Managers: Should Your PR Budget Stress Tactics or Strategy?
If you're in charge of a communications plan for your company, then you're out of excuses. Managers need to understand the role of public relations. The value comes from a strategy that is measured and executed against business goals. It's not enough to just have a good idea; successful PR campaigns are measured by their success in driving the business forward through communication channels such as social media, press releases, blogs, advertising etc. This means that it's important to let go off the pure 'stressing tactics' and focus on strategy instead. Read on for six tips for making your public relations work for you.
Let Go of the Stress Tactics
Companies that are still relying on 'stress tactics' to get their messages out might be missing the big picture. Public relations has evolved into a modern marketing channel that is part of integrated marketing communications. It's not just used to tell a company's story, it can also be used as a tactic in sales and customer support by providing accurate information and advice to customers and prospects.
In fact, companies that rely on stress tactics in PR will see their efforts backfire over time because they don't have any strategy behind their messages. Customers like to interact with a brand that has substance, which is why stress tactics are counter-productive – customers pick up on them and it creates a negative sentiment toward the brand. So, let go of stress tactics and focus on strategy instead!
The 12-Step Program for Business
1) Get business goals, objectives and key results to support your PR plan.
2) Break these goals into tactics and action plans that cover the various communication mediums.
3) Decide how you will measure the impact of PR on business objectives. This is important because it shows the value of what you are doing, instead of just using reporting as a measurement tool.
4) Make sure that your plan links back to the business goals and objectives.
5) Hire a PR firm that has experience in integrated marketing communications.
6) Let your PR agency put its strategic thinking cap on, rather than just sending out press releases or writing ad copy.
7) Use digital and social media as a way to reach new audiences, either through existing websites or through third-party platforms such as Facebook or Google+.
8) Build a portfolio of relationship media contacts in order to tell your story. These will be reporters (online and offline), bloggers, TV and newspaper reporters who are interested in the subject matter of your company.
9) Identify the media outlets that would be most receptive to your business story, and target them with thought-through messages.
10) Create a media content calendar to support your PR plan. This will help you decide on when, where and how often you need to get in touch with the media. Start with local outlets first, then work your way up to national and international news sources.
11) Identify the different communication channels through which you can reach out to customers, prospects and partners. A good idea is also to ask experts within your industry to offer their input on where they think the communications mix will be most effective in driving business forward (read: profit).
12) Set your PR budget and try to stick to it.
13) Make sure that you select the right mix of media and that you follow through with the messaging. You might think that contacting a news outlet is enough, but that's not enough anymore; it is increasingly important to use social media to get a company's message out there. It's all about using multiple channels for maximum impact.
14) If a company is serious about getting their story out there, then they have to be prepared for backlash. While it can be very useful in breaking free of old stigmas and creating a new reputation, public relations often provokes strong emotions among readers who are either eager or excited by what they read online. How you react to negative feedback can be key to how your company is perceived.
15) Keep watch at all times for PR crises, and make sure that you have a plan of action to deal with them. Remember: the first 24 hours are crucial for getting into control of a PR crisis.
16) Make sure that your communications plan has its own metrics, so that you can effectively measure how well it is doing in achieving business objectives.
17) Get help from an external agency if necessary; even established brands go back to the drawing board every once in a while.
18) No matter how good your PR strategy is, it will be worthless if it is not backed up by smart strategic marketing or business management. Without that, you are just wasting everyone's time and money.
19) There is no such thing as a bad PR plan, so long as you focus on the right business objectives and measure its effectiveness with metrics.
20) Public relations is all about measuring the impact of a message on a reader's mind. There are many ways to do this, including surveys, focus groups and online media monitoring tools in order to get live feedback from readers and consumers.
21) While there may be disagreements about how to measure the performance of a PR plan, one thing is for sure: it has to be measured. If you do not measure your plan, you can only rely on opinions and anecdotal evidence from a handful of executives.
22) A good PR plan will require a team effort from everyone in the company – thinking about the desired outcome before and during the execution of all communications activities is crucial for success.
23) Branded content is less effective than other forms of advertising but much more cost-effective (read: profitable). When it comes to PR, you want to use the right mix of media and have a plan of action for getting your message out there.
24) If you need a business PR plan, then start with setting your goals and objectives: this will help direct your actions.
25) Remember that in integrated marketing communications, it's not just about telling your company's story; it also involves using all available channels – especially digital and social media – to reach new audiences so that they can get to know you.
26) You might be concerned that the right people do not know how to write an effective press release, but if they are not already familiar with PR terminology or methodology, then they are unlikely to succeed anyway.
27) Ever wondered if the right media outlets will pick up your story? Then you will have to correctly position, promote and measure the performance of all your communications – especially PR.
28) You can only rely on other people's experience and expertise – there is no substitute for this when it comes to understanding how audiences will receive a PR campaign.
29) The goal of every PR plan is for you to get noticed. People want to hear about who you are so that they can learn about you and what you represent, or perhaps even take a closer look at your product or service.
Conclusion: A PR plan is useless unless you know what you are doing and how to measure your success. If you want to be successful, then think about the following things: goals, objectives, audience and just about anything else that will help you measure the performance of your plan. Don't forget that other people's opinions are worthwhile, but only if they can offer specific feedback on what works best for them.
Doing it wrong: there are a lot of mistakes that companies can make when creating a PR strategy or developing a communication plan, with the result being an ineffective or poorly-received campaign.