The document discusses common mistakes that undermine strategic communication plans. It identifies four main mistakes: 1) The plan fails to tie directly to business performance and growth, instead focusing on increasing brand visibility or acting as a news distribution tool. 2) The plan is created with no external input or research, excluding important trends, disruptors, customer insights, and industry changes. 3) Guidelines and parameters for graphic quality, content consistency, and branding across channels are either nonexistent or too vague. 4) The plan is kept private and not shared company-wide, undermining coordinated internal and external messaging.

1. COMMON MISTAKES THAT UNDERMINE
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

2. INTRO

“Strategic communications” is a term that is often
treated like useless business jargon with no real
meaning behind it. However, taking a strategic
approach to messaging and creating a welldesigned plan can be an asset for your
organization. It can help improve your relationships
with key stakeholders and partners, build your
brand and reputation as well as reduce
unnecessary spending in your PR and
communications budgets. Many pros are equipped
with the ability to create such plans, however there
are some common ways in which it can fall short
and not include the right mix of channels and
tactics. Below are mistakes:

3. THE PLAN FAILS TO BE DIRECTLY TIED TO
BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH.

Many organizations treat communications as a
service function, risk mitigation tool or news
distribution wire. Others use the communications
plan as an outline for increasing brand visibility. A
good communications plan is strategic in building
and nurturing relationships that can be leveraged to
impact business performance and outcomes.

4. THE PLAN WAS CREATED WITH NO EXTERNAL
INPUT OR RESEARCH.

When a plan is created in a vacuum and too
internally focused, it excludes some key
information that shapes the company long term.
Some of these external insights include: key
trends, disruptors, customer base, potential
partners, employee perceptions, and specific
industry changes. The plan should not be a to do
list full of the views and requests of the company’s
executives. It should be a collaborative document
that helps move the company forward both
internally and externally.

5. GUIDELINES AND PARAMETERS DON’T EXIST OR
AREN’T SPECIFIC ENOUGH.

Graphic and content quality should remain
consistent across channels and various forms of
communication. From the internal memos and blog
posts to the Facebook page cover photo, all of the
communication that is sent inside and outside of the
company should follow a very specific set of rules
and brand standards. This piece of the strategic
plan is often overlooked, especially by small
companies, but it is one that makes a big difference
in how the company is perceived.

6. THE PLAN IS NOT SHARED ACROSS THE COMPANY.

Some companies treat the communications plan as
a private internal document only to be seen by
executives and specific departments. This is a
mistake however, because communications
happens across departments and a messaging
framework is useful for everyone in the company.
By giving all employees this information, you are
able to decrease inaccurate brand messaging that
occurs outside of the organization, internally and
with customers.