Creating and Implementing the Action Plan

After developing your messages and generating ideas for your marketing plan, it’s time to craft an action plan that includes goals, strategies, tactics, who’s responsible, measurable outcomes (metrics), and methods for tracking progress.

Step-by-Step Process for the Action Plan

Your first step is to bring together a core group of administrators and staff who should be aware of the marketing plan and who may be assigned responsibility for tasks. Begin by asking your group to review information generated from the marketing plan development process.

Collaborate as a group to:

• Prioritize the activities based on strategic goals and available resources
• Assign tasks related to the activities
• Set metrics to measure outputs and outcomes
• Determine existing tools that will allow you to measure metrics

Using the action plan template created by Public Affairs, develop a one- to two-year working plan tied to your unit’s overall goals. Focus on top priorities first, choosing the audiences and marketing methods that align with those priorities in order to invest new resources in effective areas.  Develop a matrix that includes the following information.

I. Goal

II. Strategy

• Each strategy ties to a goal and an audience
• No more than five strategics per goal

III. Target Audience

• Who will be impacted by the following action

IV. Action or Tactic for Communications Plan

• Each action ties to a strategy
• No more than five actions per strategy

V. Assigned To

• Set responsibilities for actions and tactics

VI. Desired Long-Term Outcomes

• Measurable and achievable within the funding cycle
• Highly valued

VII. Measures or Metrics

• At least one metric tied to each strategy
• Capitalize on existing data
• Use naturally occuring data collection points
• Recurring measures
• Reliablity and validity
• Baseline for change

See a sample action plan.

Implement the action plan and evaluate progress every three months.