Create a simple, complete and measurable communication plan

1. The essential parts of the plan

Use a stable structure: context, objective, audiences, messages, channels, actions, schedule, budget and metrics. Every line should make sense to someone who did not attend the planning meeting.

Replace vague actions such as ‘develop social media’ with a specific deliverable and intended audience response.

• Objective and deadline
• Audience and expected behaviour
• Message and evidence
• Channel and format
• Owner, date and status
• Budget and metric

2. Move from the objective to actions

Ask what the audience must know, believe and do. The answer reveals the required content and touchpoints.

Prioritise actions by expected impact, urgency and effort. Improve durable assets and conversion paths first.

3. Build a realistic schedule

Plan backwards from the publication date and include research, writing, design, approval, corrections and scheduling.

Book a measurement date as well. Data that never leads to a decision has little value.

4. Connect budget to the expected result

Separate design, production, tools, distribution and paid-media costs. Include internal time so actions can be compared honestly.

Put more budget behind work that reaches the intended audience and creates a useful commercial signal.

5. Review and update the plan

Record the result, the gap from the objective and the next decision every month.

Keep one dated source of truth that the whole business can use.