Five Steps to Building a Strategic Communications Plan
Too often, PR practitioners are viewed as tactical executors — writing press releases, pitching media or managing social media posts. But the true power of public relations lies in strategy.
A well-crafted strategic communications plan is the foundation of any successful campaign. It ensures every message aligns with your broader business objectives, driving measurable results that move your mission or bottom line forward.
At Peritus, our team includes four professionals accredited in public relations (APR), one of the highest designations in our field. Earning an APR requires mastering the development of strategic communications plans, an expertise we bring to every client partnership.
Not familiar with the APR or what it takes to build a strategic communications plan? Don’t worry — that’s where we come in. Here are five essential steps to building a communications plan that delivers results.
Step One: Conduct Research
Research is the backbone of any successful communications plan. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked due to time or budget constraints. But research doesn’t have to involve expensive focus groups or large-scale surveys. At a minimum, you need to establish a baseline understanding of your industry landscape before developing your strategy.
Our research begins during client onboarding. We conduct in-depth stakeholder interviews with internal teams and external partners, analyze competitors, explore aspirational organizations, and complete a comprehensive SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. This foundational research helps us set benchmarks, identify challenges and opportunities, and ensure our strategies are grounded in data rather than assumptions.
Additional research tactics commonly used in strategic campaigns include:
Stakeholder mapping: Identify key influencers, decision-makers and audiences relevant to your campaign.
Policy and legislative research: Understand elected officials’ positions and relevant policies that may impact your goals.
Listening tours: Gather insights through informal conversations with community members, partners or employees.
Media landscape assessment: Review coverage trends, sentiment and key voices in both traditional and digital outlets.
Step Two: Set Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics
Once you’ve gathered insights, the next step is to define what success looks like. A strong strategic plan follows this hierarchy:
Goals (Why): The big-picture outcome you want to achieve.
Example: Establish your organization as Alabama’s leading nonprofit serving children with special needs.
Objectives (What and By When): Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) milestones.
Example: Increase donations from the Birmingham community by 20% over the next year.
Strategies (How): The overarching approach you will take to reach your objectives.
Example: Position your organization as a trusted thought leader in the nonprofit space.
Tactics (Steps): The specific actions or tools that support your strategy.
Example: Secure guest columns in publications that your potential donors read.
When setting objectives, focus on measuring outcomes, not just outputs. Outputs, such as the number of press releases distributed or social media posts shared, track activity but don’t necessarily indicate impact. Outcomes measure the impact on your audience’s awareness, attitudes or behaviors. Tracking outcomes ensures your communications efforts are truly moving the needle.
Ask yourself:
Is the campaign shifting public perception?
Are more people engaging with the brand in meaningful ways?
Is there a measurable change in behavior?
Step Three: Outline Your Timeline, Budget and Materials
Creative ideas are only as good as their execution. A strategic plan must be realistic and actionable. You need a focused, attainable plan outlining:
A clear timeline: What needs to happen and when? Are there seasonal or industry-specific factors to consider?
A defined budget: What resources are available, and how should they be allocated for maximum impact?
Required materials: Do you need a media kit, creative assets, website updates or other tools to support your campaign?
This step helps prevent roadblocks and ensures your team stays aligned on expectations and priorities.
Step Four: Implement Your Campaign
With research-backed strategies and a clear roadmap in place, it’s time to execute. However, even the most well-planned campaigns must remain flexible. Media cycles shift, crises emerge and audience behaviors evolve. You must be agile and ready to adjust messaging, pivot tactics and reassess priorities in real time.
Step Five: Evaluate Your Campaign’s Success
A campaign isn’t complete without measuring impact. Evaluation allows you to answer critical questions like:
Did we achieve our objectives?
What worked well, and what challenges did we encounter?
How did budget and resources impact outcomes?
What insights can we apply to future campaigns?
Remember to evaluate outcomes, not just outputs. If you’re struggling to assess results, your objectives may not have been specific or measurable enough. That is OK. Every campaign provides an opportunity to learn, improve and inform the next plan.
At Peritus, we conduct post-campaign debriefs with clients to celebrate wins and identify areas for growth. By refining our approach based on data and experience, we ensure each campaign builds on the last, creating a cycle of continuous improvement.
Our Takeaway
Strategic communications is more than checking off a list of tactics. It’s about thoughtful research, intentional planning, focused implementation, honest evaluation and adaptability. By following these five steps, you can create a communications plan that drives awareness, influences behavior and generates meaningful results.
Want to see how our team can help elevate your communications strategy? Let’s talk.