Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

Do you plan your content? You should.

"Begin with the end in mind" - classic 7 Habits of Highly Effective People material right there. There's a reason why it's stood the test of time and is still just as applicable to today. 

The same idea applies to communication and content. Whether you’re a small business, a non-profit organization, or somewhere in between, you need a plan for what to say, who to say it to, and why it matters.

Too often organizations, people, teams get bogged down with the "we need to post," or "I have no idea what to write," or "there just isn't enough time to do it all." That may be true, in the moment, but the best content strategy starts with a plan.

The goal isn't to post more, write more, send more. It's to communicate on purpose. "Begin with the end in mind," Stephen R. Covey.

A plan defines what success looks like, who needs to hear from you, and what message will move them. Without that clarity, content becomes reactive, a string of disconnected updates instead of a cohesive story.

Yes, developing a content plan, a communications plan, a social media plan takes time. Yes, it can be an arduous process. And yes, planning can take on a life of its own (shameless plug - that's where I can help!!) But a plan is necessary or you, your team, your organization will waste far more time muddling through without one. 

We have a saying in mounted shooting - smooth is fast. It isn't about more actions, it's about planning your best route and executing that plan. It will always save you time over backtracking, making things up as you go, or recovering from missteps. 

From Reactive to Intentional

Without a plan, communication stays reactive—a string of disconnected updates that sound busy but say very little. With a plan, communication becomes intentional—each piece fits into a larger story that moves people to act.

A plan does three simple but powerful things:

1. Defines success. What are we trying to accomplish? Awareness, sales, recruitment, education. Be specific.

2. Clarifies audience. Who needs to hear from you, and what do they care about?

3. Connects the dots. Every message, visual, and post should point back to that goal and audience.

Why Content Fails

When there’s no clear direction, every post starts from zero. Teams spend time creating content that fills space but doesn’t serve a purpose. You can’t measure progress because there was never a defined outcome in the first place.

Once those pieces are clear, the work gets easier, not harder. Ideas come faster because they have direction. Decisions get simpler because you know what fits. Results improve because you’re tracking what matters.

It's not a content problem. It's a planning problem

I’ve been developing a simple way to help organizations build that clarity and turn it into consistent, meaningful content, one that makes the work feel structured instead of scattered. That’s what I’ll be sharing in upcoming editions and in public presentations. Stay tuned.