How to create a Digital Communication Plan
How to create a Digital Communication Plan
Internet communication has changed a lot in recent years. The massive entry of companies into the network, added to the entry of new users caused by COVID-19, requires digital marketing professionals to be up to date and carry out their plans using the strategies and techniques that really work. Digital marketing is a discipline in full expansion, but also in full change and evolution.
During this week, I have had the pleasure of giving in Andorra three monographic workshops on SEO, advertising and web analytics, respectively. And a face-to-face course dedicated to the creation of the Online Communication Plan for tourism companies.
I am writing this article, not to talk about the course, but to talk about the methodology with which I help create digital communication plans. I would like to share with you the framework that we use at the UNWTO, the United Nations agency that is responsible for helping the development of countries through Sustainable Tourism, to help companies and destinations create their online communication plans... if it can help you to prepare yours, whether or not you are from Tourism.
With that said, let's move on to the framework that will help you create the plan. It's called SOSTAC, which stands for Situation, Objectives, Tactics, Action and Control.
Points of a Digital Communication Plan
Creating a Situation Analysis
We will carry out a small analysis of our organization to remember what the mission was when it was created, what our values are and what our business model is. Also current types of clients, what our competition does on the Internet, trends in the sector, etc. With all this information the company will create a SWOT. With the SWOT in hand, you will create a CAME (you will define actions and strategies to neutralize the negative points and value and enhance the positive points of the SWOT).
If you want more information about doing a SWOT or a CAME, I have put some links at the end of the article.
Setting realistic goals
We will define clear, measurable objectives based on current numbers. To create the objectives, it is better to start by creating a sales funnel to know the current conversion rates, and from this data to be able to set realistic objectives.
Defining our digital strategy
We will draw up a strategic plan defining customer, price, marketing, communication and brand strategies.
In the bibliography you will find an article of mine where I develop more how to create digital communication strategies.
Identifying the best tactics
We will plan the tactics that will help us get customers to arrive automatically and in a sustained way. Inbound marketing and content creation will be our main tactics.
Creating the Online Action Plan
We will define a whole series of actions to achieve the objectives that we have set for ourselves. Actions to attract traffic to the website (SEO, SEM, network advertising, natural presence on social networks, presence in online media, presence in online markets and direct marketing [email marketing or Whatsapp marketing]). Actions to convert visits into customers (persuasion, trust and good user experience [UX]). And actions to build customer loyalty.
Controlling the Online Communication plan
We will create a measurement and control plan to ensure that the actions are leading us towards the proposed objectives. We will define KPI (Key Performance Indicators) and we will use some data visualization tool to easily interpret the data (we can use the control panel of google Analytics, or use Google Data Studio and thus be able to aggregate data from more than one source).
You will have to work on all these points step by step, so that at the end of the process you have an Online Communication Plan that guarantees you to achieve the strategic objectives that you set for yourself, and an action plan that allows you not to have to improvise.
You will find more information here:
- Article that will help you define communication strategies: The 6 marketing communication techniques applied to the internet.
- Here I explain how to calculate the conversion rates of a website. You will need it for the sales funnel and for setting goals.
- article in which Hubspot explains how to do a SWOT. In this article they also explain how to apply a CAME although they do not call it a CAME analysis. It also includes templates and examples. It is super well explained, I recommend it 100%.
- Book in which I explain how to make a digital communication plan: Guide to create your action plan online.
- Link to the article Government of Andorra that talks about the course.
I hope this article will help you.
As always, receive a big hug.
We're going talking.