You really should have an idea of what your content strategy budget is.

After all, you might have the most amazing strategy lined up, but if you don’t have the money to back it up, it will fall over quickly. A budget helps you figure out how you will deliver your communication objectives (you have objectives, right?).

Let’s look at five things you might want to consider when putting together your communications strategy and budget:

1.     Time

An effective strategy takes time to plan and implement. Don’t expect to develop a strategy and have it rolling out in a few weeks without delivering inconsistent, confusing, contradictory, or inaccurate messaging that may damage your image and relationships with your audience.

2.     People-power

If you have ten people implementing your strategy, you can do much more than if you have one or two people. If you don’t have enough work to hire full-time staff, working with freelancers can help you deliver your content.

3.     Access to skills

Let’s say you have a great team to implement your content strategy. All of the people in your team are highly skilled at making beautiful videos, but part of your strategy includes 3D animation. If you want this animation, you’ll probably want to hire a freelance animator.

4.     Equipment

Your team of videographers may be ready for action, but if you don’t have the equipment they need or the ability to purchase or hire the equipment, they aren’t going to be able to do very much.

5.     Services

You may need to purchase subscriptions to new services or upgrade what you have. This includes access to stock photos, social media management tools, and even your website.