Unit Marketing Communications Planning

Unit marketing communications planning

Developing a marketing and communications plan for your unit is an ongoing process.

1. Listen and learn

• Meet with your department leadership and gain a better understanding for their goals for the organization.

• Talk with fellow staff members in your unit.

• Listen to feedback from your main audiences: students, faculty and staff, and alumni. 

  • Organize focus groups or distribute surveys as needed.

• Review website analytics, UndergradSERU and GradSERU survey data for your unit, and any other data available to you.

2. Conduct a SOAR analysis

A good marketing and communications plan starts with analyzing your current situation. Although a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis is the traditional approach, SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results) focuses on what the organization already does well, and on converting weaknesses and threats into opportunities.

Learn more about conducting your own SOAR analysis.

3. Meet with your unit leadership

Discuss the draft of your SOAR Analysis with your leadership, get input, and use that input to begin building out a marketing and communications plan.

4. Draft your marketing and communications plan

Once you have reviewed your SOAR analysis with leadership and agreed upon goals, review this example plan from Educational Psychology for ideas on how to get started. (Note: This plan uses a SWOT rather than SOAR analysis.)

Example marketing and communications plan (Ed Psych 2022-23)

5. Review your plan with leadership

Share your plan with leadership. Note: This plan can also help drive your personal goals.

6. Share your plan with your unit

Even if it's just posting your plan to your department intranet, share your plan with your department. It will ensure they know there is one and will help you hold yourself accountable to making progress on your goals.

7. Revisit and revise your plan regularly

Set meetings at least once a year to review your communications and marketing goals. (Summer is a good time to work on these!)