Don’t Skip the Comms Plan

“No one bothers with comms plans anymore.”

“Do we really need a whole plan just to send a few emails and post on socials?”

“We don’t have time to make a plan. We just need to get the message out.”

Have you heard these objections? If you’ve worked in communications, marketing, public relations, or leadership, you may have. Or maybe you’ve even said them yourself! It’s easy to see communications planning as optional, or even outdated. In the fast-moving, always-connected modern world, who has time to plan, right?

However, in reality, skipping the planning stage often leads to confusion, missed opportunities, and inconsistent messaging.

Let’s tackle a few common misconceptions about communications planning.

Misconception 1: Things move too fast

It’s easy to see why someone might think this. The internet never sleeps, microtrends come and go in a matter of hours, and reactionary content can ride the coattails of virality. These points are all true. However, without a plan, rushing to release content can result in mistakes or missteps that damage your brand reputation.

If you do have a plan guiding your overall communications strategies, you’ll be better positioned to quickly react or pivot to align with current events, crises, or new, relevant trends in a way that is true to your brand, your message, and your voice. You and your team can make quicker, more confident decisions because your core messages, roles, and audiences are already defined.

Misconception 2: We can just post it on social media

Social media has changed a lot of the ways we communicate as businesses. The instant access to the public on multiple platforms has removed some of the barriers to getting your message out there. Unfortunately, it has also removed some of the checks and balances that protected your image. Sure, it’s easy to just throw things up on social media, but if you want your brand or business to be taken seriously, you need a plan.

Many believe that social media content can be more spontaneous and informal with no need for upfront planning. But without planning, your social media messaging risks inconsistency, brand damage, or audience confusion. A good plan ensures that your messages are strategic, timely, and cohesive across channels.

Misconception 3: We don’t have time

Sometimes planning is seen as a luxury, and when people are busy, they prioritize doing over preparing. They dive in with the assumption that everyone is on the same page or that they can just figure it out as they go. But assumptions can lead to gaps. Having a plan in place forces clarity and ensures that time isn’t wasted with miscommunication or duplicated effort.

This is especially true for smaller organizations or non-profits who may have relied on on-the-fly updates and reactive communication somewhat successfully until now, but find themselves struggling to define and communicate their mission, vision, and values to their stakeholders and audience.

Misconception 4: It’s just bureaucratic red tape

Creating a communications plan may seem like just another document to check off, especially if you’ve worked in an environment where plans were ineffective or filed away and forgotten. It’s easy to associate planning with paperwork that slows things down rather than moving them forward. But when done well, a streamlined plan is a roadmap, not red tape. It isn’t about adding to your workload with added layers to check off. Instead, it’s about creating focus.

The key to this focus is to keep it tailored to meet the real-world needs of your organization. This means crafting a plan that is actionable, flexible, and actually used by the people doing the communicating and not gathering dust in a shared drive.

Strategy isn’t optional

Some of these misconceptions might sound familiar, but they don’t hold up. A well-crafted comms plan isn’t a barrier to fast, creative work; it’s the foundation that makes it possible. It gives your team clarity, direction, and a shared understanding of what success looks like. It prevents confusion, protects your brand, and ensures that every message you send serves a purpose. No matter your communication needs, a clear plan helps you move forward with intention, not reaction.

If you’re ready to move from scattered messaging to strategic communication, we can help! We will help you craft a communications plan designed to save you time, clarify your messaging, and set you up for success.

Ready to get strategic in your communications?

Let's build a plan that moves you forward.