Format: EPS stock vector clip art and illustrations. Free for download.
Set name: “Thanksgiving design elements” for Adobe Illustrator.
In my opinion, a “Communications Plan” is an overall strategy that includes marketing, sales, and public relations. In your communications plan, you should define who you want to reach and how you are going to get there.
From that strategic vantage point, marketing, sales and public relations become strategies that help you achieve your goals.
Sample communications plan format
Your communications plan is a reflection of you. It can be as detailed and technical as you want, or loosely outlined. It is essential that the format of your plan be something that you will actually refer to… something that you will actually pull out and use. Otherwise drafting the plan is a waste of your time.
Why are you drafting this communications plan?
The 80/20 principle says that 20% of your customers create 80% of your revenues. If you could spend 80% of your time developing profitable relationships with those 20%, would you?
Well, a communications plan is meant to help you do that. With some research and understanding of ‘what’ your message is, you can focus your attention on your most effective communications strategies.
- It should be purposeful with clearly defined, measurable objectives and timelines.
- It should be a reference point that helps keep your business on track through the year.
- It should anticipate potential threats throughout the year and provide you with a plan to successfully overcome those hurdles.
- It should be flexible enough to adapt to a changing environment.
- It should give you the tools to build your business, even in a difficult economy.
The essential elements of the plan include:
Overall Communications Goal – Your goal is the end result.
Audiences – An audience can be internal (employees) or external (customers). It can include direct customers, lead referrers, stake holders, vendors and media.
With some research, a communications specialist can evaluate your most important audiences for you to focus on.
Audience Strategy – How do you like to receive a message? Do you like to get the warm, fuzzy story behind the story? Or would you prefer a bullet list in 5 minutes or less?
Your audiences, or customer groups, are the same way. To reach each of your customer groups, you must customize the message into something they will hear.
Each audience will need its own strategy, with unique objectives and tactics. For example, you can tap into social media to reach a certain market segment.
Objectives – Objectives are statements of what you expect to achieve. They need to include a timeline and a measurable result. For example, “Increase customer response rate by 10% by the end of the 2nd quarter.”
Tactics – Tactics are the specific actions that you are going to take. For example, “Each sales person is going to call 3 people per week.”
Evaluation – One of the most crucial and overlooked elements of any communications plan is to evaluate your results. At the end of the year, parts of your plan will work great and parts will not. By evaluating how well you met your objectives, you’ll have a good starting point for next year.
Savoir Faire Media is available to help you understand your customers better, to define a marketing plan that will help you reach and interact with them. If you need a nudge in the right direction, or a full blown marketing / communications plan, email us or call (888) 736-4257 [sfm-gals].
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Once you find the eggs, please email us at [email protected]!
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In her own words…
My name is Kathy Angus (Hello Kathy), I am 22 years old and addicted to paper and fonts! I currently work at a car dealership as a receptionist+. I call it a receptionist+ because the more creative my boss find out I am the more things he gives me to do. I started out attending Georgia State University in pursuit of a degree in Education. I wanted to work with young children because of the free spirit they have at that age. Their creativity is so inspiring. I recently have decided to pursue a degree in Graphic Design.
I spend most of my time staring at computer screeens, checking out the newest fonts, or burying my face in wedding magazines looking at the hottest styles. I know 2012 is my year to shine because according to Pantone the wedding color combination for the year is tangerine tango and hot pink (my company colors)! I am energetic, fun, and hardworking. In every project I take on I try to convey those same characteristics through my work. Working with clients to convey their personalities as well as my style is one of my favorite things to do. The fact that I get to add a little joy to couples and be a part of one of the most important days of their lives is priceless to me.
I try my best to live by the Maya Angelou quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I find that people find their own special ways of providing happiness for others, my just so happens to be invitations and greeting cards.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS:
Paper Kutz creates handmade wedding/event stationery and greeting cards. I focus on conveying the couple’s wedding feel to their guest before the wedding with my invitation line. My greeting cards focus on conveying feelings from one to another (or plenty others) by personalizing and attention to detail.
HOW WILL YOU MARKET YOUR BUSINESS:
My plan are to see Paper Kutz in lights….. but I’ll start with magazine and web advertising first. I plan to advertising with the Knot, Brides Magazine, MArtha Stewart, and other wedding avenue. I already have a Twitter (@Paper_Kutz) and a Facebook set up for my company. A lot of my business comes from the best advertising there is…..word of mouth (the original twitter and Facebook.)
WHAT AREAS WILL YOU SERVE?
Right now, I serve the Metro Atlanta area but as time progress I want to load my online store with more template designs for people to choose from. Then I will serve the world!
WHY DO YOU BELIEVE YOU SHOULD BE GRANTED THE CHRIS LELAY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP?
After reading the biography of Chris Lelay and learning that she worked hard to place herself and woman ahead of the games I know that I too am a hardworking woman and believe that I would make her proud if I was able to meet her. I was blessed to have a mother that trained me and my sisters to be strong women ready to take on the world. I will work hard to reach the heights that I see Paper Kutz at when I close my eyes. People say that the grass is greener on the other side, I only believe that its that way because someone is over there working to keep it that way. I will work to get Paper Kutz to amazing heights and work even harder to keep it there. Being granted the Chris Lelay Memorial Scholarship means a lot to me because it will help me take my company to the place i dream it will be. (fingers crossed)
Why we chose Kathy…
It is rare that I both laugh and cry when reading an entry…her words stood out to me at once. I am always looking for drive, motivation, perseverance. I spoke with her references and they would NOT let me off of the phone. Her current boss went on and on and on about how Kathy always looks for things that need to be done without asking, always contributing by suggesting improvements to the business – as an admin, not a manger. He stated that while he wanted her to win, he couldn’t bear to loose her so he hoped she could do both! They talked about her set backs financially and how she scrimped and saved when friends her age where out on the town, so she could have the funds to purchase materials for her business. I spoke with her…I just knew. She is ALIVE in every sense of the word. Always upbeat, unwavering hope and excitement for the future.
This girl is going to go far in whatever she does, and we hope to be with her every step of the way. Congratulations Kathy from the Gals of SFM!
]]>Take massive action
Setting your goals is only the beginning of your journey. Avoid the temptation to be so satisfied with setting them that you do not take much action to make them a reality.
Many people will tell you that goal setting does not work. The reality is often that they failed to act on their goals. Taking action is the only thing that will ultimately determine the success or failure of your goals. After writing them, focus on achieving them by doing the things that you set out in the goals.
Persevere
Sometimes in setting goals we are too optimistic or just not knowledgeable enough of the conditions and resistance we will encounter in trying to achieve our goals. At such times it is important to persevere despite the obstacles being faced.
Perseverance has a way of solving things and making things easier as time goes on. The key is to never give up. Nothing succeeds like perseverance.
Refer to your written goals often
It is common to find that after setting SMART goals they are then tucked away somewhere, only to be referred to at the end of the year when it is time to set new goals. In the meantime as the year goes on you lose sight of what your goals were in the first place.
It is important to write your goals somewhere you can see them often and can refer to them easily. Make it a habit to take a look at your goals regularly – daily, weekly or at the least monthly, depending on your circumstances.
Constantly remind yourself of your goals. That way your mind will be focused on achieving them.
Feedback and adjust
As you work on your goals it is important to assess your progress periodically. Use these assessments to guide you in two ways.
Firstly, you may find that your actions towards achieving your goal might need adjustment. It could be that you need to take more action. If you are not meeting your sales goal of 10 sales a week, for example, it could be that you need to adjust your action from seeing 30 prospects a week to seeing 40 in order t meet your sales goal.
Secondly, you may find that your goal was not realistic to start with. You may need to adjust it in order to come up with a more attainable goal. For instance, it may be better to reduce your sales goal from 10 to 7 sales a week given that 30 prospects is the maximum you can see with the time and resources available to you.
Set SMARTER goals
SMARTER is simply an extension of the SMART acronym. It simply expands on the acronym to be of more help in setting SMART goals.
The E usually stands for Extending or Exciting. This means that you set goals that extend you beyond your comfort zone and that are also exciting. A challenging goal is more likely to inspire and excite you than one which is easily achieved.
The second R usually stands for Rewarding. If you can see the reward after you achieve your goal you will work harder to achieve it. Sometimes achieving the goal is reward enough in itself. But if your goal does not have an obvious reward, or if the reward is not so exciting, it is possible to decide to reward yourself in another way if you achieve your goal.
For example, if your goal is to lose weight you could decide that when you do reach that goal you will buy yourself a beautiful outfit to go with your new figure. That alternative reward will also help you to stay focused and energised.
Get yourself a coach
A life coach can act as your personal cheerleader, helping you to stay on track and to focus on your goals.
We all need a helping hand every now and then in setting SMART goals and achieving them. With a certified coach you will get exceptional tools and methods to help you attain the things you want in life.
REF: Cornerstone Executive & Life Coaching LTD
]]>The setting of clear goals is a valuable skill which anyone would do well to master. So how do you go about goal setting and what are SMART goals? Briefly and in the most widely used form SMART goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based
The purpose of setting goals in this way is to help clarify them as much as possible and in this way increase the chances of achieving them. You can learn this simple and important skill easily and use it in your own personal and corporate planning. This worksheet by Cornerstone will be very useful in giving you a good start in developing this skill. After some time of using this you will find that it comes naturally and you will be able to do it without much effort.
Writing smart goals gets easier the more you do it. When you are just starting out it can be a little difficult to develop them. These ten tips, in addition to the other material you will find on this site on goals, will help you to set your goals with ease whether they are personal or business goals.
10 Tips to Writing S.M.A.R.T. Goals
1. Have a personal or corporate mission and vision statement
Having a personal or corporate mission will greatly assist you in making your goals coherent and relevant. If you do not know where you are headed in the long term your goals are likely to be less focused. In addition, you may find that though you achieve your goals, your progress may not be noticeable or may not make a huge difference in the long run as the goals may not be related.
2. Break complex goals into smaller goals
The larger your goal is the more daunting it may appear and the less realistic it may seem that you can achieve it. Breaking such a goal into smaller sub goals and activities will help to keep it in perspective and be less frightening.
3. Do not use negatives in your goals
Negative words have a detrimental effect on our motivation and perception of things. In fact your mind is more likely to do something that is put in the negative rather than avoid it. For instance, rather than saying “I am not smoking for the next 2 months” you would be better off saying “I am free from smoking for the next 2 months” or even better “I am breathing only clean and fresh air for the next 2 months.”
4. Keep the tone positive
This ties in well with avoiding using negatives. When writing SMART goals, keep the tone of your goals positive and optimistic. This reinforces the feeling that they are achievable.
5. Use verbs
Verbs are action words. Try to include actions when writing SMART goals. The use of words that make you think in terms of pictures and actions is a good way to give life and energy to your goals.
6. Use the present tense for more power
Phrase the goal as if you have already achieved it in the present tense. For example:“I now weigh 60 kilos which is the ideal weight for me because I exercise for an hour three times a week” There is nothing better than the feeling of having already attained something to spur you on.
7. Think big, but start small
If you have a very big goal it may be a good idea to start with a smaller goal and then make it bigger once you achieved the smaller goal.
For example, suppose you want to build a business that earns you a million dollars every year. That may be too huge a goal to have right from the start. So you could instead break it down into a 5 year series of goal to earn incremental sums of money each year. This could be 100,000 the first year, 300,000 the second year, 600,000 the third, 800,0000 the fourth and then finally 1,000,000 in the fifth year.
As you achieve the goal you set every year your confidence grows and so does your experience and knowledge about your business, not to mention your contacts and opportunities.
8. Stretch yourself
When writing SMART goals stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone. Setting goals in this way ensures that you stay motivated. Goals that can be easily achieved eventually become boring and uninspiring. So if earning 10,000 dollars is something you can now do with your eyes closed then you need to push your goal to earning 15,000 or 20,000 dollars. The challenge will keep you more focused and energised.
9. Limit yourself to a few goals at a time
Setting too many goals is just as good as setting no goals at all.
It will simply overwhelm you and you won’t know where to start. If you find yourself with too many goals to work on it is a good idea to prioritise them. Choose the ones that are most important to what you want to achieve and focus on them. A mission or vision statement will go a long way in helping you to prioritise and decide what is most important when writing SMART goals.
When you have achieved these you can then move on to the others.
5 – 7 goals at a time is a good guide to use, but assess yourself personally in terms of what you can handle and the magnitude of each individual goal.
10. Share your goals with someone
Share your goals with someone who will encourage you as well as help to keep you on track to achieving them.
We all get discouraged along the way and so it is important to have someone know about your goals so they can help you when you are down and celebrate with you when you are up.
Stay tuned for the next series in March “Beyond Goal Setting, Taking Action”
Ref: Cornerstone Executive Life Coaching
Ref: Project Management Methodologies
Grand Prize ~ Chose ONE of the following:
iPad Docking Station:
There are a lot of these gadgets for the iPad, but the thing I like about this one is: It works horizontally as well as vertically and it has a small footprint. Set it on a kitchen counter and watch your favorite Netflix shows while peeling carrots… of course while charging the unit at the same time.
The stereo speakers enhance music and videos. Download their free app for enhanced features, including: custom clock, weather display, custom alarm settings, nature sounds, photo slideshows with background music, and more.
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Logitech BoomBox:
The Logitech BoomBox promises 10 hours of playback in a small package that can also deliver good quality music. I’m drawn to this boombox for three reasons:
- It’s just right for bluetooth speakers.
- Logitech brings good sound to your gadgets at an affordable price.
- There are controls on the top to play, pause and fast forward your music as well as control volume.
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Livescribe SmartPen:
If you are a writer, check out the Livescribe Smartpens. They can write and draw on special white paper and then upload masterworks to a computer. On the less inspired side, the pen can record a corporate meeting while taking notes too!
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Apple TV:
Apple TV is a great stand alone set-top box for viewing streaming content like videos rented through the Apple iTunes Store, or other video servies like Netflix, YouTube, MLB, NHL and others. AirPlay makes this a great iPhone accessory. Wireless streaming technology built into the iPhone and Apple TV since iOS 4 means you can start watching a video on the iPhone and when you get home send it to the Apple TV.
Hook up Apple TV to your set at home and stream movies or games like Real Racing HD. You can also hook up to a projector at work for Keynote presentations. Teachers can show education games or apps in their classroom. The Apple TV won’t take up much room if you want to carry it with you in a computer bag.nal display through the Apple TV for entertainment, business or education.
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Second Place Prize
50 Personalized Notecards
Our own Alisa Donohue also owns Creatively Engaged, Stationary and Custom Invitation Boutique. Our second place winner will receive:
- (50) Linen – Flat Ink cards
- Chose from 10 designs & pick font from 25 choices
- Choice of color envelope
- Return address matching labels
- Retail Value is $90
Before you rush out and choose your domain name or name your website, you might want to consider the following points:
Naming a site after its domain name is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they’ll think of it by name. If your name is also your URL, they’ll automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of thefreecountry.com, they don’t have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the site is also the URL.
Generic vs. Brand Names
For that reason, I personally feel that a domain name that matches your brand name is very important. The very name that you use to advertise your product is the name that you will want for your domain, because that is the first thing that people will try in their browser. It is also the easiest thing for them to remember, and whatever that is easily remembered, will be more likely to be tried out than the obscure domain name.
The Long and Short of it!
Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. You don’t have to settle for an obscure domain name like avab.com when what you mean is AcmeVideosAndBooks.com. Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example, “getit.com” is easier to remember and less prone to typos than “connecttomywebsiteandobtainit.com”.
Which would I go for? I’d go for the shorter name if I can get a meaningful one, but I’m not averse to longer names. However, I would probably avoid extremely long names verging on 67 characters. Aside from the obvious problem that people might not be able to remember such a long name, it would also be a chore typing it and trying to fit it as a title on your web page, business card, etc.
Should you get a hyphenated name?
a. Disadvantage: It’s easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. Many users are used to typing things like freecpluscompilers.com but not free-c-plus- compilers.com. They’ll probably leave out the hyphens and wind up at your competitor’s site.
b. Disadvantage: When people recommend your site to their friends verbally, having hyphens in your domain name leads to more potential errors than when the name does not contain hyphens.
c. Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name.
d. Advantage: The non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. At least this way, you still get the domain name you want.
Personally, I prefer to avoid hyphenated names if I can, but I guess it really depends on your domain name and your situation.
.com, .net, .what?
One common question I encounter is from people who can’t get the “.com” domain of their choice, but find the “.net”, “.org” or other country-specific top level domains (TLDs) available (like .us, .de, .nu, .sg, etc). Should they try for these?
The first school of thought goes on the premise that it is better to have a domain name of your choice “myperfectdomain” even if it has a TLD of “.net”, “.org” or some other country specific extension, than to wind up choosing an obscure domain name for the simple reason you can’t get your first choice. Thus they would settle for domain names like “myperfectdomain.de” or “myperfectdomain.net” or whatever. Against this is the argument that if you get a country specific domain, people might think that your business only caters to that country.
Another school of thought finds that “.net” and “.org” extensions are actually quite acceptable domain names. For some, the “.org” extension actually describes the non-profit nature of their organization. So, for example, the famous Apache web server can be found at “apache.org”.
As you can see, there are actually good grounds for accepting any of the above views. My personal footnote to the above arguments is that if you get a domain name with an extension other than “.com”, make sure that you promote your business or website with the full domain name. For example, if your domain name is “dogandcatfood.net”, make sure that when you advertise your site or business, call it “dogandcatfood.net” not “dogandcatfood”. Otherwise people will assume a “.com” extension and travel to the wrong place.
Whatever you chose, give it some thought, ask a few people to ask them what they would intuitively search for you by, and when in doubt – by several and you can point them to your site. For $8 a year, it’s worth it!
References: Godaddy.com, About.com
- Unlike a Friend Page, a Fan Page does not have the 5,000 friend limit. It’s unlimited so it can keep on growing.
- It doesn’t cost one penny. (Free is awesome!)
- It gives you a way to be more interactive with your target audience, because like a user profile, you can update your fans with statuses that will appear in the news feed. Your fans can also post comments, pics etc.
- You can promote events.
- It’s an SEO boost. Facebook is currently the second most popular site on the Web according to Alexa.
- Unlike a Friend Page, you can customize tabs using FBML, (Facebook’s version of HTML) to look like your branding. Check out the Static FBML app for more.
- You can create brand advocates.
- Fan Pages allow you to promote your company with tools provided by Facebook.
- The Facebook Pages Insights analytics tool gives you useful information about your fans and their interactions. .
- It’s another link to your website. Having another web presence can only help you.