ABSTRACT
No communication strategy will be complete without a budget and a schedule for implementing it. These two elements of strategic communication plan help practitioners manage what needs to be done from receiving a client’s brief to evaluating its success.
An implementation plan that comprises these elements means practitioners can make sure goals and objectives are achieved because it sets out the steps and time needed to write, design, produce and distribute the communication tools identified in the strategic plan; to prepare a budget, and to schedule an evaluation.
This chapter also shows students a method for calculating charge-out rates for a communication consultant’s time spent on implementing the plan—important information for writing a budget. The chapter introduces students to planning tools that can also be used as checklists for work-in-progress meetings. And it discusses how in-house practitioners can work professionally with external consultants, designers and contractors who build displays or set up exhibitions.
The final exercise in the chapter is about including a budget, checklist and timeline into students’ strategic plan.
After working through this chapter, students should have an insight into how a strategic communication plan works in a systematic way.
