what great things will happen if communication is seamless within the company.

Things get done faster.

You can also use this template to convince investors and partners about the benefits of working with your company.

Design infographics like the above example using Venngage’s extensive icon library. We offer 40,000 icons as well as diverse people icons .

With a good business communication plan, the target audience within the organization knows the proper flow of information and absorbs the key messages.

Employees will also know whom they can talk to about certain things and whom they can’t talk to. The result? The communication strategy will help tasks around the company get done faster.

Solving issues and problems is quicker.

Problems and issues will always arise if you have a thriving business. Whether it’s logistics, sales, marketing, operations, etc., challenges abound almost daily.

For example, this sales action plan outlines how the business works, as well as performance indicators. This will help team members understand the budget and their goals.

With good communication channels, any issues with workflow get solved faster, and the company keeps moving forward and growing.

Design plans effectively with Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature, available with every Venngage Business account.

Employees feel more valued.

A company that fosters great internal communications with its people will always gain the latter’s loyalty. That loyalty can kick-start a lot of things like better efficiency and output.

Teams will also grow closer and form bonds. That is when the company can maximize even a small workforce.

Related:  How to Improve Employee Engagement with Visuals

Customer service improves.

Good communication plans also extend to one’s target audience. Customers always love swift, timely, and helpful responses.

A customer service mind map, like this example below, will make it easier for businesses to keep customers happy.

CREATE THIS MIND MAP TEMPLATE

If your company knows how to communicate its key messages with customers properly, you will react quicker than if you do not.

Employee retention rate increases.

What happens when employees feel more valued and have an easier time communicating with each other?

You get a lot of people willing to stay for a long time.

Bad employee retention rates cost companies a lot of money and task stagnation. Create an internal communication plan to manage this strategy, like this performance review process mind map.

Pair the communications strategy with effective communication channels to boost employee retention.

Create personalized documents with the  Venngage for Business  account. You can upload your own images to the editor. Or use one of the images from Venngage’s stock photo library.

Now that we have learned the benefits of a great business communication plan, let’s find out some of the most effective and exciting strategies out there.

Integrate fun videos into your communications strategy

If you want a good business communication plan example, then think of a video.

It’s no secret that videos can help people be more engaged, learn effectively compared to reading and writing, and understand key messages faster.

This one is really a no-brainer for external and internal communications.

An example of video communication is this video series about racial healing.

Other good examples of using videos in your business plan communication are monthly messages from the CEO.

Challenges and appreciative messages from the head of the company can easily be relayed to the employees. This is something that your people will surely love.

What is a communications strategy that works? Scheduled open meetings.

Scheduled open meetings are helpful for the company’s growth and can be something employees really look forward to.

How are they impactful for internal communications? And why should they be included in a communications strategy mind map, like this one? There are several great benefits that we should talk about.

First, open meetings encourage employees to share their thoughts and ideas.

This allows people to help grow into leadership roles while helping the company flourish by getting lots of fresh ideas.

Secondly, it can also be a place for employees to give their feedback. This helps the company continuously learn how their people feel so they can adjust accordingly.

Lastly, open meetings help empower employees and make them feel that they have a voice within the company. Issues also get resolved faster through these meetings.

For these reasons, every internal communication plan should include room for open meetings.

How to create a communication plan? Employee newsletters.

Another asset that should be added to an internal communication plan is employee newsletters , like this example.

CREATE THIS NEWSLETTER TEMPLATE

These help teams easily assimilate information in an entertaining and informative way.

Employee newsletters should be equal parts informative, professional, and sometimes silly.

If you look at an internal communication plan example from a company, it should include newsletters.

They are a great way to learn about new protocols, new products, and emergency news around the company, like in this reopening guide email.

With a  Venngage for Business  account, you can access the export as HTML feature. This makes it easier to import your design into Mailchimp or Outlook for a clickable email campaign.

Don’t forget to put stuff like fun and inspirational news about your people, whether it’s a bit personal (as long as it is still within respectable boundaries) or professional.

Related:  65+ Engaging Email Newsletter Templates and Design Tips

Good business plan communication strategies make training interesting.

During internal communications planning, the first thing that you need to think about is training or, more specifically, how you continuously and effectively train the workforce.

Jazz up your seminars by using entertaining tools like  infographics  and short videos. Infographics like a  project timeline template are also a great way to improve internal communications.

CREATE THIS INFOGRAPHIC TEMPLATE

Infographics are a fun and effective way to summarize data and information through the use of charts and eye-popping graphics.

Fire up the Venngage app and start making an infographic using hundreds of ready-made templates.

Use the large database of images, icons, and charts to give your training that much-needed punch.

Next, try to implement fun video slideshows in their training to keep their visual minds stimulated.

Videos are by far more effective than oral learning, so use those to your advantage.

Keep things consistent. Training shouldn’t be done just once and never again. Have a monthly training session if you can. And use visuals like this microlearning infographic.

Just make sure that you keep them entertained while you are at it.

Remember, when it comes to training, if they snooze, you lose.

Related:  How to Make Engaging Training Materials with Visuals (+ 20 Template Examples)

Another good business communication plan example? Use digital workspaces.

Digital workspaces allow teams to work and complete projects in a more efficient and timely manner.

That is why it is always a great idea to use those apps as part of your business plan communication strategy. You can adapt the communication plan below to accommodate digital workspaces.

With digital workspaces, everything is done online, so people can work faster even if they are at home.

This also allows them to communicate and post updates wherever they are.

Best of all, every step of the project is recorded with timestamps, so everyone can easily backtrack tasks and conversations.

Related:  18+ Project Management Infographics for Pain-Free Project Planning

You now know the importance of a communications plan. Here are some templates that will help you build better plans for your company.

Nonprofit campaign communications plan template

Using colors and lines, the template divides each section so the team is completely aligned. And you can adapt the visual for other types of companies, as well.

Marketing plan template

There are so many processes in a business. Keeping managers and team members on the same page can be a challenge.

This template can be customized for a variety of purposes, including creating a communications plan for a company.

Business update newsletter

We’ve already mentioned how useful newsletters are for boosting internal and external communications.

This customizable newsletter template is perfect for sharing updates with customers. It can easily be adapted to share news within a company, as well.

 Informational infographic template

Sharing information with employees doesn’t have to be boring. With this template, you can educate your target audience effortlessly.

The template has plenty of room to share information via text. But you can also add a diagram to illustrate your point.

Did you know you could create Smart Diagrams  with Venngage? Look for the Smart Templates tag in the Venngage library and start creating for free.

Customer onboarding plan

What’s one of the most important facets of a customer-facing business? Onboarding the customers efficiently.

Boost your communications plan by adding the following customer onboarding process infographic .

This template uses text, icons, and colors to make it more readable. These elements also make the steps in the infographic easy to follow and implement.

Good communication goes a long way.

Learning how to create a communication plan means that you need to understand how to make things fun for people.

That is why you need to implement some out-of-the-box ideas and refine the more traditional ones.

Get successful at this, and your company will reap the big benefits.

How to write a communication plan and 12 remixable templates

A strong communications plan dictates the flow of information and ideas between project collaborators and stakeholders, helping everyone involved know when and how to expect communication to happen to accomplish a goal. This guide is a concise walk-through on what a communications plan is and how to create begin your own — along with communication plan templates to design and share with your project’s team.

Summary/Overview

What is a communication plan and why create one.

Effective communication is key to leading a successful project, and it all starts with a well thought out communication plan. The processes that comprise communications management ensure that the right information is communicated to the right people at every stage of project execution. Whether you’re collaborating on a class curriculum, website redesign, or an interior design project, the clear expectations and well-structured communication help ensure your project runs smoothly for everyone involved.

What is a project communication plan?

A communication plan is a document or presentation that sets out how ideas, information, and concerns flow between all project collaborators and stakeholders . An essential part of project communications management , it creates a standard operating procedure for everyone to follow, the level of detail and complexity varying between different scales of communication plan project. Communication plans should always inform your team how to communicate, with what frequency, and who to loop in when and with what information and updates.

Why create a communication plan?

Better collaboration and higher-quality results are more likely if everyone involved knows what to expect throughout a project timeline. To make this happen, a communication plan is one of the first things to take on when beginning a project, especially when you've reached the point of a planning phase that involves new collaborators and stakeholders. A solid communication plan helps avoid the mistakes and delays that come with miscommunication, making confusion, unnecessary meetings, and project delays much less likely.

The components of a communication plan

The basic components of any good communication plan are made up of the things you can anticipate and plan around for the entirety of the project’s duration, setting clear expectations for checking in and collaborating at different stages and phases of the project plan .

This refers to frequency. How often should stakeholders anticipate an update? Think about what is reasonable to provide enough information but not overwhelm the recipient of the message.

Who needs to receive updates? Is the audience different for various steps or milestones of the project? Think about which stakeholders to include in a chat versus a regular email update.

What is the point of the communication? Whether to provide a regular update or give the specifics of a change, you should provide a clear reason for the communication. It should be as concise and comprehensible as possible.

This is where you will map out how to share communications. With so many technologies available, it is important to think about when it is most appropriate to use a phone call, email, or chat feature, and which avenue is best for supporting a specific message type.

Projects change over time, and your communication plan will need to reflect those shifts. Make sure to review and update the plan when needed, and inform everyone when a change to the plan is necessary.

Crafting your communication plan

When you sit down to write the communication plan, make sure to consider what format you select. Adobe Express offers free, remixable templates that fit a wide variety of projects and teams. Pick one that will aid your stakeholders in easily understanding expectations and provide necessary feedback or ask questions. Once you’ve considered an approach to format and selected a communications plan template, start taking these next steps to chart out your own.

Determine project communication goals

A communication plan will state what you want your communications between collaborators and stakeholders to achieve, how you want things to ideally go along the way, and what working together will successfully look like. It may be as simple as providing necessary updates, or as complex as how to evaluate and articulate changes to or contingencies of a plan. When identifying goals, consider every step of the project — all the tasks, needed resources, and potential pitfalls. Getting initial feedback from your team here is a good idea.

Identify who is involved

A project will have stakeholders on your internal team and outside your team. Each stakeholder might need a different level of communication. In this section, list everyone. You should include each team member with a role in the project, other teams that might contribute, the CEO, the client, and anyone else with a stake in the project.

Establish the purpose and content of the communication

Everyone is busy, and you do not want to waste their time with unnecessary meetings or confusing communications. Your communication plan is the perfect place to outline expectations for why and how each stakeholder communicates. Make sure to outline what to include in that communication. At a minimum, every communication should inform, educate, or ask for feedback.

Determine communication methods and preferences

When deciding how to communicate, keep in mind how to balance effective communication without slowing down productivity. In some instances, it is also helpful to think about how a stakeholder prefers to communicate. You should also consider how best to relay information in certain circumstances. Meetings are sometimes useful for gathering feedback at once, rather than exchanging multiple days’ worth of emails. However, communicating about a change request with a client may be best over email or phone. You may also find it easiest to keep team members up to date on projects using a project management dashboard.

Set a communication schedule

State how often stakeholders should send certain communications. In some situations, this may mean a regular email on project updates and progress. Communication between team members will typically be more frequent than contact with the CEO or the client.

Make sure stakeholders know who is responsible for each communication to avoid confusion and overlapping contacts. If the communication is supposed to happen regularly — for example, a weekly email update from the project manager to the CEO — schedule that onto a calendar or task manager. Once you have your plan, each team member will know when, how, and why to communicate with other stakeholders on the project.

Free remixable communication plan templates from Adobe Express

Need some inspiration to kick off your communication plan? Here's a taste of the thousands of free, entirely customizable templates, with dozens of licensed Adobe Fonts, royalty-free Adobe Stock images, and countless graphic design elements at your disposal to bring to life your own communication plan project. You can also easily upload photos, logos, or fonts right from your own device directly to your communication plan template.

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6-Step Guide to Crafting the Perfect Communication Plan

A communication plan is a key to developing an effective and consistent messaging strategy.

It helps guide the process of setting measurable goals for your strategy, profiling your target audience and creating and successfully delivering your message.

What is a Communication Plan

Components of a Communication Plan

Steps to communication planning, step 1 – perform a situation analysis, swot analysis, pest analysis, perceptual map, step 2 – identify and define objectives / goals, step 3 – understand and profile your key audience, step 4 – decide the media channels and create a strategy, step 5 – create a timetable for publishing, step 6 – monitor and evaluate the results, common mistakes to avoid when creating communications plans, faqs about communication plans, what’s your approach to writing a communication plan, what is a communication plan.

A communication plan outlines how teams can communicate important information to key stakeholders. It highlights what information should be shared, when, to which audience and via which channels.

Having a solid communication plan in place will help ensure that the communication objectives of your organization are met and that all assets that you send out are aligned with the core communications strategy of the company.

In marketing and public relations, communication plans are used to plan how important information about products and services will be communicated to target audiences, including customers, clients, media and the general public. Companies also use communication plans to maintain consistent and effective internal communications within the organization. These may include internal newsletters, intranet updates and team Wikis. In project management, communication plans are used to highlight how information will be communicated within teams and relevant stakeholders, throughout the lifecycle of the project. Overall, communications plans offer a structured approach to plan, implement and evaluate communication efforts to optimize the effectiveness of communications.

Use this communication plan template to develop your strategy and deploy it.

Why is a Communication Plan Essential?

Clear communication is the backbone of any successful initiative. A communication plan ensures that everyone is on the same page, reducing the risk of confusion, missed deadlines, and unmet expectations. It fosters trust, ensures transparency, and can be the difference between project success and failure.

Who Should Use a Communication Plan?

A communication plan isn’t just for large corporations or project managers. It’s for anyone aiming to streamline interactions, whether you’re a small business owner, a team leader, or an individual looking to improve personal projects. Understanding your audience and tailoring your communication strategy to them is the first step.

When Should You Implement a Communication Plan?

The best time to implement a communication plan is at the onset of a project or initiative. However, it’s never too late. Whether you’re starting a new project, revamping an old one, or looking to improve ongoing communications, a well-structured plan can make a difference.

Where Does a Communication Plan Apply?

While often associated with business projects, communication plans apply everywhere: from community events, educational programs, to personal projects. Any scenario that requires organized communication can benefit.

Your communications plan should include the following key elements.

1. Target Audience

Who is Your Target Audience? All strategic communications should be directed at a specific audience. Accordingly, the message you send out should be tailored to their level of knowledge, understanding and trust in your brand or organization.

What is the Context of Your Message? The next step is to define the context of your message. Identify key events that may be significant to the audience that you are aiming to reach. The context defines what should be included in the message and how your audience will relate and respond to it.

3. Outcomes

What Do You Aim to Achieve with Your Message? The outcome of your message is the ‘call to action’. Define what people need to know, believe and do after receiving the message. Create a ‘message pyramid’ with an attention grabbing headline, followed by ‘reasons why’ and proof points. This helps the audience understand your core message and then consider the proof points which are relevant to their context, and there by act based on your call-to-action.

Which Media Channels Will You Use? Media are the channels through which your message is communicated. These may vary depending on the content, context and audience of the message. For instance, if you want to reach a younger tech-savvy audience, you may choose a social media platform that may be popular among them.

5. Messengers

How Will You Choose Your Messengers? The primary messenger may not always be the most ‘effective’ messenger. The messenger’s ethos should resonate credibility, status and power, expertise and relationship.

Why do most companies get their CEOs or members of the senior management to conduct new product launches or convey important product information? It is because audiences tend to have confidence in people with big titles who have an influence in the organization. They are also experts in their subject area and have a strong relationship with the company.

6. Measurement

How Will You Measure Success? It is important to cultivate strategies to measure the effectiveness of your communications. Include KPIs for your communication activities and document the results. This also helps build a repository of information which will be useful when planning future communications activities.

Whether you are creating a marketing communication plan or a strategic communication plan, the following steps will help guide you.

Situation analysis helps assess the capabilities of and health of things in an organization. It’s the ideal way to understand the current status of your organization’s communication.

You can gather as much information as needed from conducting an audit .

To gather relevant information from situation analysis, you can consult departmental heads, process owners and other internal staff members.

In a situation analysis, you need to examine both the internal and external environments. To do so, you can use the following tools

You can use a SWOT analysis to examine the strengths and weaknesses within your organization, and opportunities and threats that you can find in your external environment.

With a PEST analysis , you can examine political, environmental, social and technological factors, all of which exist in the external environment of your organization, but can have a significant impact on the way things run in your business.

One good competitor analysis technique is the perceptual map. It helps you make sense of how your customers perceive the brands of your competitors in the market compared to yours.

Once you know where you stand, you can find your direction. The next step is to define your goals.

Think of what outcomes/results you want to achieve from your communication plan. These will become your goal/s as you develop your communication plan.

Make sure that the goals you select are SMART :

Who are you creating this communication plan for? Understanding your audience and their requirements, characteristics etc. is key to creating an effective message and delivering it successfully.

Your key audience could be within your organization or your customers. Either way, you should gather information on them and create simple audience personas.

These personas could include a variety of data that ranges from their age and gender to the challenges they face.

As you conduct research on your target audience you would get to know that their requirements and preferences are diverse.

It’s clear that you won’t be able to reach all of them through one media channel or retain their attention with one type of content.

Consider the most effective channels you can think of when creating your media channel strategy. Make sure to select the ideal channel when you are targeting different audience segments.

When do you want your audience to hear your message and how often? Have a content calendar or create a Gantt chart outlining a timeframe for your publishing strategy.

You may also need to take the resources available to you into consideration. If you have one content writer, publishing quality blog posts on a daily basis would be ineffective.

Constantly monitor and track your results in order to understand whether you are any closer to achieving your goals. If you have failed, proceed to mark it down so you can make necessary improvements next time.

Creating a communication plan for your non profit organization? Check out this resource for some great tips.

Overcomplicating the Plan

Trying to include too many channels or too much information may complicate the plan. This can lead to confusion and dilute the effectiveness of your messaging. Stick only to key messaging and channels that are most effective in reaching and engaging the target audience.

Not Considering the Timing

Timing is crucial in communication planning. It is important to consider the timing of the messaging and ensure that they are aligned with key events or milestones. Don’t send out important communications during periods of high volume or noise, such as during holidays or major news events.

Not Adapting to Changes

Communication plans should be adaptable and flexible to changes in environment or audience. It is important to regularly review and update plans to keep up with emerging trends (to make sure that your plan stays relevant and effective). Failing to adapt to changes may cause missed opportunities and ineffective messaging.

How often should a communications plan be updated?

A communications plan should be updated regularly to reflect changes in the organization’s goals, priorities, audiences, or external environment. The frequency of updates will depend on the pace of change in the organization and the industry. A good rule of thumb is to review the communications plan annually and update it as needed. However, if there are major changes in the organization, such as a merger, acquisition, or crisis, the communications plan should be updated immediately to ensure that communication is timely, accurate, and effective.

How can an organization measure the effectiveness of its communications plan?

An organization can measure the effectiveness of its communications plan by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) related to its communication goals and objectives. These KPIs may include website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, media coverage, customer satisfaction surveys, or sales figures. By tracking these KPIs over time, the organization can assess whether its communication activities are achieving the desired results and make adjustments as needed. It’s important to set realistic goals and benchmarks for each KPI and to ensure that the data is collected consistently and accurately. Additionally, feedback from stakeholders, such as customers, employees, and investors, can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the organization’s communication activities.

A successful communication plan will get your message delivered across to your audience effectively while ensuring that you are on track to accomplishing your business objectives.

Follow the simple steps above to create a winning communication plan. If you have any other tips, do share them with us in the comment section below.

Join over thousands of organizations that use Creately to brainstorm, plan, analyze, and execute their projects successfully.

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Amanda Athuraliya is the communication specialist/content writer at Creately, online diagramming and collaboration tool. She is an avid reader, a budding writer and a passionate researcher who loves to write about all kinds of topics.

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Comment définir votre plan de communication ?

Dans cet article :, analysez le contexte global de votre entreprise, fixez les objectifs de votre stratégie de communication, déterminez vos cibles, déterminez vos messages, définissez vos outils, élaborez votre plan de communication, analysez vos performances (reporting et suivi).

Pour vendre vos prestations ou informer vos clients sur vos produits ou services, il vous faudra communiquer. L’efficacité de vos actions dépendra de votre plan de communication, un exercice indispensable pour toucher vos clients au bon endroit et au bon moment. 

Afin d'élaborer votre plan de communication, établissez une stratégie, faites appel à vos capacités d’organisation ainsi qu'à votre bon sens et agissez avec méthode.

Commencez par établir un diagnostic :

• Externe : à partir du positionnement de votre entreprise sur le marché, vous pourrez définir vos avantages compétitifs et les menaces de l'environnement. L’utilisation du SWOT vous sera d’une grande aide.
• Interne : il s’agit de lister tous les moyens dont vous disposez, d'énumérer les différents canaux de diffusion (online, offline), de recenser vos contraintes (budget, ressources, délais) et d'estimer votre budget de communication.

L’analyse SWOT vous permet d’identifier les forces, faiblesses, opportunités et menaces qui entourent votre entreprise ou un projet en particulier. Vous utiliserez cet outil stratégique pour identifier les actions à mener afin de développer votre activité tout en renforçant votre compétitivité.  

Les résultats de votre analyse vous permettront d’établir vos objectifs. Il vous faudra sélectionner les axes prioritaires. Voici quelques suggestions :

• Se faire connaître
• Une marque ? Un produit ? Un événement ?
• Développer votre notoriété
• Déclencher l’acte d’achat
• Vous lancer sur un nouveau marché
• Convaincre 
• Sensibiliser
• Changer votre image de marque (écologie, sociétale, sociale…)
• Faire adhérer
• Conquérir de nouveaux prospects
• Améliorer la fidélisation de vos clients
• Consolider le lien avec vos clients

Vos clients ne sont pas "tout le monde". Même si votre fichier client présente une grande diversité, vous avez forcément un cœur de cible !

Il vous faudra identifier les segments (par exemple : un particulier de moins de 30 ans) et sous-segments de clients (par exemple : hommes/femmes, les actifs…) que vous souhaitez atteindre. Cet exercice vous permettra d’avoir une communication plus spécifique, et adaptée aux besoins de chaque sous-segment. 

Pour chacun d’entre eux, vous devrez déterminer les habitudes et profils : type de consommation, comportement, panier moyen, fréquence, appartenance à un groupe, etc. Ainsi votre message sera ciblé. Il s'adressera aux bonnes personnes...avec un meilleur retour sur investissement.

Tout d’abord, il vous faudra déterminer votre axe de communication et la ligne éditoriale. Si vous avez plusieurs segments, vos messages seront adaptés à chacun d'entre eux. Votre communication aura ainsi beaucoup plus d’impact !

Puis vous devrez déterminer l’objectif, le ton, le contenu et le format du message (vidéos, articles, etc.). Veillez également à la cohérence de vos messages et de tous vos supports de communication.

Pour être efficace et ne pas noyer votre client : un message unique = un support de communication 

• Pour vous aider, voici la construction d’un message court (flyer, publicité magazine, affiche, etc.) :
• Une problématique (pour interpeller le prospect)
• Une solution (votre identité visuelle)
• Les moyens (votre prestation)
• Un contact (email, adresse, téléphone, ou site web)
• Voici la règle d'or pour construire un message long (un article par exemple), le QQOQPC :
• Qui / à qui ?

Après avoir déterminé le public visé, il vous faudra choisir le meilleur outil pour le toucher :

• Communication digitale (Réseaux sociaux, annonces sponsorisées, etc.)
• Événementiel
• Promotionnel
• Publicité (digitale ou imprimée, radio, TV, etc.)
• Street marketing

Rien ne vous empêche d'en choisir plusieurs. 

Ce travail doit être réaliste et les objectifs atteignables. Organisez et planifiez les actions à mener dans un tableau chronologique, afin de coordonner toute la démarche opérationnelle.  

Vous aurez ainsi une excellente visibilité d’ensemble et mettrez l’accent sur les actions prioritaires à mener. Vous en tirerez également les meilleurs enseignements pour vos futurs événements.

Voici quelques suggestions concernant les éléments à intégrer dans votre plan de communication :

• les segments/sous-segments clients
• la nature de l’action
• l’objectif de l’action (acte d’achat, prescription, connaissance de votre marque, etc.)
• le budget consacré par action
• la personne responsable de l’action
• la durée ou le délai par action 
• la date (voire l'horaire) de publication
• le canal de diffusion 
• la fréquence (la distribution de flyers, l’achat des mots clés se répètent souvent)
• le matériel et les outils utilisés

L’ensemble est à ventiler sur une période donnée, en général sur 12 mois, et renouvelable chaque année. 

Votre plan de communication est vivant et évolue en permanence : hors de question de le laisser au placard une fois réalisé ! L’objectif est d’évaluer la rentabilité de vos actions de communication.

N’hésitez pas à prévoir des KPI (Key Performance Indicator) afin de mesurer la performance des actions de communication menées et d’anticiper la suite des opérations.

Exemples d'indicateurs : le nombre et le taux de conversion, le panier moyen, le coût d’acquisition, le taux de rebond, etc.. 

Evaluez dans quelle mesure vous avez atteint vos objectifs de communication et l’impact de vos actions dans le temps. L’analyse de vos résultats doit être contrôlée régulièrement, à vous de déterminer la périodicité de suivi (en jours, semaines, mois, etc.).

Des ajustements seront probablement nécessaires en fonction du marché visé : mauvais résultats, retard, annulation, changement de cible, du couple produit/cible, etc. Vous déterminerez l’efficacité des actions et campagnes menées, et serez ainsi en mesure de décider lesquelles doivent être reconduites ou améliorées.

Dans cet article

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Le business plan, outil opérationnel de votre stratégie d’entreprise.

Le business plan explique la mise en œuvre opérationnelle et stratégique de votre business model. Attention : il ne s’agit pas d’une succession de chiffres. Le business plan, c'est 80% de Word et 20% d'Excel… Il doit être réalisé quand tout le reste est terminé. Dans ce chapitre, nous voyons avec vous en détails comment lui donner vie.

Qu’est-ce que le business plan ?

Littéralement “plan d’affaires”, le business plan est un document qui détaille le projet de création de l’entreprise et son évolution durant les premières années de son existence. Plusieurs choses doivent être détaillées :

le contexte dans lequel l’activité est développée ;

les cibles et leurs besoins identifiés et auxquels il est proposé de répondre ;

la stratégie mise en œuvre pour y répondre ;

l’équipe (en particulier les personnes dédiées au management)  ;

le mode de financement du projet durant son lancement ;

le plan d’évolution ;

le retour sur investissement que l’on prévoie.

A ce titre, il est clair que le business plan constitue un aboutissement . Il est rédigé après avoir réalisé l’étude de marché, après avoir fixé le business model, après avoir décidé de la forme juridique de l’entreprise...

C’est un outil de communication . Comme tout outil de communication, il est utilisé auprès des partenaires à convaincre de travailler avec vous (financeurs, réseau de distribution, franchiseur…). Comme tout outil de communication, il doit donner envie aux lecteurs de vous suivre dans votre projet.

Ce chapitre a pour objet de vous aider à rédiger votre business plan dans les règles de l’art.

Les pré-requis :

Comme mentionné plus haut… il faut avoir tout fait ! Le business plan est le document qui récapitule et rend concret l’ensemble de vos recherches, démarches, études, stratégies...

• Monter un business plan : pourquoi c’est important 
• Comment faire un business plan efficace ?   

Zoom sur l’Executive Summary du business plan

Le pitch de présentation, monter un business plan : pourquoi c’est important.

L’entrepreneur qui arrive à ce stade a normalement déjà énormément pensé au lancement et au développement de son projet. Il a réalisé son étude de marché, défini son business model et réfléchi à sa stratégie commerciale et opérationnelle. Pourquoi rédiger en plus un business plan ?

Tout simplement parce qu’il est important de pouvoir expliquer votre projet à des tiers (financeurs, distributeurs, partenaires commerciaux…) et qu’il est donc utile d’avoir un document pratique, concret et chiffré pour cela. C’est le rôle du business plan. Il permet également de piloter son développement en interne, et de constater d’éventuels écarts. Enfin, il permet de donner corps à tout ce qui a été fixé avant.

Dans cet article, nous vous donnons toutes les raisons de monter un business plan de qualité avant de vous lancer.

Comment faire un business plan efficace ?

Votre business plan est un outil qui doit vous permettre d’approcher les partenaires et les financeurs pour développer votre entreprise. Il convient donc de ne pas le faire n’importe comment ! Il doit contenir des informations spécifiques. Il doit aussi répondre à des impératifs de présentation.

Dans cet article, nous vous suggérons de suivre dix règles très simples qui vous permettront de “taper dans l’œil” de vos interlocuteurs : valoriser l’équipe, insister sur la proposition de valeur du service ou du produit, être réaliste, privilégier l'honnêteté… Autant de points qui vous permettront de convaincre grâce à votre document.

Plus d’informations dans notre article “ Comment faire un business plan efficace ? ”

L’ Executive Summary est la première partie du business plan… mais la dernière chose à rédiger ! Il s’agit en effet d’une synthèse générale de votre business plan. Elle en reprend les éléments les plus importants, ceux sur lesquels va s’arrêter votre interlocuteur (qu’il s’agisse d’un financeur que vous démarchez ou d’un partenaire potentiel pour votre activité).

C’est donc une partie particulièrement importante, à ne surtout pas négliger. Dans cet article dédié à la manière de faire un Executive Summary , nous vous donnons toutes les informations nécessaires : ce que doivent contenir ces pages, comment vous devez organiser le contenu, ce sur quoi vous devez impérativement insister, etc.

Facile de parler de son projet en quelques minutes ou quelques secondes ? Simple de résumer ce que vous faites ? Détrompez-vous ! Le pitch de présentation exige de la méthode et une véritable préparation. Généralement, un simple test avec votre équipe vous en convaincra… Si chacun(e) d’entre vous résume le projet à sa manière, vous constaterez que tout le monde emploie des mots différents, insiste sur des éléments différents, etc…

Aussi, vous devez impérativement vous concerter pour adopter un discours unique, et choisir sur quoi vous insisterez. Allez-vous partir du besoin identifié ?  Commencerez-vous avec la solution que vous proposez ? En tous les cas, une fois ces éléments déterminés, il va falloir penser à une “accroche”. Puis, selon ce que vous “pitchez” exactement - le business plan, le business model - déroulez vos arguments pour convaincre.

Dans cet article, nous vous donnons toutes les clés nécessaires pour préparer votre pitch de présentation .

Essayez CCI Business Builder

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Communication plan 101: Overview, content and examples

Last updated

22 February 2024

Reviewed by

Jean Kaluza

Strategic communication plans help businesses to run efficiently by relaying the right information to the right people at the right time. They ensure that everyone who needs to be informed is kept up to date with the task or event at hand, and serve to minimize consequences if issues arise.

Take, for example, a large university hospital spread across many campuses. A project manager in charge of transitioning the institution’s paper record-keeping to a digital platform will need an effective communication plan for a successful outcome. Or, a communication plan will help a retail chain's chief operating officer (COO) navigate and reduce adverse outcomes from retail thefts, inflation, controversial backlashes, and store closures.

After reading this article, you’ll know what a communication plan is and how to implement one effectively. You'll understand the elements of a communication plan and who to include to create a functional plan for a successful outcome.

• What is a communication plan?

The point of a communication plan is to make sure everyone with a stake or interest in a business or project and the outcomes of its actions are informed, updated as events unfold, and made aware of goals and objectives.

This leads to educated decisions and coordinated efforts, resulting in a productive, efficient business or project.

• The importance of communication plans

Communication failure can result in:

Higher costs

Late milestone deliveries

Business interruptions

Misunderstandings

These can have severe consequences for your business. A communication plan prevents such lapses because it defines strict parameters for everyone to follow.

• How communication plans are used

There are various types of communication plans, serving different purposes and with different advantages. These plans can be for:

Information: ensuring the recipients are provided with facts and resources to help them make an informed decision.

Persuasion: changing how the recipients of the message think or behave by using emotional messages rather than factual ones.

Collaboration: useful as a project management tool because it involves two or more parties working together to achieve a common goal. These project communication plans ensure all involved know their communication requirements' precise goals and objectives. It also can be a way for all team members to be held accountable for their part in the collaboration and to measure the progress of the project at each milestone.

Crisis management: these are plans business owners hope they never have to activate but should have in place to respond to unforeseen events. To prepare an emergency plan, identify potential risks and develop communication plans for each.

• Elements of a communication plan

Your plan should provide coordinated and consistent messaging to specific stakeholders or target audiences. It will achieve a clear and strategic purpose when put in place.

What should a communication plan include?

There are certain elements that an effective communication plan must contain.

Stating the communication plan’s objective upfront will direct the rest of the content.

Note who will receive and send content, when and where it will be delivered, why it is required, and how it will be provided.

Also, define communication channels, for example, email, Slack, or phone calls.

What shouldn't be included in a communication plan?

A communication plan should not include sensitive information like passwords, credit card details, or personal information. Also avoid offering personal opinions or displaying biases relating to individual stakeholders.

If your business has to follow compliance standards or government regulations, make sure any information in the communication plan doesn’t go against these.

Your communication plan should not contain ambiguities that might cause confusion or uncertainty. It should be clear and concise about the kind of communication you expect and when it should be supplied or received.

How should you communicate sensitive information?

If you need to communicate sensitive or confidential information, follow cybersecurity compliance standards and assign an appropriate secure communication channel.

Face-to-face meetings or encrypted, password-protected, or multi-factor authenticated platforms are secure methods of transmitting sensitive information. Limit these communications to the stakeholders who need to know that particular information.

• How to create a communication plan

Before you create a communication plan, identify your stakeholders and how elements of the plan correspond with those stakeholders. Communication goals, methods, and frequency may not all be applicable or may differ from one stakeholder to another.

1.  Set a communication goal

Suppose you want to reinforce a positive perception of your brand. Your communication goals might be to persuade the general public, shareholders, and prospective customers of the positive aspects of your company and its culture and to pass on facts that strengthen this claim.

Another communication goal may be to gather reports and other data on whether those efforts are productive.

2.  Choose a format

Communication plans come in various formats, including specifically designed software platforms. However, you can easily formulate a communication plan in a spreadsheet, on chart paper, or on a whiteboard.

3.  Identify stakeholders

Determine the stakeholders to include in the communication plan depending on the goal you are working toward. Identifying the stakeholders may require analyzing stakeholder relationships, such as:

How they are positioned in organizational charts

Their responsibilities and how they relate to your goals

Internal and external information needs

The location of the stakeholders

Once you identify the stakeholders you'll include in the plan, determine their level of demand for information to help achieve your goals and prioritize them accordingly. For example, invested stakeholders who might be involved when trying to reinforce a brand perception could include:

Loyal customers

The general public

Shareholders

The marketing team

The executive team

You would create a plan that includes who will be sending content, who will be receiving it, the kind of content that will be sent and its priorities, how it will be sent, and the frequency of the communication.

The difference between stakeholder engagement and communication management plans

A stakeholder communication plan should not be confused with a stakeholder engagement plan. When your business establishes a communication plan with stakeholders, it's usually a one-way channel from you to the stakeholders and typically does not result in a conversation.

Stakeholder communication plans may include:

Newsletters

Text messages

Social media posts

When businesses create stakeholder engagement plans, their purpose is to form relationships and connections with stakeholders, not just to inform and update them. These plans encourage participation in the form of dialogue or two-way communication between you and the stakeholders. They are usually people with an interest in your business’s decision-making or problem-solving processes.

4.  Identify methods of communication

The method by which information is dispersed will also differ between stakeholders. If stakeholders are not readily available because they're located elsewhere, internal reports, face-to-face meetings, and presentations, may not work under these circumstances.

When including stakeholders in other locations, consider using:

Online databases

Digital communication platforms

SMS texting

Video conferencing

5.  Determine who provides communication updates

Certain members of the business or team will be responsible and held accountable for the results of a communication plan.

For example, if the goal is to reinforce positive brand perception, the chief communications officer (CCO) on the executive team might use press releases sent by email to media outlets to inform the general public. The chief financial officer (CFO) may generate reports for the shareholders or convey information via video conferencing. The marketing team may use websites, advertising materials, and social media to remind prospective and loyal customers of a lasting positive impression.

The marketing team may also research whether the communication efforts are successful. If they find the efforts inadequate, they may advise the executive team and other marketing team members. This may be done through reports, presentations, meetings, and online communication platforms so they can make corrections before the positive perception decreases further.

6.  Determine the frequency of communication

Scheduling the frequency at which you expect team members to update stakeholders is an efficient way to hold them accountable. They can adhere to the schedule without you having to spend time sending reminders.

However, your plan should not include unrealistic or ambiguous expectations. It should also should assign appropriate priority levels to any communication content.

• How do you create a communication schedule?

Depending on your goal, whether a product launch, other event, project completion, or marketing campaign, teams will need to follow a timeline from start to finish. That's when a communication schedule becomes important.

It must display critical times when communication content is due. These timelines make it easy for everyone involved to plan their part in these efforts and deliver their content when the appropriate stakeholders need it.

• How to use a communication plan for project management

Whether you're a project manager for large or small projects, it might be necessary to convey information between team members, departments, employees in different professional roles, government employees, and other roles required for your project.

You can start by creating a directory including the emails, phone numbers, and locations for each role involved in the project. Then, the communication plan you create will identify these roles and your expectations from the people in them.

Don't get lost in the details

Don't include too many details in your project management communication plan, as this can cause confusion or uncertainty. A communication plan's purpose is not to provide a project roadmap but to ensure everyone involved is aware of their expected communication contributions (not their actionable contributions).

Standardize the process

Standardized communication plan formats so they’re the same for all projects will minimize effort and confusion, especially if the same team members work on different projects.

Team members will easily recognize what's expected of them when you consistently list criteria in a communication plan based on a template.

Keep your plan up to date

As goal phases or milestones start and end during the project, adjust the communication plan by adding or deleting stakeholders or changing other elements as needed to reduce wasted effort and time.

• What should you do if your project changes?

If the scope or direction of your project changes, explain to all stakeholders why the changes are necessary and how their communication process and expectations may also have to change.

Alerting them as soon as possible will get your project back on track. In addition, remember to update the plan.

• Communication plans aid efficiency and successful outcomes

Effective communication plans are essential for the profitability and reputation of a business. Whether using communication plans for project management or crisis management, they can help reduce costs, minimize missteps and errors, and efficiently propel your business to success.

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Why Your Business Needs a Communication Plan

by Mike Vestil  

Communication is the backbone of any organization, and having a clear and effective communication plan in place is essential for success. A communication plan is a document that outlines the objectives, strategies, and tactics a company will employ to communicate with its stakeholders.

This plan describes the information that needs to be communicated, who needs to receive it, and how it will be relayed. With a well-formulated communication plan in place, organizations can enhance collaboration, resolve conflicts, and improve overall performance. In this article, we will delve deeper into the importance of having a communication plan and how you can develop an effective one.

Introduction

A communication plan is a document that outlines the strategies and approaches that a company will use to communicate with its stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and investors. It is a formalized plan that identifies the goals of communication, target audiences, key messages, and timing.

The purpose of a communication plan is to ensure that all communications are consistent, effective, and audience-appropriate. It provides structure and guidance for communication-related decisions and actions, thereby minimizing confusion and maximizing the impact of communication efforts.

The importance of a communication plan cannot be overstated, as effective communication is integral to successful business operations. A well-designed plan can help a company build strong relationships with stakeholders, enhance brand reputation, and achieve organizational objectives such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement.

The purpose of a communication plan is to establish a framework that guides communication efforts within a project, organization, or team. The plan outlines the goals, objectives, and strategies to be used when communicating with various stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and the media.

The plan’s primary objective is to ensure that stakeholders receive the right message at the right time through the right channel. By doing this, the plan helps reduce communication inefficiencies, misinterpretations, and errors, which can lead to negative outcomes, such as delays, disputes, low morale, and lost opportunities.

Furthermore, the communication plan serves as a reference document that ensures consistency in communication across the organization, project, or team. The plan establishes guidelines for language, tone, style, format, and content, ensuring that communications remain aligned with organizational values, branding, standards, and legal requirements. By doing this, the plan enhances the organization’s reputation, credibility, and trust, which are critical in building relationships and achieving success.

The communication plan also helps to identify potential communication risks, such as misunderstandings, conflicts, cultural differences, and information overload. By analyzing these risks, the plan outlines mitigation strategies that help reduce the likelihood and impact of the risks. In addition, the plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of the communicators, ensuring that everyone understands their duties and obligations concerning communication. This helps to avoid confusion, duplication of effort, and omission of critical communication activities.

Overall, the purpose of the communication plan is to provide a roadmap for effective and efficient communication that supports the organization’s strategic objectives, enhances stakeholder relationships, reduces communication risks, and ensures consistency and alignment in communication activities. By having a well-crafted communication plan, organizations, projects, and teams can communicate effectively, build trust and credibility, and achieve their goals.

A communication plan is a document that outlines how an organization will communicate with its stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, and investors. This plan is important because effective communication is essential for achieving organizational goals and objectives.

Without a communication plan, the organization may experience confusion, miscommunication, and ultimately failure. A communication plan can help to build relationships with stakeholders, increase employee engagement, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance the organization’s reputation.

It can also be used to manage crises and mitigate the impact of negative events. By identifying key messages, target audiences, communication channels, and metrics for evaluating success, a communication plan can ensure that the right message is delivered to the right people at the right time.

Key Elements of a Communication Plan

One of the most critical aspects of a communication plan is identifying the target audience. It is essential to know who the message is intended for so that it can be tailored to meet their specific needs, interests and preferences. The audience can be defined by demographics like age, ethnicity, gender, income, or location. It can also include psychographic information such as personality traits, values, lifestyles, and attitudes.

Understanding the audience becomes even more critical for international or multicultural audiences as barriers such as language and cultural differences can lead to misinterpretations, misunderstandings and even mistrust.

Once the audience has been identified, the next step is to determine the appropriate message that resonates with them. Messages can either be informational or persuasive, depending on the desired outcome. The message should be clear, concise, and consistent across all channels. The tone and language used should align with the audience’s communication style and preferences while conveying the intent effectively.

The channels selected to deliver the message should also align with the audience’s behavior and preferences. Traditional channels such as newspapers, radio, and television may not be the best choice for a younger audience as they prefer social media platforms. Likewise, direct mail may not be an ideal choice for an audience that prefers email communication. The channels chosen should provide maximum exposure to the audience, and the mode of delivery should be easy to access and convenient.

Timing is another crucial factor to consider when communicating with an audience. The message should be communicated at a time that is convenient for the audience and aligns with their schedules. For example, if the target audience is working professionals, it may be advantageous to send communications outside of working hours or on weekends when they are most likely to check their emails or social media accounts.

Finally, the responsibility for executing an effective communication plan may vary depending on the size and complexity of the project. It may be the responsibility of an individual or a team to manage the plan and ensure its successful execution. The team members responsible should have clear roles and responsibilities, and deadlines should be set to ensure timely delivery of the message.

The subsection Message is a critical aspect of any communication plan as it is the information being conveyed to the target audience. When crafting a message, it is essential to understand the audience and tailor the message to their needs and interests, ensuring it resonates with them.

The message should be clear, concise, and easily understood by the target audience. The language used should also be appropriate for the audience, avoiding technical jargon and using simple language where necessary. Furthermore, the message should be consistent across all channels to ensure that it is easily recognizable and reinforces the core message.

It is also crucial to consider the tone and style of the message. The tone should match the intent and be appropriate for the subject matter. The message should be positive and convey a sense of authority and credibility to gain the trust of the audience. Additionally, the message should be emotive and appeal to the audience’s emotions as this can help to create a deeper connection with the message.

When crafting the message, it is essential to consider the key messages that need to be conveyed. These are the most important points that need to be communicated and should be prioritized over any other information. The key messages should be simple, memorable, and directly related to the audience’s needs and interests. They should also be consistent with the brand’s values and messaging.

One key consideration when crafting a message is the use of visuals. Images, videos, and other visuals can help to convey messages more effectively, create a deeper connection with the audience, and make the message more memorable. However, it is also essential to consider the appropriateness of the visuals and ensure they match the tone and message of the overall campaign.

In conclusion, the message is a critical aspect of any communication plan and should be carefully crafted to ensure it resonates with the target audience. The message should be clear, concise, and easily understood, appropriate for the audience, and consistent across all channels. The tone and style of the message should match the intent and be positive and emotive. Furthermore, key messages should be prioritized, and visuals should be used where appropriate to help convey the message more effectively.

Channels refer to the various methods of communication used to deliver messages to the target audience. It is important for an organization to choose the most effective channels based on the audience’s preferences, needs, and behaviors.

The most common channels include email, social media, websites, newsletters, blogs, and direct mail. Email is a popular and efficient channel for delivering messages to a large audience quickly. Social media is also a powerful tool for reaching a large audience, especially younger generations who spend a significant amount of time online.

Websites serve as a hub for information and can be used to disseminate a variety of messages. Newsletters and blogs can be used to provide detailed and engaging content about the organization’s activities and initiatives. Direct mail can be an effective channel for reaching audiences who may not have access to digital channels.

The Timing subsection in a communication plan is crucial as it ensures that the right message is communicated to the intended audience at the appropriate time. Proper timing is an essential component of an effective communication strategy. The timing of communication is critical as it can have a significant impact on how the message is received and perceived by the audience. In determining the timing for communication, it is essential to consider the audience, the message, and the channels that will be used.

The audience is a critical consideration when determining the timing of communication. Knowing the audience’s schedule, location, and availability is essential as it ensures that the message is delivered when the audience is most receptive. The timing of communication also depends on the audience’s demographics, such as their age, gender, and occupation. For example, if the target audience is working professionals, it is best to communicate during business hours when they are most likely to be available.

The message itself also plays a crucial role in determining the timing of communication. The level of urgency of the message, its relevancy, and its complexity all influence when it should be communicated. Urgent messages should be communicated as soon as possible, while less urgent ones can be communicated later.

The relevance of the message to the audience also affects timing. Messages that are timely and have a high degree of relevance are most effective when communicated promptly. Finally, the complexity of the message should also be considered when determining timing, as complex messages may require more time or additional resources to communicate effectively.

The channels used to communicate the message are also essential in determining the timing of communication. Different channels have different timeframes for communication, and it is essential to understand the delivery timeline for each channel.

Some channels deliver messages instantly, such as social media or instant messaging. Others, such as email or direct mail, may take longer to deliver the message. Therefore, it is essential to consider the appropriate delivery channel in determining the timing of communication.

In conclusion, the Timing subsection in a communication plan is a crucial aspect of an effective communication strategy. It ensures that the message is communicated to the intended audience at the appropriate time, and it depends on several factors such as the audience, the message, and the delivery channels used. Effective timing ensures that the message is well received, and the intended communication objectives are achieved.

Responsibilities

The Responsibilities section of a Communication Plan outlines the specific tasks and obligations of each team member involved in the communication process. This section ensures that everyone understands their role in the plan and is held accountable for their individual contribution to the project’s success. Responsibilities typically include a designated spokesperson to deliver the message, content creation, audience targeting, channel selection, message formatting, and timing of communication.

Each team member’s responsibility should be clearly stated and agreed upon, with a plan for communication and collaboration to ensure successful execution. It is essential to have an open line of communication to establish a shared understanding of the plan’s meaning and objectives to avoid confusion and errors. Strong coordination among team members ensures an accurate and consistent message across all channels.

Steps to Develop a Communication Plan

Identify objectives.

Identifying objectives is a critical step in developing a communication plan. These objectives define the purpose and goals of the plan, which will help guide decision-making throughout the planning process. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) to ensure they are effective and achievable.

When setting objectives, it is essential to consider the organization’s mission, goals, and values while also taking into account the target audience’s needs, attitudes, and behaviors. Objectives can include increasing awareness about a product or service, promoting a particular message, developing a positive image, or improving customer satisfaction. Once objectives are identified, they can help determine the key messages, channels, timing, and responsibilities required to achieve them.

Analyze Audience

The Analyze Audience subsection of a Communication Plan is essential to identify the target audience and shape the messaging to achieve the desired objectives. Audience analysis is crucial because it ensures the message resonates and connects with the audience, ultimately leading to effective communication. To analyze the audience, one must understand their demographics, psychographics, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior patterns.

Demographics refer to the audience’s age, gender, education, income, and occupation. Psychographics encompass the audience’s personality traits, lifestyles, and interests. Values refer to what the audience finds essential, while beliefs encompass assumptions the audience holds to be true. Attitudes refer to the audience’s feelings or opinions about something, and behavior patterns refer to how the audience reacts to something.

Analyzing these factors ensures the audience receives communications tailored to their interests, preferences, and cultural background. Effective audience analysis also involves answering questions such as What information does the audience need? What motivates the audience? What channels are the audience most likely to use to receive information?

Are there any barriers that could prevent the audience from receiving the message? By answering these questions, one gains valuable insights about the audience’s communication needs and preferences. This analysis enables the communication plan to be more targeted, effective, and impactful, resulting in better engagement, feedback, and success.

Develop Key Messages

In developing a comprehensive communication plan, the crucial phase of identifying the objectives and analyzing the audience has to lead to the next step of developing key messages that align with the objectives and resonate with the audience. Key messages are the central ideas, themes, or concepts that you want to communicate to your audience.

It is essential to generate messages that are clear, concise, consistent, and relevant to the audience’s needs, values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Messages should use simple language, avoid technical jargon, and be tailored to the audience’s literacy level. The messages should highlight the benefits of the proposed action, idea, or product and address any potential concerns or objections that the audience might have.

They should be framed positively and use active verbs to convey action steps in a concrete manner. Key messages should ideally fit on a business card or a one-sentence slogan to make them memorable and easy to share. In developing the key messages, it is critical to involve the stakeholders who will be communicating the messages to ensure that they convey the messages accurately and consistently.

It might be useful to conduct a pilot test of the messages and revise them based on feedback from the target audience. The ultimate goal is to create messages that inspire action and motivate the audience to move towards the purpose of the communication plan.

Select Channels

The Select Channels subsection is a critical aspect of developing an efficient communication plan. Communication is most effective when it is tailored to the appropriate audience and conveyed through the best possible channels. It is essential to consider the audience’s preferences and habits while choosing channels.

Selecting the right channels can help ensure that the messages are delivered and interpreted correctly. Organizations use various channels to communicate, and the best one will depend on the type of message being delivered, the audience, and the desired action. Common communication channels include face-to-face meetings, phone calls, email, newsletters, social media, websites, and advertising.

Face-to-face meetings provide the opportunity for audience engagement and can convey nonverbal cues such as body language, making them ideal for building relationships and gaining feedback. Phone calls can provide a personal touch when face-to-face meetings are not possible.

Email is useful for straightforward messages, such as meeting reminders, but it is not effective for communicating more complex information. Newsletters can be used to deliver information to large groups of people, while social media is ideal for communicating with younger audiences. Websites are an excellent way to provide detailed information and allow audiences to access it at their convenience. Advertising is beneficial for reaching a large audience but can be costly.

When selecting channels, it is also important to consider the organization’s resources and goals. For instance, if the company has limited resources, it may not be feasible to use high-cost advertising channels. Likewise, if social media does not align with the company’s values or goals, then it may not be the best communication channel to use.

In conclusion, selecting the appropriate channels is crucial for the success of the communication plan. Choosing the right channels can help ensure that messages are delivered effectively, leading to improved audience engagement, and ultimately, achieving the communication objectives.

Determine Timing

The timing element is an essential aspect of developing a communication plan. Timing concerns when messages should be conveyed and which events or occasions need to be addressed. Choosing the correct time to deliver messages is just as important as the content of the message itself. The timing of a communication plan must also consider the target audience and their schedules.

A message delivered at the wrong time may not receive the desired response from the audience, and may even result in alienating them. Timing may be sensitive in certain scenarios, such as when announcing a promotion, a merger, or a layoff.

When scheduling messages, it’s critical to consider possible conflicts, potential cultural and religious holidays, and other significant events that may affect the message’s effectiveness or cause people to miss it. For example, If a corporate event is announced the same day as a national holiday, the message may be overlooked, ignored, or generate minimal response. Therefore, the timing of the communication plan must be carefully determined with consideration for the audience, message content, and external factors.

Assign Responsibilities

Assigning responsibilities is a critical component of any effective communication plan. This involves identifying the specific tasks that need to be completed and determining who is responsible for each task. It is important to ensure that each member of the team has a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities to avoid confusion or overlap in tasks.

A clear, comprehensive document outlining roles and responsibilities should be created and communicated to all team members. It is also crucial to continuously monitor and evaluate the progress of each team member to ensure that tasks are being completed on time and to the expected standard.

Assigning responsibilities also involves closely collaborating with team members to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to provide training or support as needed. By clearly defining and assigning responsibilities, team members will feel empowered and motivated to contribute to the communication plan, ultimately resulting in a more successful implementation.

Implement Plan

The implementation stage involves putting into action what has been planned in the previous stages. This is where the communication plan is executed through consistent and proactive communication. It is crucial to have a clear understanding of the objectives, target audience, key messages, channels, timing, and assigned responsibilities before implementing the plan.

One way to ensure the success of the implementation stage is to establish a centralized communication hub to keep all team members informed and up-to-date. The hub must be accessible to everyone involved, and it should contain all the necessary information, including deadlines, content, the target audience, and communication channels.

The implementation stage requires meticulous attention to detail and effective communication among team members. All communication should be consistent, be timely and appropriate for the target audience, and follow the key messages.

To effectively implement the plan, each communication touchpoint must align with the plan’s objectives, and all team members should be aware of their assigned responsibilities’ details. This is a critical stage in the communication plan, and it is essential to monitor feedback regularly and continually review the plan to ensure its effectiveness.

The success of this stage is measured by how effectively the messages are communicated and received by the target audience. Metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and other relevant data should be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the communication plan.

Based on these metrics, adjustments can be made to improve the plan’s overall effectiveness. The implementation stage requires continuous monitoring and improvement to ensure the communication plan’s overall success, leading to the desired outcomes.

Evaluate Effectiveness

Evaluating the effectiveness of a communication plan is crucial to refine its strategy, assess its impact, and determine its success. It involves measuring the progress towards achieving the set objectives, analyzing the feedback and response from the targeted audience, and identifying areas that need improvement.

The evaluation process enables the team to make data-driven decisions and adapt the plan to suit the changing needs of the audience and organization. It helps to ensure that the plan aligns with the overarching goals of the company, and the message is delivered cohesively across all communication channels.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a communication plan, the team should first define the metrics that they will use to assess the performance of the plan. These metrics should be based on the goals and objectives identified earlier, so that they are relevant and measurable. Depending on the organization’s priorities, these metrics can include a range of factors such as engagement rate (click-through, open rate), conversion rate, audience reach, and feedback received. By tracking these metrics, the team can determine the success of the plan and adjust it accordingly.

Another crucial aspect of evaluating effectiveness is analyzing the response from the audience. This can be done by collecting feedback from various sources such as surveys, focus groups, social media, and customer service channels. The team should carefully review the feedback received, identifying patterns, and areas that require improvement. By doing so, they can make data-driven decisions and tailor the communication plan accordingly. Additionally, conducting audience research can be beneficial in understanding the needs and preferences of the audience and refining the key messages in the plan.

Regularly monitoring the plan’s progress is also critical to evaluate its effectiveness. This involves setting up checkpoints and milestones throughout the campaign to assess the performance against the pre-defined metrics. By doing so, the team can proactively identify any areas that require attention, adjust the plan, or take corrective action before it’s too late.

In conclusion, evaluating the effectiveness of a communication plan is a critical component of ensuring its success. By defining measurable metrics, analyzing feedback, and monitoring progress, the team can refine the plan and make data-driven decisions that align with the organizational goals. This process also allows the communication team to adapt to changing needs and ensure that the message is delivered effectively to the audience.

Examples of Communication Plans

Internal communication plan.

Effective communication is a crucial element in any organization, and a well-implemented internal communication plan can prove to be immensely beneficial. An Internal Communication Plan is a documented strategy that outlines how information is disseminated and received within an organization.

The aim of this plan is to ensure that employees get the necessary information in a timely manner, that there are open channels of communication, and that employees feel engaged and involved. Such a plan aims to build a culture of transparency, trust, and collaboration within the organization. An effective Internal Communication Plan must identify the key communication objectives, target audience, channels, and frequency.

Essentially, the plan aims to promote employee engagement, ensure smooth flow of information, and facilitate decision-making processes. Some of the key benefits of a well-executed Internal Communication Plan are improved employee satisfaction, increased teamwork and collaboration, enhanced organizational culture, increased productivity and improved morale.

Crisis Communication Plan

The Crisis Communication Plan is an essential component of any organization’s communication strategy. This plan outlines the protocols and procedures that an organization will follow in the event of a crisis or emergency situation. A crisis can take many forms, such as a natural disaster, workplace accident, product recall, or reputational damage.

The purpose of a Crisis Communication Plan is to minimize the impact of the crisis on the organization and its stakeholders by providing timely, accurate, and consistent communication. The plan should address several key elements, including the chain of command, communication channels, messaging, and spokespersons.

The chain of command in a Crisis Communication Plan defines the roles and responsibilities of different members of the organization during a crisis. This includes the crisis management team, public relations staff, and other key personnel. The plan should also specify how communication will flow within the organization and to external stakeholders.

The communication channels that are used will depend on the type of crisis and the target audience. For example, social media may be an effective way to reach customers during a product recall, while traditional media outlets may be more appropriate for communicating with investors or the general public.

The messaging in a Crisis Communication Plan must be consistent, clear, and transparent. The plan should specify the key messages that will be communicated, as well as the tone and language that will be used. It is important to be upfront about the situation and to provide regular updates as new information becomes available. The Crisis Communication Plan should also address potential challenges, such as rumors or misinformation, and provide guidance on how to respond to them in a timely and effective manner.

Finally, a Crisis Communication Plan should identify spokespersons who will be responsible for communicating with the media and other stakeholders. These spokespersons should be trained and prepared to handle difficult questions and to provide consistent messaging throughout the crisis. The plan should also outline the procedures for media interviews, press conferences, and other public appearances. By having a well-designed Crisis Communication Plan in place, organizations can minimize the impact of a crisis on their reputation, their stakeholders, and their bottom line.

Marketing Communication Plan

A Marketing Communication Plan is a comprehensive document that outlines an organization’s approach to promoting its brand, products, or services to target customers. It is a subset of the larger communications plan, and it typically includes strategies for advertising, public relations, sales promotions, direct marketing, and personal selling.

The plan must identify the target market, positioning, and key messages, as well as the marketing mix that will be used to communicate these messages. It should also allocate a budget, specify a timeline, and identify the metrics that will be used to measure the effectiveness of each tactic.

The Marketing Communication Plan must coordinate with other divisions of the organization to ensure that their efforts are complementary and aligned with the overall business goals. A well-presented Marketing Communication Plan will increase brand awareness, customer engagement, and ultimately lead to growth in revenue.

Project Communication Plan

The Project Communication Plan is a key component of any project management process, which outlines how communication will be handled throughout the lifespan of a project. The objective of creating a communication plan is to ensure all stakeholders have the information they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities to keep the project on track.

A good project communication plan helps in fostering clarity, teamwork, and promotes transparency. A plan should include guidelines on the types of communication, frequency, format, responsibility, and escalation process. The plan should also identify the stakeholders involved, their interest, contact information, and their communication needs.

The Project Communication Plan should include the purpose and scope of the communication activities to ensure that stakeholders receive the right information at the right time. These may include regular updates on the progress of the project, the budget status, and change orders. The plan should also identify potential communication challenges such as language barriers, time-zone differences, and other cultural differences that may affect the team’s ability to communicate.

The plan should also detail how information will be shared, including the method of delivery and an agreed-upon format. Creating templates for regular communication, such as status reports, progress reports, and meeting minutes, can help to establish consistency in the communication process.

The Project Communication Plan should also identify who will be responsible for communication activities, which includes both the communication deliverables and the communication process itself. Communication roles and responsibilities should be assigned to ensure that everyone involved understands their participation and when they will contribute to the process.

A communication matrix should be established showing who is responsible for which type of communication, how often, and to whom. This matrix should be available to all stakeholders for easy reference throughout the project.

Regular communication with stakeholders is important in managing project risks. Frequent communication helps to identify and address issues before they have a significant impact on the project. The Project Communication Plan should include contingencies for managing communication, such as the escalation process for issues that require immediate attention or the need for additional communication touchpoints during times of crisis or stress. Crisis management should be addressed in the project communication plan, including a communication strategy for dealing with unexpected events that may arise throughout the project lifecycle.

In conclusion, the Project Communication Plan is a foundational tool for effective project management. The plan should include guidelines on the types of communication, frequency, format, responsibility, and escalation process. When creating a plan, it is essential to identify the stakeholders involved, their communication needs, and to establish clear roles and responsibilities. Regular communication with stakeholders helps to ensure the project stays on track, and potential issues are addressed before they become significant problems.

The section on Summary provides a succinct overview of the Communication Plan. It gives readers a clear understanding of what the Communication Plan is, who it is meant for, and its relevance in today’s business environment. It underscores the need for organizations to have a communication strategy that aligns with their business goals and objectives. The summary highlights the key elements that make up a communication plan, including the definition of the target audience, the message to be communicated, the communication channels to be used, and the evaluation metrics to measure the plan’s effectiveness.

Moreover, the summary emphasizes the importance of having a clear communication plan to ensure that all stakeholders are informed and engaged, thereby improving organizational efficiency and productivity. The Communication Plan is essential for managing internal communication within an organization, communicating with customers, sharing critical business information to suppliers or partners, and managing crises, among others. Therefore, companies should take the time to develop and implement a communication plan that is tailored to their specific needs and goals.

The summary also highlights the need for continuous evaluation and improvement of the communication plan to ensure that it remains effective and relevant. In the current business environment, where technology and trends are continuously changing, organizations must be agile and adaptable in their communication strategies.

The summary concludes by reiterating the importance of having a communication plan that aligns with an organization’s culture and values, as well as its business objectives. By doing so, companies can enhance their reputation, improve employee engagement and productivity, and build lasting relationships with customers and other stakeholders.

Future Considerations

In planning for the future, it is important to understand that communication plans should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure their effectiveness. The world is constantly changing, and so are communication technologies and methods. As such, companies and organizations need to remain agile and adaptable to remain relevant in their industries. Moreover, it is essential to monitor the success of communication plans and make the necessary adjustments to achieve the desired outcomes.

Future considerations for communication plans should include an evaluation of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have made significant strides in enhancing communication channels.

Other factors to consider include shifts in consumer behavior and preferences, regulatory changes, and disruptions to the market. New developments like the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable technology will also have an impact on communication plans. These technological advances will pave the way for new strategies such as a greater emphasis on personalized communication and the use of virtual and augmented reality to create more immersive experiences.

Another future consideration for communication plans is the need to address the changing demographics of the workforce. Millennials and Generation Z are becoming a larger part of the workforce, and they possess different communication preferences and styles compared to their predecessors. As such, communication plans need to cater to these audiences by incorporating social media platforms and mobile apps that these generations use more frequently.

Lastly, communication plays a crucial role in crisis management. Therefore, companies and organizations should have a crisis communication plan in place to mitigate any potential risks. This plan should include a clear chain of command, predefined communication channels, and a messaging framework that addresses different scenarios. The plan should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure its effectiveness.

In conclusion, future considerations are essential in communication planning to maintain a competitive edge in the constantly evolving business landscape. Companies and organizations that are proactive and adaptable to change are more likely to succeed in their goals. Future considerations may include emerging technologies, shifting demographics, and crisis management plans that are reviewed and updated continuously to remain effective.

Communication Plan — FAQ

1. what is a communication plan.

A communication plan is a document that outlines the strategies and tactics to effectively deliver information to a target audience. It also establishes the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the communication process.

2. Why is a communication plan important?

A communication plan is important because it helps ensure that messages are clear, consistent, and relevant to the target audience. By defining roles and responsibilities, it also ensures that the right message is delivered to the right people at the right time.

3. How do you create a communication plan?

To create a communication plan, start by identifying your target audience and what information they need to know. Then, determine the best channels and tactics to reach them. Next, develop a timeline and assign roles and responsibilities to individuals involved in the communication process. Finally, establish a system for evaluating the success of your plan.

4. What are the key components of a communication plan?

The key components of a communication plan include identifying your target audience, defining your key messages, determining your communication channels and tactics, establishing a timeline, assigning roles and responsibilities, and setting metrics for measuring success.

5. How often should a communication plan be updated?

A communication plan should be updated whenever there are changes to your target audience, key messages, or communication channels. It may also need to be updated if there are changes in the organization’s priorities or if the plan is not meeting its objectives.

6. What are some common challenges in implementing a communication plan?

Some common challenges in implementing a communication plan include lack of resources, resistance to change, and difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of communication strategies. It is important to address these challenges by securing adequate resources, involving stakeholders in the planning process, and establishing clear metrics for measuring success.

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La Stratégie de communication dans le business plan

Organiser et anticiper sont deux facteurs clés de succès pour une entreprise. En ce sens, développer une bonne stratégie de communication en fait partie que ce soit en interne ou en externe, celle-ci pourra permettre à l’entreprise d’avoir une meilleure visibilité, d’accroitre son chiffre d’affaire et souvent d’améliorer son image de manière globale.

Les 8 étapes suivantes vous permettront de construire une stratégie de communication gagnante dans votre business plan ou votre prévisionnel

Rappel : Le prévisionnel financier c’est la partie financière du business plan,  mais le prévisionnel n’est pas un business plan à lui tout seul, en savoir plus

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Mais avant toute chose, que signifie stratégie de communication ?

La stratégie de communication est un ensemble de process permettant la coordination d’un certain nombres d’actions visant à réaliser ses objectifs.

En définissant une stratégie de communication claire, vous aurez une vision globale sur les actions à réaliser, en-cours ou passées qui vous permettront d’en évaluer leur efficacité et par conséquent, de réajuster ou d’optimiser le budget relatif à celle-ci.

Plusieurs types de communication (institutionnelle, financière, interne, externe, produit, crise…) peuvent participer à la stratégie de communication, on appelle cela le mix communication.

Le mix communication est l’ensemble des moyens déployés pour transmettre votre message au public ciblé (consommateur, fournisseur, partenaire, salarié ou encore investisseur). Trois aspects sont à dissocier et à prendre en compte en adoptant une stratégie de mix communication : affectif, cognitif et conatif.

L’objectif affectif visera à faire aime, l’objectif cognitif à faire connaître et l’objectif conatif à faire agir.

Les 8 étapes clés pour réussir une bonne stratégie de communication

• Définir les objectifs de sa stratégie de communication

Connaître la cible et l’appréhender

Qualifier son positionnement, caractériser sa communication.

• Construire son budget

Sélectionner ses canaux de communication

Formuler le message à transmettre.

• Etablir son plan de communication

Définir les objectifs de sa stratégie de communication dans le business plan

Suivant les objectifs que vous souhaitez atteindre, à savoir développer vos ventes, mettre en avant votre marque ou un produit ou encore améliorer votre visibilité sur les réseaux sociaux, il vous faudra les énumérés avec clarté et le plus précisément possible.

Pour vous assurer de la pertinence d’un objectif dans votre business plan , nous vous conseillons d’utilisez la méthode SMART. L’objectif doit être :

• Spécifique (une action, un objectif clairement défini)
• Mesurable (un objectif, un indicateur de résultat, l’objectif doit être quantifiable)
• Atteignable (quelles sont les étapes à franchir ? Assurez vous des ressources à votre disposition)
• Réaliste (quels sont les moyens pour y parvenir ? Assurez vous de sa pertinance)
• Temporel ( un planning, une date, fixer une échéance dans le temps)

Pour que cette méthode soit efficace, vous devez être très précis dans l’initulé de votre/vos objectif(s).

Pour exemple, privilégiez «  gagner 3000 abonnés sur Twitter » à la place d’améliorer la visibilité sur les réseaux sociaux.

Identifier le public cible (clients, partenaires, collaborateurs…) avec exactitude vous permettra entre autre à définir des actions en adéquation avec leurs attentes.

Optimiser son budget est toujours un sujet que vous devez avoir en tête. Meilleure sera cette identification, meilleure sera votre optimisation!

Une fois votre cible connue, identifiée, vous devez la comprendre. Pour cette étape, vous devez recenser sexe, âge, profession, CSP, géographie, besoins, valeurs, médias utilisés… Plus vous aurez d’information sur votre cible, plus vous vous assurerez de la pertinence de votre stratégie de communication car vous serez en mesure de la personnifier.

La qualification ou définition de son positionnement est une étape cruciale dans la construction de votre stratégie de communication. Cette phase contribuera aux différentes prises de décisions pour une entreprise.

Il convient de mettre en évidence deux éléments bien distincts dans la définition de son positionnement :

• La position que vous occupez pour vos consommateurs
• La position que vous souhaitez occuper sur le marché

Dès lors que ces deux positions sont en adéquation, vous avez réussi à établir votre positionnement avec succès !

Pour bien définir ce positionnement, vous devrez être en mesure de connaître votre cible, vos concurrents et identifier votre marché.

Plus votre positionnement sera accessible et compréhensible rapidement, meilleur il sera. La simplicité dans ce cas de figure sera gage de pertinence.

Pour vous aider dans cette phase de définition de positionnement, nous vous conseillons d’utiliser la méthode SWOT (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats respectivements Forces, Faiblesses, Opportunités, Menaces).

Cette outil vous permettra ainsi d’analyser l’environnement auquel vous vous confronter. Il est de plus en plus demandé dans l’étude de marché  du business plan

Déterminer et employer un axe de communication en adéquation avec les valeurs de votre entreprise, vos objectifs, mais aussi et surtout avec votre cible est une étape fondamentale. C’est d’ailleurs votre cible qui déterminera en quelque sorte votre style. Le ton que vous allez adopter pour faire passer vos messages doit être en phase avec votre public. Vous devrez donc vous adapter à celui-ci. Il pourra être sérieux, enfantin, humoristique ou tout autre.

Vous devrez garder ce style de communication, ce « code de conduite » à chaque message transmis afin d’être reconnaissable rapidement par votre cible et vos clients et ce quelque soit le moyen de communication appliqué. Vous créerez alors un lien émotionnel.

Attention néanmoins à ne pas se focaliser uniquement sur la cible pour établir un style de communication. Les valeurs, la vision et les objectifs de votre entreprise sont tout aussi importants.

Pour compléter la définition de votre style de communication, vous pourrez également mettre en place une charte de graphique et une charte de communication.

Construire son budget de communication dans l’étude de marché

Etablir un budget est une phase fondamentale dans la définition de votre stratégie de communication. Planifier les dépenses en établissant un pan média vous permettra de mettre en avant les actions prioritaires et d’avoir une visibilité sur toutes vos actions dans le temps.

Afin d’établir un budget de communication réaliste, il faut respecter trois principes :

• Dédier une partie de son chiffre d’affaire (en pourcentage)
• Intégrer chaque action au budget de communication (création d’un site web, distribution de flyers, salons…)
• Evaluer son ROI, Return On Investment (mesurer le retour sur investissement)

Vous allez consacrer un pourcentage de votre CA pour votre communication, ce montant sera intimement lié à la situation de votre entreprise, son secteur et la taille de son marché, sa cible ou son positionnement.

Vous listerez ensuite toutes les actions liées à votre communication et les échelonnerez dans le temps afin d’avoir un planning bien défini et une meilleure visibilité des actions. N’oubliez pas d’évaluer le temps passé au travail sur chacune de ces actions qui doit aussi être budgétisé.

Et enfin, vous évaluerez le retour sur investissement de vos actions c’est-à-dire que vous vous assurerez de la qualité et de la pertinence de vos actions en mesurant et analysant les résultats. Pour exemple via Google Analytics lorsqu’il s’agira de mesurer une action liée au Traffic sur votre site internet ou encore l’évolution du nombre d’abonnement, de like ou de follower sur un réseau social.

Le maître mot dans l’établissement d’un budget communication reste la cohérence !

Aujourd’hui, nombreux sont les moyens de communication : la communication média (télévision, presse, affichage, radio et cinéma) et la communication hors-média (qui répond aux objectifs conatifs vus précédemment tels que e-mailing, streetmarketing, jeux concours, sponsoring, foires et salons…).

Le choix d’un moyen de communication plutôt qu’un autre s’effectue notamment de par la cible visée. Par exemple, nous osons espérer que vous n’utiliserez pas Instagram en 2020 pour viser une population de personnes âgées ; cet outil de communication est aujourd’hui à privilégié pour les populations beaucoup plus jeunes. Il est par conséquent capital de connaître rigoureusement l’environnement de votre entreprise et de vos produits au sein de celui-ci.

Le choix d’un moyen de communication se fera également par rapport au budget que vous aurez prédéterminé. Tous les canaux de communications ont leurs différences et leurs tarifications peuvent varier du simple au double voire bien plus !

Que vous choisissiez un type de communication humoristique, sérieux et/ou professionnel, votre annonce doit être claire, concise et facilement interprétable. Un seul message ou image doit rester dans l’esprit de la cible visée. Il faut donc que votre message soit marquant.

Vous devrez rester sur la ligne de style de communication adoptée au préalable y compris concernant votre identité graphique (typographies, couleurs…) ce qui vous permettra d’être reconnaissable et remarquable du grand public.

Votre message doit pouvoir se distinguer de celui de vos concurrents, transmettre vos valeurs et bien évidement promouvoir votre produit, marque ou entreprise.

Etablir son plan de communication dans le business plan

Une fois les sept étapes précédentes effectuées, vous détenez maintenant les différentes données qui vont vous être utiles et nécessaires à l’établissement de votre plan de communication dans votre business plan .

Ce plan de communication représentera les différentes actions et à mener sous forme de planning avec une périodicité à respecter pour chacune d’entre elle.

Ce document a aussi pour but de faciliter la communication entre les différents acteurs participants à la stratégie de communication et leur coordination.

Il doit comporter :

• L’objectif à accomplir
• Le canal de communication adopté
• La périodicité
• Les ressources
• La portée, le résultat de l’action

Vous avez maintenant toutes les clés pour établir une bonne stratégie de communication. Il faut néanmoins rester vigilant sur les bonnes pratiques de communication en y apportant les bons reflexes ou gestes.

Gardez alors toujours en têtes les principes suivants :

• Se construire une bonne réputation (et la surveiller)
• Etre réactif
• Prendre des risques, soyez original !
• S’informer régulièrement sur les dernières tendances
• Utiliser la publicité sur les réseaux sociaux
• Ne pas oublier la communication interne

Enfin, soyez à l’écoute de feedbacks. Négatifs ou positifs, ils vous aideront à réajuster votre stratégie de communication pour le futur.

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How do you write a communication plan ? Example and 9 steps

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The communication plan is the representation of your digital marketing strategy, in the form of a schedule, discover the example of communication plan that suits you best, in this dedicated article. 🤲 To guide you in the right direction, we ‘ve defined 9 steps to follow in order to set up an effective comm plan ! 🚀

What is a communication plan ?

A comm plan is a document that brings together your external and internal communications strategy , actions, action plan and budget . It guides you in creating your presence on the various social networks and media communication supports . 💻 It helps ensure the consistency of the message you want to convey to your audience , based on your objectives and the channels used, like your audience on LinkedIn for example. 📞

What is the content of the comm plan?

The content of the sample communication plan details the communication actions planned for the year or at N+2 . It defines for each action the objectives, budget, communication channels and messages to be broadcast on social networks, such as LinkedIn . 😉 It is used to optimize your KPIs to monitor your investments . This template enables you to draw up an action plan for everyone in your company .

How to draw up an effective communication plan in 9 steps?

1) define your sales target and create your buyer personas.

The first step is to define your marketing target , because we don’t address expectant mothers in the same way as gardening enthusiasts … 🪴 We therefore need to know our target customers well , ideally better than they know themselves .

This exercise enables us to gather invaluable information to simplify all future communication actions as well as marketing , sales and customer relations planning . You’ ll know how best to meet their needs and be more precise in defining and delivering your message. 📣

Below is a non-exhaustive list of the information you can gather: 🔍

• Your target’s profile (age, gender, profession, salary).
• Interests, passions, hobbies.
• Problems, obstacles, frustrations he faces.
• His deepest motivations and emotions .
• Vocabulary, words and expressions used .

👉 What’s more, creating your “buyer personas “ is an important step in the development of your sample communication plan . Defining your core target enables you to :

• Personalize your messages appropriately. For example , adopt a formal tone when speaking to investors .
• Find the right internal communication channels . For example, if you’ re targeting young people , favor social networks like Instagram or TikTok .

To do this, define all qualified prospects , all end-users and create typical profiles . It’s recommended to create 2-3 “personas” per service/product. 👍

2) Prepare your message

Now that you’ ve studied the different aspects of your ideal customer in depth , you need to make sure they understand your company and how your product/service can help them solve their problems. 🤔 And this is done by conveying a relevant message to your target audience through attractive “ copywriting “, for example.

Here are a few characteristics of a “good message”: 👌

• It must be short and clear.
• It must use appropriate vocabulary (if your target is young, you may want to prioritize first-name over last-name).
• It should focus on the benefits of your product/service ( not the features) .
• It should subtly mention what differentiates your product from the competition .

Identify all your available content , including blog posts and/or infographics , videos you would have created and white papers . 📖

Anything that can add value to your content, can help you achieve your goal . 🎯 Take the opportunity to identify content categories, by creating an inventory of your content .

Example : if you have an article about recruitment in your growing business , 🤗 why not create an infographic that captures the key elements of your article ?

3) Choose your acquisition channels

Now that you know who your potential customers are , you need to choose the right acquisition channels to get your messages across . 📨

As a result, you need to ask yourself the following questions about your leads : 👇

• Which social networks do they spend the most time on ?
• What places do they frequent?
• Do they like to receive cold emails ?
• Do they watch television ? If so, in what time slot ?
• What professional events will they attend ?

In addition, below you ‘ll find a ( non-exhaustive ) list of the different actions you can take depending on the communication channel you choose. 🤗

🌐 For a digital communications strategy :

• Social networks : publications (photos, videos ), partnerships, influencers, interactions and comments.
• Emailing : promotional emails , content sharing .
• Blogging, content strategy : writing articles, infographics, etc .

✍️ For traditional communication strategies :

• Events : Participation in trade shows, organization of conferences.
• Media : advertising, radio commercials , press articles , etc .

Your company is unique , and so is your strategy ! Create a personalized corporate communications strategy tailored to your ideal customer , making your personal touches recognizable at a glance . 🌈

In addition, don’ t forget to assess the cost of any action so you can allocate the right budget. 💲

4) Set a budget based on your needs

Setting a communications budget is no easy task . 😫 It must evaluate the costs of implementing your actions and ensure your company ‘ s growth without incurring financial risks . Communication needs must not interfere with operational requirements (human, material or financial resources ) .

Generally speaking , communication costs should represent between 2% and 10% of your sales . Of course , this budget will depend on your product or service and the maturity of your business:

• 1️⃣ During the launch phase , the budget will be higher, as you ‘ ll need to get your brand out there .
• 2️⃣ Then, in the maturity phase , once the product/service is known by its target audience, the investment will be lowed .

To maximize your visibility and reduce your costs , start with digital advertising . It’s much cheaper and easier to manage than non-media advertising . Marketing strategy is directly linked to the content of your message : tell your story and get your promise across to your potential customers . To be effective , develop a sample communication plan that is easily actionable. 💥

5) Plan your communication actions

The amount of content available will determine the frequency of publication. 🕰️ If your content marketing strategy consists of 2 blog posts and one video per month, your communication plan won ‘ t go far.

You need to communicate regularly and provide value . That’s why you should have enough content to speak effectively .

A communication plan is a document that acts as an action plan . It communicates the strategy to the teams involved to ensure that everyone is on track. 🛣️ You can invoke your communication strategy based on various considerations you ‘ ve made in advance : your communication along is  objectives , targets and budget.

Next, you need to list the actions to be taken . Detail them, estimate the budget allocated to their implementation , and the repetition of the action 🗓️ (e.g . writing one blog post per week) .

6) Distribute your content via networks

Certain means of communication, such as social networks , have become indispensable to your company’ s growth . However, you need to choose the right platform for your objectives: 🏹

• LinkedIn is an ideal platform for more formal communications and B2B prospecting . Professional social networks are particularly well suited to business development , “social selling” or customer research thanks to “lead scraper ” tools 👽 like Waalaxy .
• Instagram is good for developing your « brand image ». Creating an account and publishing images on your network isn’ t enough to get your brand noticed . You need to create your own style of photos, showcase your products in a unique visual way and be an ambassador for your company ‘ s unique identity .
• Facebook is a social media giant with billions of users . It is indispensable for BtoC , especially for advertising products and services .
• Among other things… 🪐

7) Define clear objectives/KPIs

Next, you need to define clear objectives and “ KPIs “. There are 4 main types of communication objectives : 🗣

• Increase brand awareness: promote your brand, product or new feature on social networks.
• Work on brand image : not everyone will be a customer, but we still want people to like our products and associate them with the positive aspects of our brand.
• Encourage ideal customers to take action: take their contact details from your website, visit a physical or virtual point of sale to facilitate purchase or redemption.
• Build customer loyalty : what’ s more , a happy customer can become an ambassador for your brand, and thus act at his or her level on your brand awareness, image and sales. 💰

8) Use project management tools

Preferably, plan your actions with a “retroplanning “, where you can see at a glance what ‘ s planned for the coming weeks or months . 👀

We recommend using a project management tool to facilitate the creation of communication plans . This will give you a clearer overview ( expenses, deadlines to be met, etc.) and the opportunity to align your vision with all stakeholders. 🤑

Here’s a selection of different types of software for your global communications strategy : 🧲

• Monday ➡️ to plan your communication strategy .
• Tread by Qualtrics ➡️ to monitor your e-reputation .
• Podawaa ➡️ to manage your social network.
• WordPress ➡️ to start a blog.
• Waalaxy ➡️ for cold email campaigns .
• Canva ➡️ for graphic content creation.

9) Analyze the results

Making a great digital communications strategy only makes sense if you analyze the results and adjust your strategies as you go along . 📏 Here’s a list of some metrics to track :

• 🟣 Increase in sales, demo requests and number of quotes thanks to communication campaigns (displays, emails, etc.) .
• 🔵 Traffic on your website, bounce rate , time spent on each page, etc .
• 🟣 Subscribers and reactions on your social networks . 😊

Alternatively, we can take the example of an email campaign (with Waalaxy) , to which you’ve added call-to-action buttons to access a product or contact page . In this way, you’ll build up a prospecting database by sending this campaign to your list of prospects. 🧨

👉 You can then measure the impact of this campaign by analyzing the data in a dashboard :

• Open rate .
• Response rate .
• Number of messages sent.
• Engagement rate.
• Bounce rate.
• A/B testing.

There are so many, it’ s up to you to define which are the most relevant. 🤓 This will enable you to quantify the impact of your marketing efforts and adjust them later , if need be .

Examples of corporate communication plans

Each communication channel and social network has its own peculiarities, so you need to adapt your communication plan template , accordingly. 🧐 In addition , the notion of personal profiles or company pages (especially on LinkedIn), must be integrated into this thinking. 🔔

Below, we’ll look at the example communication plan for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook companies . ⏰ You can download them later, from this Google Drive document, to transform them into PDF, Word or Excel formats. ⏬

Example of digital communication planning – LinkedIn

For example, on LinkedIn , if you have a well-developed content strategy , you need to organize the posts or articles you’re going to publish, by topic. 📚

You can group all posts about lead generation , in a “ Business Development “ category of your schedule . If you publish content unrelated to t his topic , we recommend that you create a new category and group them by subject . That way, you’ll be able to find your way around more easily. 🏃

Also note in the columns of your table , items like :

• Article title .
• Publication formats (bulleted list, videos, infographics, GIFs…).
• Status (to do, in progress, completed, overdue), objective, among others. 🪶
• Two well-defined broad categories of posts/articles , one for your personal profile and the other for the company page (if relevant). 💫

Communication plan to download in PDF

👉 Download Comm Plan Example

Sample communication plan for Twitter

For Twitter, you can use the same template as for LinkedIn, when planning your communication actions . However , given that the number of publications must be greater on Twitter, I recommend adding 1 more line : the day of the week . 👀

This way, you’l l be able to see all your tweets, check the order in which they’re published and thus avoid duplicates . If you publish several times a day, this makes things easier . 👌

Communication plan for Facebook

For Facebook, you can create a communication plan in the same way as you do for LinkedIn or Twitter . 🕊️

For the columns : title of the article or post, theme, publication layout , status (to do, in progress, completed, overdue), objective, additional notes. 🖊️

And in the rows of the table : week, day , date, time… ⌛ it’s up to you how precise you want to be!

Use color codes to distinguish your actions! 🟢

Conclusion: How to build a communication plan?

In conclusion , your comm plan should be summed up in these few key points : 🗝️

• Define your target using qualified, segmented “ personas “.
• Define your short- and medium-term objectives , making sure they are measurable and achievable.
• Define your actions , choosing your message and distribution channels carefully .
• Define your media budget for each activity according to your needs and objectives .
• Define your action plan and analyze your KPIs, to increase your chances of success. 💪

Ultimately, whether it ‘ s spreading the word, working on your “ branding “ or stimulating purchases from your target audience , communication is essential for your business. ⚡

In fact, your communication actions are the only way the outside world can get to know your company ‘s identity and values . So be careful to align “what you say with “what you do” .

Frequently asked questions

What are the elements of a communication plan.

Here are the various stages involved in drawing up your communication plan: 👇🏼

• 🟣 Analysis of the situation.
• 🔵 Definition of objectives.
• 🟣 Defining the target audience.
• 🔵 Choosing different communication channels.
• 🟣 Set up an editorial calendar.
• 🔵 Evaluate and analyze results.

Which tool for a communication plan?

There are several communication tools to help you plan, organize and execute your marketing communications strategy. I’ll give you my top 3 right away:

• 1️⃣ Hootsuite: if your communication plan calls for the use of social networks, this tool allows you to organize and automate the publication of your content on the various social media.
• 2️⃣ Canva: this is an excellent tool for the rapid creation of visual content such as posters, flyers and social network posts.
• 3️⃣ MailChimp: for email campaigns , this tool lets you create, send and analyze your campaign.

So, are you ready to plan your communication plan strategy ? 😏

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• Communication Corporate

8 outils de communication digitale indispensables à votre entreprise

Devinette : nous faisons gagner du temps aux professionnels, augmentons l’efficacité des marques et sommes indispensables à toute stratégie de communication en ligne. Nous sommes, nous sommes ? Les outils de communication digitale , bien évidemment.

Eh oui : qu’il s’agisse de créer, planifier, diffuser ou analyser vos communications, les solutions 2.0 sont assurément un gage d’innovation et de prospérité pour votre entreprise. Il n’y a qu’à voir les chiffres :

• 41 % des entreprises constatent une amélioration de leur relation client depuis l’adoption de nouveaux outils de comm’ digitale
• Mieux encore, 44 % des professionnels estiment gagner en efficacité opérationnelle (Socialy)

En prime, ces leviers nouvelle génération ne nécessitent aucun budget exorbitant… et encore moins de connaissances techniques. Pas étonnant que 25 % des marketeurs et communicants (dont vous-même ?) envisagent d’investir davantage dans les outils de communication numérique d’ici 3 ans.

Seule ombre au tableau : face à la multitude d’options disponibles, vous éprouvez des difficultés à choisir les bons outils pour piloter votre stratégie de comm’ web . Qu’à cela ne tienne ! À la manière d’une checklist , découvrez les 8 outils-clés d’une communication digitale réussie , et nos conseils pour vous aider à choisir les bons leviers.

Créez une vidéo de qualité en quelques minutes

CRM : les outils pour optimiser la gestion de la relation client

C’est le B.A.-BA de toute entreprise moderne : le logiciel de CRM ( Customer Relationship Management ) – ou “gestion de la relation client” en bon français.

Chaudement recommandés par 28 % des entreprises françaises , les logiciels de CRM permettent de gérer votre relation client de A à Z . Le principe est simple : l’outil centralise toutes vos données stratégiques en un seul endroit. Ensuite, vous n’avez plus qu’à suivre les performances de votre stratégie de comm’ digitale en vous concentrant sur les KPIs (indicateurs de performance clés) qui comptent vraiment pour vous (qualité des interactions avec vos clients et prospects, suivi des ventes, taux de productivité…).

En bref, l’ outil CRM est un peu le MacGyver de votre stratégie de communication digitale . Et pour cause, un logiciel CRM permettrait de :

• Accroître les ventes jusqu’à 29 %
• Booster la productivité jusqu’à 34 %
• Augmenter la précision des prévisions de 40 % . Impressionnant, non ?

Alors, quel outil de CRM choisir ?

En fonction de vos objectifs stratégiques, vous pourriez opter pour :

• Salesforce, pour suivre vos ventes et gérer les opportunités
• Zendesk, pour stocker et analyser en profondeur les données de vos contacts
• Sugar CRM, pour optimiser votre tunnel de conversion et fidéliser votre cible. Pour les frileux de la langue anglaise, sachez que l’outil français Sage CRM fait également très bien l’affaire !
• HubSpot, pour un CRM qui inclut bien d’autres outils pour le webmarketing et les ventes

💡 L’astuce PlayPlay en plus

Dans tous les cas, préférez toujours un logiciel de CRM incluant …

• La fonction de suivi du temps, pour mieux gérer le cycle de vie de vos projets
• Un formulaire web-to-lead , pour recueillir automatiquement les données de vos clients potentiels
• Un tableau de bord, pour visualiser rapidement les informations clés et ainsi optimiser votre reporting
• Une solution mobile : 82 % des forces de vente qui utilisent une solution de CRM mobile revendiquent une amélioration de la qualité de leurs données !

Veille : les outils pour suivre les tendances sectorielles

L’une des plus belles facettes de votre métier, c’est certainement cette capacité à stimuler votre curiosité intellectuelle et à toujours rester à l’affût des dernières tendances du marché . Oui, vous pouvez le clamer haut et fort : vous êtes un communicant in .

Seulement, pour affirmer votre expertise sectorielle en continu, encore faut-il savoir s’informer et se documenter correctement. Heureusement, les outils de veille sont là pour :

• Être au fait de l’actualité chaude de votre secteur
• Anticiper les évolutions de votre entreprise
• Surveiller ce que font vos concurrents
• Soigner votre e-réputation
• Et, au passage, développer votre culture communicationnelle

Alors, quel outil de veille choisir ?

• Feedly, pour suivre les dernières tendances sectorielles n’importe où, n’importe quand grâce à son application mobile !
• BuzzSumo, pour dénicher les contenus qui enflamment le web et faire le plein d’inspiration
• Google Trends, pour créer des alertes par mots-clés et suivre ce qui se dit sur votre marque
• Answer The Public, pour découvrir les questions les plus fréquemment posées par les internautes, et créer du contenu en conséquence

Conseil d’expert : privilégiez un outil de veille qui inclut un lecteur de flux RSS , comme Feedly, pour recevoir en temps réel toutes les informations de votre niche.

Aussi, lorsque vous aurez une idée des contenus à produire, nous vous conseillons de bien vous renseigner sur ce qu'est une content factory avec d'accélerer le rythme de production de contenus en interne .

Emailing : les outils pour simplifier sa comm’

L’emailing est à votre communication digitale, ce que l’air est à vos poumons : essentiel !

En effet, l’email marketing s’impose comme l’un des moyens les plus efficaces (et économiques) pour informer ses publics-cibles, générer des ventes ou même solidifier sa relation client. Et les chiffres vont clairement en ce sens :

• 89 % des marketeurs considèrent la newsletter comme la première source de lead nurturing (l’emailing permet de stabiliser les prospects dans le cycle d’achat, et les aide ainsi à mûrir leur décision)
• Avec un ROI d’environ 35 € par euro dépensé , soit trois fois plus que les réseaux sociaux, l’emailing est le levier le plus pertinent pour promouvoir son contenu à prix doux.

Toutefois, entre la gestion des listes d’abonnés, l’envoi des emails et l’analyse des performances… les campagnes d’emailing peuvent parfois être complexes à gérer. À moins d’utiliser un outil d’emailing ?

Alors, quel outil d’emailing choisir ?

• MailChimp, pour programmer l’envoi régulier de newsletters et suivre les statistiques d’ouverture
• Sarbacane, pour profiter des SMS marketing (dans sa version payante, l’outil français propose même une option de Marketing automation pour créer des scénarios automatisés)
• Et pour une automatisation plus poussée, jetez un œil aux outils d’emailing Mailjet, Sendinblue et Aweber !

Peu importe votre choix final, préférez un outil d’emailing contenant …

• Les options “ landing pages ” (pages d'atterrissage) et “formulaires de conversion”, pour maximiser vos chances d’ atteindre vos cibles
• Des fonctionnalités avancées (A/B testing, connexion Prestashop ou WordPress…), pour suivre et optimiser vos performances en toute agilité

Social Media : les outils pour doper ses réseaux sociaux

“ L’optimisation des réseaux sociaux n’a pas sa place dans ma stratégie de communication digitale” : c’est ce que vous auriez dit… si vous viviez dans une grotte.

Heureusement, le communicant averti que vous êtes a pleinement conscience des enjeux d’une bonne stratégie de SMO ( Social Media Optimization ). En même temps, lorsqu’on sait qu’1 internaute sur 2 se connecte régulièrement aux réseaux sociaux (soit près de 2,5 milliards d’utilisateurs actifs dans le monde ), le choix est vite fait pour votre entreprise !

Néanmoins, animer, administrer et optimiser ses médias sociaux n’est pas toujours une sinécure. Et si, au lieu de vous arracher les cheveux, vous penchiez pour un ou plusieurs outils Social Media  ?

Alors, quel outil Social Media choisir ?

Qui dit gestion des réseaux sociaux, dit forcément Hootsuite. Outil de community management par excellence, ce petit bijou permet notamment de :

• Planifier vos publications sur tous vos médias sociaux (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn) à partir d’une seule et même plateforme
• Interagir avec les internautes qui ont commenté vos contenus, directement via l’outil
• Analyser en détail les performances de vos publications, notamment le nombre de réactions et le taux d’engagement

Et parce qu’il est toujours bon d’avoir le choix, sachez que les outils Agorapulse, Buffer et Later s’avèrent très pratiques pour gérer la diffusion de vos contenus, identifier les meilleurs moments pour publier… En somme, booster votre stratégie Social Media .

Pensez également à des outils qui vous permettent de partager des contenus de différents types : une interview corporate , des vidéos, podcats, etc.

💡 Vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur ces différents formats ?

Découvrez comment interviewer quelqu'un ou bien comment créer un podcast .

Quoi qu’il arrive, optez toujours pour un outil Social Media proposant …

• La datavisualisation (visualisation des données), pour analyser facilement les performances de vos campagnes Social Media
• Un outil de social listening , pour voir en temps réel ce qui se dit sur vous et les sujets qui vous importent
• Un système multi-utilisateur , pour collaborer instantanément avec vos collègues

Vous vous demandez comment mettre en valeur votre entreprise via un montage vidéo d'entreprise à la fois professionnel et captivant ? L’outil PlayPlay est la réponse à vos besoins. Facile d’utilisation, il donne vie à vos contenus et vous aide à les partager rapidement sur vos canaux digitaux. Que ce soit pour une présentation interne, une campagne de marketing, ou une communication événementielle, PlayPlay simplifie la création vidéo sans compromis sur la qualité. Profitez d'une palette fonctionnalités pour produire des vidéos qui reflètent l'esprit de votre entreprise.

SEO : les outils pour booster son référencement 

C’est la dure loi de la jungle 2.0 :

• La première page des résultats Google capte l’essentiel de l’audience , avec un taux de clic de 34,36 % sur ordinateur et de 31,35 % sur mobile
• Les pages de résultats suivantes, quant à elles, pâtissent d’une visibilité médiocre : seuls 7 % des internautes se rendent jusqu’à la troisième page des recherches Google

Vous le savez déjà : pour offrir à votre entreprise toute la visibilité en ligne qu’elle mérite, et vous démarquer de la concurrence, il est donc primordial de recourir au référencement naturel SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ).

Le hic, c’est qu’en vous positionnant sur des mots-clés trop généraux ou trop spécifiques, votre trafic risque d’être faible… voire nul. Et c’est là qu’entrent en jeu les outils de référencement SEO .

Alors, quel outil SEO choisir ?

• Ubersuggest ou Google Keyword Planner, outils-phares pour rechercher des mots-clés et dompter l’algorithme de Google
• Yoast SEO, pour analyser la lisibilité et la qualité de vos articles sur WordPress
• Ahrefs, SEMRush ou Majestics, pour assurer le suivi de votre positionnement sur Google
• 1.fr ou YourTextGuru, pour optimiser vos textes et créer du contenu remarquable

Préférez toujours une solution d’optimisation SEO intégrant …

• Un système de filtrage sémantique, pour trier et identifier les requêtes qui apportent du trafic à votre site (et ceux de vos concurrents)
• Un classement SEO de vos meilleures pages et mots-clés, pour optimiser le trafic de vos futurs contenus
• Une analyse détaillée des backlinks (liens externes pointant vers votre site), pour dénicher les sites susceptibles de vous offrir des liens de qualité… et éradiquer les liens douteux qui pourraient vous pénaliser sur Google !

Gestion éditoriale : les outils pour organiser ses contenus 

Quel est le point commun entre un blog d’entreprise régulièrement alimenté, une stratégie de contenu efficace et une ligne éditoriale cohérente ? Roulements de tambour : la tenue d’un planning éditorial !

Eh oui : pour mener sûrement votre stratégie de comm’ digitale (et accessoirement éviter de vous emmêler les pinceaux dans tous vos contenus), pensez à utiliser un outil de gestion éditoriale . Vous allez voir, les bénéfices sont nombreux :

• Vous instaurez une organisation aux petits oignons et anticipez les périodes creuses
• Vous évitez la panne d’inspiration, en planifiant à l’avance vos sujets et thématiques. La communication RSE est peut par exemple être un sujet stratégique pour votre entreprise.
• Vous garantissez une cohérence permanente à votre ligne éditoriale
• Vous gagnez du temps, en retraçant vos idées et futurs contenus à destination de votre site ou vos réseaux sociaux

Pour toutes ces raisons, 96 % des spécialistes du marketing de contenu utilisent un calendrier éditorial. Et vous ?

Alors, quel outil de gestion éditoriale choisir ?

Ici, inutile de chercher midi à quatorze heures : un simple document Excel sous Google Sheets peut faire l’affaire. Néanmoins, si vous cherchez un outil de gestion éditoriale avec des options avancées (et, tant qu’à faire, une interface sympathique), votre bonheur devrait se trouver quelque part par là :

• Trello : très ludique et simple à prendre en main, cet outil est idéal pour jongler facilement entre différents projets éditoriaux, grâce à la création illimitée (et gratuite !) de tableaux
• Asana : plus complexe, cet outil permet de booster votre gestion éditoriale… mais aussi votre cohésion de groupe, en échangeant via des commentaires sur les tâches en cours et à venir

Sinon, il y a le planning éditorial 100 % personnalisable de PlayPlay  Disponible en format Trello ou Google Sheets, cet outil facilitera l’organisation de votre communication digitale. Ça vous tente ? Téléchargez-le dès maintenant  !

Suivi de performance : les outils pour maximiser sa stratégie digitale

Aïe : 47 % des responsables marketing B2B ne mesurent pas le ROI de leurs contenus.

Pourtant, effectuer un suivi régulier de ses campagnes de communication digitale est primordial pour :

• S’assurer que les actions mises en œuvre sont pertinentes et efficaces
• Apporter, le cas échéant, les modifications qui s’imposent

Parce qu’il ne suffit pas de publier des newsletters et des posts sur les réseaux sociaux, vous avez donc tout intérêt à mesurer l’impact de vos communications digitales . Comment ? En ayant recours à des sondages, des réunions d’équipe… et des outils de suivi de performance , pardi !

Alors, quel outil statistique choisir ? 

En plus des statistiques mises à disposition par vos médias sociaux, voici quelques exemples concrets d’ outils pour optimiser vos performances  :

• Google Analytics : leader des plateformes d’analytique, c’est un outil incontournable pour mesurer l’audience de votre site web de fond en comble (pages les plus visitées, comportements, taux de clics…)
• Google Search Console, pour mesurer la fréquence d’indexation de votre site web par les robots de Google… et ainsi optimiser votre référencement sur Internet !

Pour optimiser votre communication digitale, optez d’entrée de jeu pour un outil statistique qui inclut  :

• Des rapports graphiques et chiffrés du trafic sur votre site web, pour s’y retrouver plus facilement
• Des KPIs qui résonnent avec les objectifs de votre comm’ digitale : taux de rebond, taux d’engagement, taux de conversion, nombre de ventes…
• Un tableau de bord personnalisé, pour avoir une vue panoramique sur vos objectifs

Création vidéo : les outils pour dynamiser sa communication digitale

Une minute : vous doutez encore de la puissance du format vidéo pour votre communication digitale  ?

Si tel est le cas, lisez de ce pas les chiffres qui suivent :

• 82 % du trafic mondial sera exclusivement vidéo d’ici 2021
• 87 % des entreprises utilisent la vidéo comme outil marketing
• Entre 2018 et 2019, l’utilisation de la vidéo dans le B2C a augmenté de 69% ! Et tenez-vous bien : la vidéo génère 1200 % de partages en plus que les images et le texte combinés

Problème : 57 % des communicants pensent que la vidéo est… le contenu le plus difficile à produire . Que nenni ! À l’ère des outils de création vidéo , il n’a jamais été aussi facile de créer des montages dynamiques et engageants.

Alors, quel outil de création vidéo choisir ? 

Si Final Cut et Adobe Premiere vous donnent la chair de poule, optez pour un outil simple et sans prise de tête comme PlayPlay . Banque d’images et de vidéos libres de droits, templates pêchus qui tiennent les spectateurs en haleine, possibilité d’intégrer des musiques et call-to-action (appels à l’action)… Après ça, soyez sûr de devenir un as du montage vidéo  !

Vous ne savez pas trop comment choisir votre outil de création vidéo ? Jetez donc un œil à notre guide "Comment choisir son outil de création vidéo" . Étape par étape, vous découvrirez toutes les astuces pour sélectionner l’outil vidéo qui répond (vraiment) à vos ambitions.

Tout est bien qui finit bien : vous savez désormais comment investir intelligemment dans une “ boîte à outils de communication digitale” … sans perdre votre temps ni votre argent !

Votre métier : la communication. Pas le montage vidéo.

Transformez vos messages en vidéos. En quelques minutes.

Par Valentine de La Brosse

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