Designing a communications plan requires both creativity et rigor. And in a competitive world, communications professionals are constantly looking for ways to optimize their strategies, reach their target audience and deliver impactful messages. Choosing the right tools to set up, monitor or create your communication plan can change everything.
This is why we have drawn up for you the Top 6 essential solutions for designing an effective communication plan. Whether you're a seasoned communicator or a beginner looking to sharpen your skills, this article is your ultimate guide to developing a solid, coherent and impactful plan.
Trello, to communicate and manage the plan internally
The establishment of a effective communication plan requires close coordination between all stakeholders in the company. This coordination is crucial to define the communication channels, their timing, whether in real time (synchronous) or delayed (asynchronous), and their frequency. These decisions should be made in collaboration with all teams involved in communication, from the product design team to the sales team.
To orchestrate these communication projects, Trello presents itself as a tool of choice. Designed for project management, Trello facilitates asynchronous communication, allowing each team member to share their ideas while having access to those of others. Its intuitive structure allows you to organize tasks, assign specific responsibilities and set clear deadlines.
Trello offers a free version, ideal for individual use or for small teams. For those looking for more advanced features, paid plans are available, ranging from €4,67 to €16,34/month.
If you're looking for alternatives to Trello, Asana and Monday.com are among the most popular and effective on the market.
Typeform, to better understand your audience
To establish an effective communication plan, it is very important to know your audience well. To do this, you can rely on the information given by Google Analytics or META Insights. But this is not enough. The ideal is to carry out surveys to better understand the real needs of your target, but also and above all their expectations in relation to your brand, your products and your communication.
Typeform is one of the best tools for knowing your audience. This simple and intuitive tool allows you to create forms and surveys with an attractive design thanks to numerous templates (free or paid). You can also create your questionnaire from A to Z because everything is customizable.
Prices range from €21/month to €75/month. The most basic plan includes unlimited forms and questions, with a maximum of 100 responses per month per user.
Alternatives to Typeform include Involve.me (no code), Feedier (for fun forms) or SurveyLegend (for responsive surveys).
Canva, for impactful visuals
In today's communications landscape, the importance of engaging and memorable visual content cannot be underestimated.
Canva is a online graphic design tool that democratizes design. With an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface and an extensive library of templates, images, and fonts, even those without prior design experience can create impressive visuals.
Although the templates are ready-made, Canva offers a total flexibility to personalize each element according to your needs. You can adjust colors, fonts, add graphic elements or even upload your own images. In addition to templates, Canva offers an extensive library of images, icons, graphics, and even videos, eliminating the need to search for external resources.
Once your design is complete, Canva allows for export in different formats, whether for print, the web or social networks. You can even create animated designs or videos.
There are many alternatives that offer varying functionality and may be better suited to certain specific needs, from Adobe Photoshop to Crello to Piktochart for infographics.
ChatGPT, to generate content
Chat GPT is a advanced artificial intelligence tool, designed to generate textual content. He is able to produce texts that are not only coherent, but also adapted to specific needs.
Once you have identified your communication channels, ChatGPT can help you fill those channels with relevant content. Whether you need product sheets, blog posts, video scripts, or any other type of content, ChatGPT can produce it. You just need to provide clear guidelines, such as the number of words, SEO optimization around a specific keyword, mandatory mentions, content plan, etc.
Although ChatGPT offers a free basic version, for those looking for increased performance and advanced features, there is a premium version (22,41€/month) giving you access to the latest updates and optimizations.
Mailchimp, for your emailing campaigns
One of the most common actions of an effective communication plan is the email campaign. Sending newsletters or automated emails helps build customer loyalty and strengthen the effectiveness of your action plans.
Mailchimp is one of the best emailing tools on the market: ergonomic, intuitive et easy to use, this tool does not require the installation of an application. It allows you to create newsletters based on templates and schedule their sending to mailing lists that you have defined. Mailchimp also allows you to analyze the efficacy of your campaigns through KPIs such as email opening rate.
A free version is available but it only includes one audience. For more features, it is possible to subscribe to one of the paid offers from €12,06/month.
Google Analytics, to measure and optimize your impact
If you can't measure the effectiveness of your efforts, how can you improve them? This is where Google Analytics comes in, an essential tool for any communications professional wishing to refine their strategy.
Google Analytics is a free tool offered by Google that allows you to track and analyze traffic on your website in detail. With a wealth of data and metrics, it provides a comprehensive view of how visitors interact with your content.
If you're running an advertising or marketing campaign, Google Analytics lets you track its effectiveness in real time. You can therefore adjust your strategy based on performance. On the SEO side, by understanding which keywords attract the most visitors to your site, you can refine your content to improve your search engine rankings.
Google Analytics lights your path, providing you with the data and insights you need to refine your communications plan and maximize your impact. Of course, other statistics tools can be complementary, such as META Insight or Youtube Analytics for example.
Matomo, Swatics and Piano Analytics are among the most used alternative solutions to Google Analytics.
In the bustling world of communication, having the right tools is more than an advantage, it is a need. The tools we explored in this article offer unique capabilities, designed to strengthen and refine your communications plan. Whether to analyze the behavior of your audience, create captivating visuals or orchestrate complex communication projects, these solutions are there to guide you.
But let's not forget that while tools can make the process a lot easier, the real magic lies in the strategy and creativity you bring to it ✨
