This practical planning guide seeks to help you to develop and deliver effective solutions to behavioural challenges. It draws on evolving best practice in social marketing and builds on the many lessons that have been learned over the past few years.
The guide sets out six key stages to the social marketing planning process: a broad framework for you to work within as you develop an approach that suits your needs. Most social marketing interventions will move through these six stages in turn.
At each stage a number of ‘Task Areas’ are identified which describe the kinds of activities you may need to carry out. Within each Task Area, specific tasks are described in more detail, including setting out how you might carry out the task with helpful tips and advice.

Throughout the practical planning guide, whether you are at a key stage, a Task Area, or a specific task, there are tools for you to use. These tools can be downloaded and adapted to fit your needs.
How do I use it?
Using this guide is very easy. You can either work through it in a systematic way following the planning process and/or dip in and out of appropriate sections or tasks as required.
The main content is divided into the six stages: getting started; scoping; development; implementation; evaluation; and follow-up. Each of these, plus a section on resources, can be accessed by clicking on the horizontal navigation bar at the top of the page.
When you click on one of the six stages on the navigation bar, you will see an introduction to the stage and, down the left hand side of the page, a list of the main task areas within that stage. When you click on a task area, you get a brief description and an opportunity to access more detailed information in the form of specific tasks.
At any time, you can access tools that might help you by clicking on the ‘tools icon’. All of the tools can also be accessed at any time from the resources drop down menu on the main navigation bar.