What Are the Steps in Creating a Marketing Communication Plan?

Marketing communication plans are imperative to your organization's success.

Marketing communication plans are typically designed to coordinate with and complement an organization's overall marketing strategy. They are often called integrated marketing plans because they incorporate a variety of marketing mediums. Without a designated communication plan, a company may have creative and effective marketing materials that never get in front of prospective customers. If you are in charge of creating a marketing communication plan for your business, make sure to include all the essential steps and components.

Research

The first major step in creating a marketing communications plan is doing your research on your target market. According to a Microsoft Office article, this research typically includes identifying your existing and prospective customers, as well as separating them into segment markets. The research phase also usually includes learning how your target market prefers to receive communications and how they prefer to buy. For example, if your target market is part of the Generation Y group, they most likely will respond to text messages or email advertisements.

Establish Objectives

Your marketing communication plan should clearly state your overall marketing objectives, or your desired end results. Marketing objectives usually include broader objectives than just selling the product. They typically include building the overall brand, getting prospective customers to visit your website and collecting valuable prospect contact information. Be specific and establish quantifiable objectives.

Choose a Theme and Mediums

Many professional marketing and advertising agencies utilize a wide variety of marketing mediums for a marketing campaign. For example, some marketing campaigns include direct mailers, email ads, a company or product website and postcard ads. You'll need a consistent marketing message or theme that ties all your marketing messages together. Your marketing communications plan should outline your product slogan, as well as how you want to describe your company. Each marketing message should feature the same logo and colors, according to Top Business. You should also reiterate the same selling points in each medium, even if they are communicated differently in each one. Many modern companies partner with affiliate companies in order to advertise their products on their partner company websites. Some companies utilize cross-promotional campaigns, such as marketing their product to a television sitcom for the actors to use it on screen.

Set a Budget and Time Line

Effective marketing communication plans have set budgets and time lines. According to RD Marketing, each marketing component should have strict allocated resources to ensure you don't go over budget. You also need to set time lines of when each marketing message will go out, and they should coordinate with the actual product launch date.

References

• Microsoft Office: Develop a Marketing Communications Plan
• Top7Businesss: Integrated Marketing Communications: Top 7 Steps for Developing a Marketing Communications
• RD Marketing: Creating an Integrated Marketing Communications Plan