Marketing and Communications Strategy Tips

Tips from the Trenches

• Plan ahead whenever possible. The best plans are created three to six months prior to the campaign execution. This allows ample time for creating, production and delivery of any materials needed.
• Use the phone. Yes, people still actually use the phone! In an age of emails and text messaging, sometimes a good, old-fashioned phone call can get you the answer you need in a timely fashion.
• Know how much event help you really need. Assign stations and/or shifts for your volunteers. Be aware of their time. If you have 20 volunteers for an event but only need three for setup, ask others to arrive later so that they aren’t wasting their time or confusing your process.
• Create a measurement tool within your plan. How will you determine if the plan was successful?
• Have the tough conversations with your dean/director/VP. What’s important to him/her will not always be what’s important to your audience. Drafting a plan and sticking to that plan will help you navigate those potentially awkward disagreements about priorities.
• Don’t forget to take care of your workers/volunteers during an event. Beverages, snacks and breaks (if possible) should be provided. If those items won’t be provided, then communicate that clearly with the workers.
• Keep all parties informed. As communicators, we often forget to communicate! Status updates and deadline reminders are essential to a smooth plan.
• Find a project management software system that works for your needs. Teamwork, Smartsheet and Office 365 Planner are just a few we would recommend.
• Remember that you’re the communications expert, not the subject matter expert. At the beginning of a plan it’s important to outline for the client what role you will serve and what’s expected of them—like content!
• Everyone at an event should have a clear and defined role, even the “big wigs.” Incorporate those duties into your event plan. Even if the role is “greeter,” everyone feels more comfortable and more helpful when they have a purpose at an event.
• Edit and approve before you begin the design process. Remind the client how costly it is to make changes once you’re to that point. Edit early and often.
• Establish a budget and have your client or dean sign off on the budget. Anything that gets suggested as an addition will need to be approved or reallocated from the original budget. This will save you time and energy that you might otherwise be devoting to projects you can’t afford.
•  Videos aren’t the solution to everything. Videos are one tool in your toolkit, but not the be all to end all.
• Similarly, social media isn’t the answer to everything. Social media is most effective when it’s incorporated into a larger communications plan.
• Save yourself time, money and headaches by identifying your audience(s) upfront.
• When it comes to events, focus on experience and not giveaways or trinkets. People who walk away from an exhibit feeling like they’ve made a connection or had an interaction are less likely to be concerned with getting something in return.
• Be firm. Create a plan and stick to it once approved.
• But, on the contrary, be flexible. We live in an ever-changing world. Your budget, team availability and resources can change quickly and without warning. Be prepared to rework your plan to fit your needs. Trust in your instincts and the team of support and help available to you at University Relations.