PR Strategy: Brilliant Basics

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Strategy Defined

Strategy refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. The word is of military origin, deriving from the Greek word strategos, which roughly translates as general. In military usage, strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked. How a battle is fought is a matter of tactics: the terms and conditions that it is fought on and whether it should be fought at all is a matter of strategy, which is part of the four levels of warfare: political goals or grand strategy, strategy, operations, and tactics.

Translate this into the business environment.

What is Strategy?

Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ), PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological), STEER analysis (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors), and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatic, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal). Strategic planning is the formal consideration of an organization's future course. All strategic planning deals with at least one of three key questions: "What do we do?" "For whom do we do it?" "How do we beat or avoid competition?

What is it not?

Not tactical Not short term Not negative Not comprehensive Not freely available but on a need to know basis

What are the basics?

Start grounds up: Assess the situation & landscape by a SWOT, PEST, STEER OR EPISTEL Listen: Research your Stakeholders & Target Audience Attitudes, Needs, Interests & Awareness Business Goals: Understand the business Goals with the Management Communication Outcome: What is the desired communication objective? What do we want our audience to do or not do? Message: What is our message? Channels : What channels of communication will be the most effective?

Who is the strategist?

The Corporate Communications Team The PR Agency The Management

Put this all together

PR Strategy focuses on delivering measurable results to specified audiences and quantifying the value that PR brings to the organization Public relations adds value to a company by helping it better employ people, provide a return to shareholders, and deliver product/service value to customers. For company programmes to be successful they must be founded on business objectives, not "PR" objectives. They must focus on the company's brand equity, not on individual products. This branding activity must extend beyond media relations, charitable giving, legislative relations and other niches. Public relations practitioners are most likely to help members of publics construct positive images about the organisation when they counsel the organisation to behave in ways that people outside the organisation want. In other words, sophisticated public relations practitioners now understand that they must serve the interests of people affected by organizations if they also are to serve the interests of the organizations that employ them

The process of public relations

Scott Cutlip, Allen Center and Glen Broom describe the public relations process in four steps (1994). The first step is "Defining Public Relations Problems," usually in terms of a "situational analysis," or what public relations professionals call a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). According to Cutlip, Center and Broom, this should answer the question, "What's happening now?"

The next step in the public relations process is "Planning and Programming," where the main focus is "strategy," Cutlip, Center and Broom argue that this step should answer the question "What should we do and say, and why?"

The third step in the public relations process is "Taking action and Communicating," also known as "Implementation;" this step should answer the question "How and when do we do and say it?"

The final step in Cutlip, Center and Broom's Four-Step Public Relations Process is "Evaluating The Program," making a final "assessment," which should answer the question "How did we do," this is wher public relations professionals make a final analysis of the success of their campaign or communication.

The process of public relations

Another process model by Sheila C. Crifasi (2000) uses the acronym "ROSIE" to define a five-step process of "Research, Objectives, Strategies, Implementation and Evaluation. Using another acronym, "ROPES," Dr. Kathleen S. Kelly explains a five-step process through "Research, Objectives, Program, Evaluation and Stewardship." Wilcox, Ault, Agee and Cameron (2002) define the public relations process through four steps of RACE, Research, Action (Program Planning), Communication and Evaluation." Center and Jackson (1995) define the process of public relations through four steps: "Fact-finding and data gathering; Planning and programming; Action and communication; Evaluation."

Step 1: Define and write down your objectives for your publicity or media plan

.How will you design your public relations campaign? Will it be designed to: 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?

Step 2: Define your goals in achieving this objective..

It is important that your goals be specific, measurable, actionable results-oriented and time-bound (SMART). These goals must be in-line with your overall business, marketing, and sales objectives

Step 3: Determine who your target audience consists of.

Who is it that you want to reach with this campaign? What do you want your key message to be?

Step 4: Develop a schedule for your public relation campaigns.

Create synergy by coinciding your public relations plan with other marketing and sales efforts.

Step 5: Define your plan of attack

What communication vehicles will you use to get your message to the public? Examples may include: 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 Select three from the list and beginning researching and developing your approach.

Step 6: Put measures in place to track the results of your PR Campaign

After each campaign sit down and review the results. Did you achieve the defined objectives and goals of this campaign? Should you consider modifying your original plan? If so, how and why?

Thank You
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