In my last entry, I presented my case for public relation and how it benefits business. However, the exception is that a campaign has to planned and done right in order for it to work. Sending out a press release for the sake of sending one out or using social media without a strategy in place is much like going leaving California to go to some other state. You don’t know where you’ll end up or if you will be better off than you were before – much less if the new location will meet any of your requirements.
In business, it isn’t smart to do something without the end in mind. So I’ve created these handy guidelines that can help you plan your public relations campaign with knowledge and with your short-term and long-term goals in mind.
1. What are the objectives of the campaign (or what is it that you want to get out of it in order to benefit your business)?
- Establish your expertise among your peers, the press, or your potential clients or customers?
- Build goodwill among your customer, supplier, or your community?
- Create and reinforce your brand and professional corporate image?
- Inform and create good perceptions regarding your company and services?
- Assist you in introducing a new service or product to your market?
- Generate sales or leads?
- Mitigate the impact of negative publicity and/or corporate crisis?
2. Who is your target audience?
- Who is your campaign geared to? The public? A specific trade? A particular age-group or demographic?
- What influences their personal/professional lives?
- What type of mediums do they gather information from?
3. What tools will you use to implement your plan?
- Press releases
- Articles
- Customer Success Stories
- Letters to the Editor
- Press Conferences, Interview, or Media Tours
- Radio, Television, or Press Interviews
- Seminars or Speaking Engagements
- Event Sponsorships
- Blogs
- Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, other specific ones)
4. How can you leverage the time of year or current events to benefit your campaign?
- Can your campaign tie into the season?
- Can it tie into any current events?
- Can you solve any issues affecting your target audience?
- What trends are there on the horizon?
5. How did your campaign measure up ? (This step should ALWAYS be completed at the end or at some specific time frame within the campaign. The best bet is to evaluate and then make adjustments to the campaign).
- Did you meet your objectives
- What kind of challenges did you face? What could be done to avoid these challenges?
- What worked?
- What were your results?
With these guidelines in mind, you are better equipped to plan your campaign and meet your goals. You have a purpose and can move forward with your vision and mission, instead of just existing aimlessly.
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