Does your company have a public relations plan in place? If you answered no, we have just what you need to get started. Companies may not know where to begin or simply don’t have the time and capacity, but having a strong PR plan can help you to better promote your business, communicate with the public and ensure that your organization runs smoothly.
As you formulate your PR plan it can be useful to bring content marketing into the mix. PR is the practice of managing the release and spread of information while content marketing works to create content to attract and attain a target audience. Both functions are complementary and can work together to ensure that your business reaches its goals.
Here are 7 steps for creating a successful PR plan:
Determine your goals and objectives. It’s important to start by outlining your goals and objectives to best visualize what you want to achieve, whether that is to increase brand awareness or introduce a new product. It can be useful to do an audit of your PR activity from the previous year to determine which areas need improvement. When establishing these goals and objectives, make sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART).
Define your target audience. The next step is to identify the audience you are trying to reach and communicate with. Reaching your target audience will involve getting to know their behaviors, location and demographic. From here it can help to understand what this audience cares about to tailor your PR campaign in a way that will grab their attention and gain their trust.
Formulate your key messages. Key messages help communicate what you want your target audience to know about your business. These messages will be expressed through your PR efforts such as the content you create. It’s important that they are clear, concise and memorable as they have the potential to shape the reputation of your business.
Monitor your competition. In an effort to maintain a competitive edge it can be helpful to do some benchmarking. This is the process by which you identify an industry standard and then measure your company’s performance in comparison to a bunch of its competitors. You will also be able to identify any gaps in the process while also staying on top of important industry trends. Before you even begin developing a new campaign you will already have a better understanding of which processes lead to greater success.
Select your channels. At this point you need to identify the right channels to reach your target audience. These channels will allow you to communicate information, share stories and answer important questions. When selecting these it can be useful to research where your audience likes to consume information and engage in dialogue.
Create a schedule. Establishing a comprehensive schedule will ensure that you stay organized and hold yourself and your team accountable. This may involve creating a content calendar that provides an overview of your PR activities for the year and lays out your strategy in more detail.
Measure your progress. The last step is to measure the success of your PR strategy. Monitoring your progress allows you to see if your efforts are working effectively or if they need some improvement. This is important if you wish to see your business grow and reach those goals and objectives you established earlier.
Need an experienced team of professionals to help you through the process? Reach out to Durrell Communications to set your business up for success — visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
