Who does not know it? You make a strategic marketing communication plan for your organization, and everything is in it: your goals, your target groups, your communication strategy, your channels, and your resources. You will send newsletters, write blogs and share valuable information on social media.

But… after your plan is finished, it disappears in a drawer (or in a folder on your computer). And there it stays. Nobody has time for it, nobody knows what to write then, and in fact, there are always more important things. What are you doing about it?

Be clear about the communication strategy and provide bite-sized chunks

Online communication takes place between the companies. And in between, you don’t have time to think quietly, go after information, or solve problems. So everything must be clear.

Divide your plan into clear pieces, with tasks with all the information (what, where, why, and how). Like a bite-sized chunk! Give each task date and an owner and put it in the calendars. Ready! You can also do this in a team meeting, which is faster and everyone has the same image.

Keep a finger on the pulse so that your strategic marketing communication plan is executed.

And yes, you will have to check if it happens. Communication has no urgency of its own: nothing will collapse if you do not send that newsletter on time, and no customer will get angry. You only notice the consequences of bad marketing and bad communication later, when nothing can be done about it.

So you will have to create urgency yourself. Get together regularly, see what worked and what didn’t, and discuss the following actions. (As in a project, yes.)

The next stumbling block is content strategy. You can’t make up everything when it needs to be sent or shared. You have no rest and no time for it. Moreover, creative ideas mainly arise between companies.

Sit and stare at your screen, think, ‘I have to come up with something creative now,’ and nothing comes. To avoid this, it is important to create a content plan as part of your communication plan. Make a content calendar and social media plan; after all, bite-sized chunks work better, remember?

So you need materials to get you started. Ideas and links, images, comments, notes… Collect and save what you come across.

To do that, you need two things: a list of topics you’re going to share information about and a place to store whatever you’ve already found. When saving, state what it belongs to and what it is for. And there is your stock!

Remember that anything can be content or inspiration for content: questions from customers, malfunctions at the help desk, information from suppliers, items from that blog you follow… as long as it is relevant to your topics and your readers!

Do write unique and distinctive content and never copy something one on one without mentioning the source. Besides, it is also much more fun for your visitors to read unique content than content that can already be seen on other channels.

Content hub sounds complicated, but the idea is actually elementary. Don’t just write and share anything. Use one place (your website, your Facebook page, your blog) as a publishing platform. Drop the messages you want to share there. This makes life a lot easier: everyone knows where to be, you can easily measure your results, and all shared information is checked.

Save time by including tools in your marketing communication plan

Tools are important. They provide an overview. Trello is one of my favorites. You can manage items and tasks with it. It is flexible, simple, and… can be linked to your agenda.
Another favorite of mine is Hootsuite. You can manage almost all social media channels with it, namely Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and your WordPress blog.

Well! You can prepare, review and send messages. You can read about specific topics via search columns. And you can quickly see and participate in relevant conversations. Give it a try and see what I mean.

Get started analyzing your efforts.

After all, in addition to an overview, you also need insight. Online activity can yield astounding results. Responding to that is the foundation of your success.

You will therefore have to check regularly what of your efforts is working and what is not. So take a look in Hootsuite under the Analytics tab. There you will find all the reports you need.

Your second tool is (of course) Google Analytics. Before each meeting, start by reading the opening page. Got your opening statement right!

By analyzing your data, you can respond in time if something threatens to go wrong, and you also know what will and will not work in good time. Ultimately, you save a lot of time and money if you analyze well and use these insights to improve.

Tip! Discover how to draw up a powerful online strategy!

You can now start executing your marketing communication plan. Make sure all your efforts have not been in vain, and do you have questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!