A well thought out public relations campaign is a very effective tool in understanding the client and delivering the best outcome for their business. This guide will take you through six steps that are easy to follow and will assist you in delivering a creative public relations campaign or marketing plan.
Step 1: OBJECTIVES
It is essential that you define and write out your objectives for the public relations campaign or marketing plan. This will allow you to determine how you will design the campaign and the components that will make it successful. Objectives such as creating and reinforcing the brands’ image, and informing potential customers on the services the brand has to offer are effective. Or, your objective may be to generate more sales or even to get rid of negative publicity associated with the company. Whatever the objectives are, it is important that they are clear and achievable!
Step 2: GOALS
Goals assist in achieving the objectives that were set at the beginning. In order for goals to be successful they need to be S.M.A.R.T:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time- bound
Note: It is also important that the goals you have selected align with the overall business and sales objectives of the client.
Step 3: TARGET AUDIENCE
They key to any public relations campaign or marketing plan is to clearly define who the target audience of the business is. This consists of determining who you want the campaign to reach, and what key messages you want to deliver to them. When defining the target audience, it is best to be as specific as possible, such as working out their gender, age, location and likes/dislikes.
Step 4: CREATE A TIMELINE
Creating a timeline for the public relations campaign or marketing plan allows you to determine when each stage of the campaign will be completed and how long each stage should take you to complete. A timeline also gives the client an idea of what to expect and how the campaign will be carried out. Your timeline should also link with other marketing, business or sales efforts that are being carried out by the client at the time of the campaign.
Step 5: PLAN OF ACTION
This includes developing and understanding the communication vehicles you will use to send the key messages of the campaign to the target audience. Delivering these key messages can be achieved through:
- Press releases
- Press conferences
- Interviews
- Newspaper or magazines articles
- Customer testimonials
- Television
- Radio
- Press interviews
- Events
Note: It is a good idea to select more than one communication vehicle in order to appeal to a wider audience.
STEP 6: THE CAMPAIGN
Once you have put everything in place, the campaign can begin. The results of the campaign should be tracked constantly to see whether goals and objectives are being achieved and to determine whether the target audience are receiving the key messages of the campaign.
At the completion of the campaign, you should communicate with the client and determine whether their desired results have been achieved. This will also allow you to determine whether the campaign was a success or not. Evaluating the results will also provide an indication for further campaign ideas and will allow you to consider whether the original plan needs to be modified in any way.
By closely following these 6 steps, you should be able to have a successful campaign. Good luck!
Guest appearance/blog post by Ali Roderick
PHOTO LINKS:
Image 1- https://publicrelationssydney.com.au/seven-things-to-think-about-for-your-next-pr-campaign/
Image 2- http://topstorypublicrelations.com/2011/08/05/when-should-you-launch-a-pr-campaign/
Image 3- http://under30ceo.com/how-to-create-and-execute-a-pr-campaign-on-a-shoestring-budget/
