Communications Planning

We’re always here to help faculty, staff, and students in the college succeed. Follow our checklist below to help us determine where our expertise can help you the most.

Considerations

Contact your department communicator first

It’s possible your unit or department may already have a similar project in progress. We suggest checking in with your communicator first, since they may have assets and projects.

We'll help you evaluate what you need

The form below triggers a meeting with your communicator, so that we’re all on the same point. Through that, we can help you determine if your project is feasible and how best to implement it.

Timing and deadllines

Please allow us plenty of time to work with you on your project. Typically, we need a minimum of 2-3 weeks advance notice to begin work on projects.

If a project is more in-depth, such as a website that needs programming, that may take more time.

Just need a correction or have a suggestion? Use our Help Desk

Web Ops/Comms Help Desk

Note: For computer software or hardware, network, or server concerns, please use the ETS help desk instead.

Checklist

Step #1: Outcomes

Let's try to determine the desired outcome of your communication

Examples: someone signs up for an event, funds a design project, posts on social media, etc.

  • What is the intention of this message?
  • Does the outcome require an immediate or longer term response?
  • What kind of response do you want?
  • How do you determine if it succeeded?

Step #2: Audience

Who are your audience members and stakeholders?

Examples: prospective students, graduate students, researchers at other institutions, general public, etc.

  • Does the communication need to address multiple audiences?
  • Is your audience internal or external to the college? To the university overall? To industry?

Step #3: Voice

What is the voice and/or tone of the communication?

Examples: stern warning from administration, happy and relaxed message to prospective students, straightforward research tone, etc.

  • What kind of language and phrasing will impact your intended audience?
  • Does this need multiple voices for different audiences?
  • Are there ways of communicating, especially specific terms, that you want to avoid?

Step #4: Channels

What communication channels do you think it needs?

Examples: printed flyer, social media post, article, display screen, etc.

  • What methods do you want to use to get the message out?
  • Is it through a single channel? Multiple channels?
  • Keep your budget in mind.

Step #5: Delivery

Get the message ready and deliver it

Examples: designing, writing, editing, posting, approvals, etc.

  • Who is the single point of contact? Can they make final decisions?
  • Do you have a solid timeline for final delivery?
  • Have you double-checked facts, grammar, copyrights, tone, and technology?
  • Are you sure this is the right time to send the message, or that it’s the right message to send out?

Step #6: Monitoring

Track metrics and feedback from the communication

Examples: number of new event registrations, Google Analytics, social media post likes, etc.

  • Who is responsible for setting up and monitoring metrics?
  • Who is responsible to answer questions generated from the communication?
  • Over how much times does monitoring need to occur?
  • How are metric shared? Who needs to see them?

Ready to contact us?

Fill in the form below to get started.

We do communications work specifically for the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, and this form is an internal request for our staff and faculty, departments and programs, and affiliated organizations. 

Do you need technical website updates or programming, or new installations?

The college’s Web Operations team works with internal faculty, staff, and organizations for all website installation, programming, web tools, and administration. Please use the Web Project Request Form to get started.

Edits to existing webpage

Webpage content changes, corrections, spelling/grammar, WordPress/site questions

Missing web pages, web access requests, or script errors

Individual web page errors, script/web programming problems. Note: for server issues or computer help please contact Engineering Technology Services instead.

Edits to existing print/media or content questions

Replace/update print materials and PDFs, branding/content questions, existing logo/layout requirements and files

New communications projects

Communications and marketing plans, advertising, new graphic/web/multimedia projects, event communications support

Not sure? Start with the Web Ops/Comms Help Desk Home Page

Note: For computer software/hardware, network, or server concerns, please use the ETS help desk instead.

Initial project/contact form

Not sure what you need, or just need to set up a discussion with us? Start with the quick contact form!

This will give us some general information to get started with, and we can contact you for more detailed information.

  • Webpage content changes
  • Corrections
  • File/image changes
  • WordPress/Elementor questions
  • Branding/content questions
  • Grammar issue, misspelling, or incorrect link

Detailed project form

If you’ve worked with us before and/or have a lot of information for your project, our detailed project form allows you to send us all of your information up front.

Open detailed form and instructions

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