Rich Uncle Pennybags: budgets and resources?

Communication work is costly and labour-intensive. Following: basic ideas for resource planning in the communication of medium-sized companies.

Communication goals! This is important!

Defining communication goals is often a challenge for medium-sized businesses. The focus is often on “the actual work,” and there is a lack of specialized knowledge preventing this. As a result, companies and organizations become dependent on providers who create isolated solutions and do not consider communication as a whole. However, a holistic approach to communication is essential, as budgets and resources need to be planned long-term and across various areas to maximize their impact.

The goal is in the way!

“We need a website now, without knowing the content and its purpose!” Implementation often outpaces conception at a rapid pace, bypassing research. As a result, work is repeatedly started anew. Messages are constantly reinvented, target audiences are addressed here and there, and the design keeps changing.

Communication works best when built step by step. First, you clarify the subject matter, then assess your audience, and finally consider how to convey your message. Only after that, the implementation begins.

Media planning: Your friend and helper.

A good media planning includes all communication measures over a specific period of time on all relevant channels of a company. It outlines when something starts and when it ends, how everything is interconnected, and to whom and where communication is directed.

The advantage is that content, with an overview, can be reused repeatedly and in different contexts. The texts of a book, for example, can also be published on a website, provided this was considered from the beginning. The design of a brochure can later be reused in the form of a catalog. The photos from the last company event can be used on social media. It’s all a matter of planning.

But how much does it actually cost?

Admittedly, in the field of communication, there is a multitude of providers with varying quality and very different prices.

Communication tasks can often be solved in various ways. The approach to development and implementation should be tailored to the needs and requirements of the client. Therefore, it’s advisable to gather input from different perspectives and obtain cost estimates.

Budget constraints are positive?

Resources in communication are always limited. Therefore, it’s helpful to prioritize customer groups and consolidate resources. This way, customer groups can be worked on over an extended period until the communication goal is achieved. Moreover, budget constraints often lead to creative solutions. In the end, there’s nothing easier and more boring than spending money. But creating something exciting and functional with limited means is truly enjoyable and distinguishes effective communication.

Internal versus external resources.

The goal should always be to implement planned projects with the available resources. Whether this is done through internal or external work is not crucial. Just because projects are carried out by employees within the company doesn’t automatically mean they are cost-effective. Do the employees also have the necessary skills? Sometimes yes! Sometimes external consulting can work wonders. However, sometimes employees may not be able to successfully execute the work, often because they weren’t originally hired for it. Therefore, it’s important to understand when internal and external resources are appropriate.

In conclusion: Continuity is crucial!

In conclusion, it remains to say that resource planning only makes sense if it is carried out continuously and honestly. Dressed-up numbers and timings are useless. It is negligent to start resource planning for the coming year at the end of December. Efficient communication work can be carried out even with limited communication budgets, provided that it is planned in a long-term and goal-oriented manner.