Woodland Strategies assists small businesses and nonprofits in creating, implementing and evaluating strategic plans, marketing plans and communications plans for their organizations.
All these tools help leadership understand their organization, and where they are going. Plans like these help to prevent “mission creep,” and they provide teams and leaders the opportunity to be as efficient as possible in their daily operations. This helps organizations remain relevant and inspiring to their core base.
A strategic plan is an overarching and broad plan to assess and describe an organization’s messaging and goals while accounting for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Bryson and George, 2024). A solid strategic plan also considers risk assessment and risk management. When it is well-done, a dynamic strategic plan is meant to provide direction for organizational leadership by staying off the bookshelf and being actively incorporated into the organization. A strategic plan defines the organization’s direction and establishes and serves as a basis for marketing and communications plans.
A well-constructed marketing plan builds on the strategic plan by detailing the organization’s ideal client, or “target market.” Astute market research, focus groups, surveys and other tools provide leadership with information in terms of additional products or services and programs that may benefit the customer base (Moore, 2024). A marketing plan continues to define an organization by identifying key differentiating factors that meet customer needs. This can help to reduce focus on competition and create blue ocean space for ongoing innovation (Kim and Mauborgne, 2024). All of this information provides insights as to the location of a client and which messages will most likely appeal to the target customer.
A communications plan is an in-depth description of how an organization can plan to broadcast their message to the public. This kind of plan generally comes after the marketing plan and integrates all forms of communications as well as a calendar into one plan. A communications plan ultimately answers how a brand will reach their market. There are a wide variety of communication channels to achieve this goal. An effective communications plan should include;
- Goals,
- Identified Target Audience and Objectives,
- Key Messaging,
- Communication Strategies,
- Timeline, and
- Evaluation Efforts.
All of these should be consistent with the established branding. Ultimately, a communications plan is a strategic outline for any organization to deliver reliable, coordinated and targeted messaging to achieve specific goals (UF/IFAS, 2017).
Strong planning is essential for any organization looking to stand out as a trusted partner for its clients. By identifying key differentiating factors and by using research-based strategies, your organization can clearly define its ideal client and target market.
Woodland Strategies has assisted clientele in their organizational planning since 2013. With locations in Minneapolis, MN, Phoenix, AZ and Sarasota, FL, we offer our clients a comprehensive approach that emphasizes the creation of dynamic strategic, marketing and communication plans that serve as roadmaps for leadership, while systematically evaluating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We believe that vigorous planning is essential for fostering growth and achieving measurable outcomes, and we are committed to being your trusted partner in this journey. Our collaborative approach ensures that we work closely with you to develop tailored strategies that align with your specific goals and aspirations. We invite you to take the first step towards transforming your organization by connecting with us today. Explore how our personalized consulting services can support your team. Connect with us today!