S
uppose a farmer woke up one morning in November and
thought, “I ought to raise a bunch of bushels next year! That
means I’ll need some seed and a heap of fertilizer. Oh, and
I’ll want to rush out to the dealership and grab a piece of new or
used equipment of one sort or another. Yup. I have a plan.”
You immediately know what’s wrong with that approach. There’s
no measurability in that plan—which really means, there is
no plan in the plan. And yet, every day, businesses formulate
communication strategies just as loosely. “Should we throw an
ad in the newspaper? (The publisher is a good guy.) Maybe we
could run some radio ads. (The sales rep came in yesterday.)”
Or, my personal favorite, “It’s time for the newsletter again. I
suppose we ought to put something or other in it.”
Our mythical farmer launched a ludicrous plan without thinking
through what should be achieved and why and how. Achievable
goals are the first step in a communication plan as much as in
a