To build a simple by effective communications strategy, ask, "Who do we want to reach, and what actions do we want them to take?"

This will help identify your target audiences, and focus the thinking of what you would like your communications to achieve. 

Then ask, "How can tools available to us (social media, local tourist offices) help us reach these audiences in a meaningful, effective way?" 

Goals and objectives

Principles of good communications objectives are:

• They derive from your wider chaplaincy objectives.
• The two key questions in this process are “what is the chaplaincy trying to achieve?” and “how can our communications help do it?” They focus not just on outputs (how many leaflets, posters or social media posts are shared) but also on outcomes (the behaviour or action you wish to see in your audience).
• They focus your activity, so there should not be too many of them. Aim for five or less. The more specific and measurable you make them, the more focused and efficient your communications will be.

Below are some examples of what communications can help with, in a chaplaincy context:

• Increase the intended audience’s knowledge and awareness of the chaplaincy.
• Increase the intended audience’s awareness of a chaplaincy project/event/activity.
• Influence attitudes that may change social norms (being more eco-conscious, etc).
• Prompt action (donate to the chaplaincy, etc).
• Demonstrate or illustrate what a Christ-centred life looks like.
• Advocate a position on local social issues.

Use the template below to help you draft your communications objectives.

Identify audiences

What audiences do you want to reach? You may want to touch multiple audiences to fulfil the same goal (i.e. grow the congregation, more attendees at your fundraiser event). While your goal may be the same, you should tailor the messaging to the audience.

To tailor the messages, work out where does that audience find their information from - is it local facebook groups, noticeboards, newsletters, and then make sure your tailored messages are in those areas. 

An effective way of capturing an audience’s attention is with a steady, consistent stream of communications, using different channels to reach them and to reinforce your messages.

The following principles and communications plan should guide you through this process. 

Principles for good communications activity planning

Effective communication is more than a having a website or social media presence.

What are you going to say once you have an audience’s attention? How are you going to develop that initial interest you have generated?

Build a relationship

Where possible, plan to engage your audiences over a course of time. Warm up your audience before asking for something in return.

Be aware of external factors

Is there a time of year that these communications might seem particularly relevant? Are there any external events or announcements that will lend your communications extra relevance? Or is there a local issue (natural disaster, etc.) meaning it won't reach your intended audience?

Use a variety of different communications channels

Use them simultaneously to reinforce your messages (ie a media article is published, is shared on Facebook, and followed up with an e-newsletter)

Tailor your communications to specific audience groups, especially if they have different needs and levels of knowledge. This will mean adapting materials for different audiences.

Use the 'Communications planning template' below to summarise your main decisions on your target audience, what you want that communications action to achieve, the message/s you aim to get across, what channel/s you will use and when you will do it. 

Audience mapping and prioritising is about identifying the people most relevant, willing and able to help you meet your goals and objectives.  

If you understand what your most important audiences are, you can tailor your communications to their specific interests, needs and motivations.  

The better you know your audiences, and the more you tailor your communications to them, the more effective your communications will be. This may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked.

There are two stages to this part of this process, outlined below, that you may wish to sit down with a group from the chaplaincy and brainstorm. 

Identifying your audiences

In this first stage of finding your audience, brainstorm all the groups, organisations and individuals who you could reasonably engage with to achieve your goals.

Prioritising your audiences 

After you have identified all of the audiences you could engage with to achieve your objectives, the next task is to prioritise the most important ones. In doing this, you can focus your time and communications resources on reaching the people who can help achieve your objectives in the most efficient way.

The most efficient way of conducting this exercise is to use the same people involved in the mapping of your audiences. Others can join in, but by including those who have contributed to the first stage of the process you should be able to complete this task quickly. Allow at least an hour to complete the exercise.

Identifying your priorities

Ideally, you are looking to identify four priority audiences.

The most easily engaged will be those in the top right. It is most efficient to make between one and four from this quadrant your priority audiences. In some circumstances, you may wish to target those in the top left (low interest/high ability). However, be aware it is likely to require more time and resources to engage these audiences.

It is rare to prioritise any audiences in the bottom two quadrants – although you may decide to keep those in the bottom right (high interest/low ability) informed.

If you have too many audiences in top quadrants and need to narrow down further, you can ask each participant to ‘vote’ for their preferred priorities and see if a consensus emerges. Otherwise, you will need to assign the final choice to one member of the team.

Developing and maintaining a set of key messages is an important communications task. Good messaging provides a focus and consistency to your communications, as well as clarity and reinforcement for your audiences.

Some principles of effective message creation are:

Good messages consider your objectives

What do we need this audience to do? They are written to appeal to your audience’s interests and concerns. In a local chaplaincy setting, these may include an individuals seeking a British community or addressing local social issues.

Keep it simple

Effective messages are able to put across the key points and phrase them in a way that your audiences can understand quickly. Even a complex issue can be ‘broken down’ into smaller, easier to understand messages.

Variety in your messaging

You may need to vary messages to appeal to different audiences.

Use the language that your audiences use

Try to avoid using jargon.

Test your messages

Those involved in the process of developing messages become too close to them. Always test messages with a small sample from the target audience.

Use the below template and prompt questions to think about and distil some messages for your next project or event promotion. Note: this template is intended to act as a guide for you and the chaplaincy to improve your communications and not for public distribution.