Creating Powerful Communications Strategies was a seminar held by CharityComms on January 19, 2011. The seminar provided guidance on developing an effective communications strategy, including answering six key questions: what resources are available, what the goals are, who the target audience is, who the broader audience is, how to frame the issue, and what the core message should be. Attendees learned about crafting messages that resonate with audiences and media, choosing appropriate tactics like events and social media, creating a timeline and evaluation plan, and celebrating successes. The seminar aimed to help charities strengthen their communications efforts.

1. Creating Powerful Communications Strategies:
CharityComms Seminar 19 January 2011
What Does a Good Comms Strategy Look Like?
By Ben Matthews
Find out more about CharityComms: www.charitycomms.org.uk
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2. “Remember, we may live in a new world, but the old rules still
apply. Powerful communications has always been about getting
people to pay attention and take action.”
- Fard Johnmar

3. Six questions you must answer before you even begin to
implement your media tactics:
1. What resources do you have?
2. What are your goals?
3. Who is your target?
4. Who is your audience?
5. What is your frame?
6. What is your message?

4. 1. What communications infrastructure do you have?
1. What communications infrastructure do you have?
• How much staff time are you willing to devote to communications? If you
feel you can not afford communications staff, are there communications
funding opportunities on the horizon?
• Who will do the work—are they comfortable with and knowledgeable about
• How much staff time are you willing to devote to communications?
communications?
• If• Whatfeel you can not affordIf you do advocacy,staff, are there
you is your program budget? communications are you willing to
communications that to communications?on the horizon?
commit 30% of funding opportunities
• • How powerful work brand? Is it well known?
Who will do theis your - are they comfortable with and knowledgeable about
communications?
• What is your program budget?
• How powerful is your brand? Is it well known?
The answers to these questions are the foundation from which your comms
The answers thrive or fail.
activity will to these questions are the foundation from which
your communications activity will thrive or fail.

5. 2. What are your goals?
• What are your program, campaign or organisational goals?
• Why are you launching communications efforts in the first place?
• What do you want to achieve?
• What does success look like?

6. 3. Who is your target audience?
Who are you trying to reach?
• Supporters, investors, volunteers, donors, direct service users, secondary service users
• Who do you need on your side to get what you want?
Your Audience
• The people who can to persuade the decision maker to do what you want
• Know your audience through research: Focus groups, Surveys,etc

7. 4. What is your frame? • What is this issue really about?
• Who is affected?
• Who are the main protagonists?
• What images communicate this?
• With what organisations do you
want to be associated with?
• What political positions?
• What people?
Describe the issue in a way that resonates with the values and
needs of your audience, and is also interesting to the media

8. 5. What is your message?
Problem: Introduce your frame. Describe how your issue affects your audience and
its broader impacts.
Solution: Speak broadly about the change you wish to see. Speak to peoples’ hearts
with values-rich language and images.
Action: Call on your audience to do something specific.
Make sure key people in your organization buy into this message, craft your message to
be appealing to journalists and convincing to your target audience, and brainstorm
soundbites that expresses your message in a few seconds

9. 6. What tactics will you employ?
Now that you know what you want to say and why, it’s time to figure out how
you’re going to broadcast your message.
What channels:
• Print - Op Ed, Letter to the Editor, Guest
article, magazine feature
• Broadcast - Radio or TV Talkshow
Appearance
• Blogs
• News Sites
• Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Youtube
What events:
• New Study/Report/Announcement
• Event/Anniversary
• Dramatic Human Interest
• Controversy
• Fresh Angle on Old Story
• Calendar Hook/Holiday
• Profile of Fascinating Person
• Response to Big News Story
• Celebrity Involvement

10. Putting it all together
Tactics
Message
Context
Target Audience
Goals
Infrastructure

11. Create a Timeline of Activity

12. Monitor and Measure Everything
• Create a system to capture your media hits.
• Consider a print news clipping service
• Contact an audio/video clipping service prior to major TV and radio hits to ensure
capture of those hits.
• Search news sites such as Google News for mentions
• Enlist staff or community volunteers to collect print hits and record TV and radio
appearances and features.
• Note which journalists covered your story. If you liked the coverage, thank them
tactfully for a well-balanced story. Continue to cultivate your relationship with them.

13. Evaluate, Iterate, Implement
• After each activity, assess what was successful and what could improve
• Reflect on the process and outcome
• Consider resources used
• It might help to wait a week or more after the event to begin assessment, as this will
allow for perspective to develop and can result in more honest assessment

14. Celebrate
Be proud of your work - It’s making the world a better place!

15. Any Questions?

16. Thank you.
the volunteer-run comms agency for the third sector

17. Creating Powerful Communications Strategies:
CharityComms Seminar 19 January 2011
Find out more about CharityComms: www.charitycomms.org.uk
Sign up for the CharityComms eNews for all the latest charity communications news, views
and resources: http://www.charitycomms.org.uk/about/enews.aspx