Here is the Planning & Writing template used with new clients when beginning an engagement. This helps both of us size up a potential strategic direction for a successful project to take shape.

Note: if you were expecting an M.I.T. decision-tree matrix, I apologize. A company I once worked for felt compelled to spend nearly $300,000 on such a tool, never to be used again after one viewing. It was the fastest vaporization of $300,000 I had ever witnessed.

Your industry status

Describe your industry or your category within the industry. Is it growing? Stagnant? Shrinking? Why?  Or do you know? (in which case would some basic research be in order?) What is the outlook for the next 3-5 years?

Your position within the industry

Are you a quality leader? A price-only leader? Are you an innovation driver, or an organization that succeeds by adopting and refining established standards? Is this positioning succeeding? Will it succeed in the future?

What do your customers/stakeholders think of you?

Do you have any formal or informal customer feedback or opinions captured? How do customers talk about you? What are their frustrations, their praises, their points of indifference? 

Do you consider your product brand,  company brand or organization to be unique and distinct within your market?

If so, how? Do your customers or stakeholders share your own assessment of your brand characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses?

What are your business or organizational goals for the next 3-5 years?

What strategies are in place to accomplish those goals?

What communication plans are in place to support your business goals and strategies?

What competitive factors are taking shape that could disrupt or enhance your aspriations?

Is your field consolidating or expanding? Are economic factors taking shape that could soon impact your perceived value? Are there emerging technologies or community/audience segments that may bolster or threaten your position? 

Now that we have gathered these valuable touchpoints, let's build a high-impact communication plan!