Erasmus Staff Mobility Week Workshop on Sapienza Communication Plan By Alessandra Barberis & Daniela Vingiani Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 1 What is a Communication Plan? A Communication Plan is essentially a strategic document which helps you to define the communication goals of your organization and the right means to achieve them. Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 2 Project Steps CLASSIC METHODOLOGY • • • • • • • • • • Preliminary benchmarking Analyze the context Determine goals Identify target audiences Select strategy Identify key messages Determine activities and channels of communication Listen to the target audiences Evaluation (impact assessment) Determine resources and budget Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 3 COMMUNICATION AS AN INTEGRATION ELEMENT (of both structures and professionals) Sapienza University is a wide and complex organization. Communication usually involves many different actors, very often not necessarily professionals. Sapienza has chosen to involve all the structures in the process. Thus the Communication plan also assumed the role of a connecting element. Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 4 HOW TO INTEGRATE A COMPLEX ORGANIZATION (1) The communication professionals in the central administration Ufficio del Rettore Ufficio stampa e comunicazione Urp Eventi Cerimoniale Centro InfoSapienza (ICT) Erasmus Staff Mobility Week UNIVERSITY’S COMMUNICATION April 12 2011 Ripartizione Studenti Sportello Ciao Sportello Hello Pagina 5 HOW TO INTEGRATE A COMPLEX ORGANIZATION (2) Central information and communication providers Dipartimento di comunicazione e ricerca sociale + Facoltà Ufficio Valorizzazione della ricerca RadioSapienza Promozione del brand scientifico (brand promotion) Medialab COMUNICAZIONE DI ATENEO Merchandising Ripartizione Attività edilizie (building activities) Tutela del marchio (brand protection) Segnaletica (roads and building directions) Erasmus Staff Mobility Week Settore Valorizzazione del patrimonio (real estates assets) April 12 2011 Pagina 6 HOW TO INTERGATE THE KNOWLEDGE Central and peripheral communication and information providers Rector Governance Administration Departments Museums and Libraries UNIVERSITY’S COMMUNICATION Faculties Research Centers Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 7 IDENTIFY YOUR GOALS It’s of paramount importance to ensure accordance between communication goals and strategic objectives. For this reason Sapienza Communication plan 2010 is inspired to the Strategic Plan 2007 – 2012, a document edited by the Strategic Evaluation Committee of the University. http://www.uniroma1.it/nvs/doc2007.htm Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 8 COMMUNICATION GOALS The Communication plan defines all communication objectives declined in specific actions to catty out within the relevant year (2010). The plan highlights also structures and people involved in each action and the relevant stakeholders. We set apart specific objectives and generic objectives. • Specific objectives are devoted to obtain particular results defined by the Rector and the Governance • Generic objectives are intended to improve general communication services and quality standards. Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 9 LISTENING TO THE TARGET AUDIENCES • Interviews with the Strategic Evaluation Committee • Identification of the offices involved in implementing the plan • Interviews with the “actors” involved in communication activity within the University This activity proved to be very useful also to assess the real state of communication processes within the University. Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 10 MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNICATION PLAN 2010 • • • • • • • • Excellent students, foreign students Communication services University web site, web 2.0, university media Direct mailing Institutional publications Internal and external events Communication campaigns Presence of the University in both national and international rankings • Brand, community and spaces exploitation • Media relations Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 11 HOW TO ORGANIZE INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION The list of objectives contained in the Plan corresponds to an integrated communication activity. This activity is carried out throughout a series of different channels and means and with the contribution of many “actors” involved. The first aim of the Communication plan is to coordinate and schedule this whole complex operation. Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 12 Attracting excellent students, attracting foreign students To achieve this goal communication measures alone are not enough. It’s necessary to increase scholarships and financial aids and to enhance the quality standards of communication services. Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 13 Affecting communication and information services It is necessary to: • Enhance information and support service via telephone • Activate a toll – free line • Set up an auto responder for basic information • Set the project of a real call center Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 14 Web site, web 2.0, university media • Reengineering of Sapienza Web site with a brand new information architecture and implementation of a CMS • Management of the presence of Sapienza University on the web 2.0 (Facebook, Twitter YouTube) • Integration of the University media (RadioSapienza) in the web communication Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 15 Direct mailing • Consolidation of existing communication products (newsletters) sent via mailing lists • Campaign to increase the number of students using e-mail addresses within our web domain Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 16 Institutional publications Mainly we have considered three different types of publications: • A general presentation of the university (both in Italian and in English) • A guide to procedures and services for international students (in English) • A guide to services for students Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 17 Internal and external events • Communication on main internal events (such as the inauguration of the academic year, the research day, the open days dedicated to prospective students) • Participation in the main university fairs and PA expositions Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 18 Communication campaigns Systematization of previous campaigns on specific topics: • destination of 5 per thousand of taxes in favor of the university (February – June) • Promotion of Sapienza merchandising (November December). Means: postings, web site, direct mailing Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 19 Presence in university rankings • Act on the parameters used to evaluate • Direct communication activity about the position of Sapienza through different channels (Press office, web site and so on.) Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 20 Brand, community and real estate exploitation • Promotion of Sapienza Merchandising • Brand exploitation related to the impact of our research activity on consumer products • Real estate assets exploitation Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 21 Media relations Media promotion of scientific news through the Press Office activity and within specific projects (Atomium culture). Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 22 Evaluation and impact assessment • Interviews with all the “actors” involved in the editing of the Communication plan to verify both the actions for 2010 and the prospects for 2011 • Interviews with some key stakeholders (Rector, governance, students) • Public convention as a moment to exchange ideas and analyze the outcomes among internal professionals and external observers and analysts Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 23 Thank you for your kind attention! Erasmus Staff Mobility Week April 12 2011 Pagina 24