STRATEGIC PLANNING
Plan first. Write second.
One of the best things about entrepreneurs is how they leap into action when they get a good idea. That's often what makes them successful. But they know they need a plan, too. Why invest if it's not going to pan out?
About half of what I do is write. The other half is plan.
Clients don't typically come to me with a precisely defined scope of work. They come to me with a writing project that needs to be flushed out or a communications problem they're ready to solve. Together, we turn that into a strategic plan and accurate scope of work.
One of the best things about entrepreneurs is how they leap into action when they get a good idea. That's often what makes them successful. But they know they need a plan, too. Why invest if it's not going to pan out?
About half of what I do is write. The other half is plan.
Clients don't typically come to me with a precisely defined scope of work. They come to me with a writing project that needs to be flushed out or a communications problem they're ready to solve. Together, we turn that into a strategic plan and accurate scope of work.
Sometimes the result of strategic planning is a year-long communications plan. Other times it's a relatively simple content calendar or project tracker, and other times it's an action plan that covers every communications angle needed to roll out a new service. Still other times it's a marketing strategy with a dozen or more mind map bubbles that each need mind maps of their own.
Whatever organizing tool, it will get us to writing that builds your business.
Whatever organizing tool, it will get us to writing that builds your business.
Strategic planning and consulting activities may include:
- Auditing and analyzing your current communications
- Researching your competitors' communications strategies
- Identifying what makes you different
- Identifying your audiences and their problems
- Developing key messages for each of audience, possibly using a Messaging Matrix
- Looking at your visitors' experience when they navigate your website
- Looking at Google Analytics to see what your visitors like best
- Talking to people on your team about your communications
- Talking to your customers about your services
- Determining the most beneficial communications channels for each audience
- Looking at budgeting allocations for each of your communications efforts
- Evaluating your existing content compared to the content that might be most effective
- Developing content topics based on the buyer's journey of awareness, consideration and decisions
- Evaluating how your current content can be repurposed for use on other channels or for different audiences
- Reviewing how your sales team uses your content (and would like to use content)
