With 2010 drawing to a close, many organizations have already mapped out their PR efforts for 2011. Planning is a critical element of PR to ensure everyone is in agreement on the upcoming year’s business and communication objectives, as well as the strategies and tactics that will be used to achieve those objectives.
It can take several weeks to plan for an announcement – development and approval of press materials, outreach to media, securing interviews and negotiating placement. As many “long-lead” or monthly publications often publish 30 to 90 days out, planning becomes even more critical. If you haven’t developed your 2011 PR plan, fear not, there’s still time. Consider the following elements to developing a sound PR plan for the coming year.
- Solidify business and communication objectives for the year – This is a paramount first step in determining the appropriate PR strategies and tactics that map back to achieving these objectives. This is also a good time to revisit key messages and target audiences to ensure these are still relevant.
- Brainstorm ideas – Take some time to meet as a team to brainstorm creative ideas. Perhaps this year your organization wants to up level its analyst relations program. Leverage the mindshare in the room to come up with new ideas to achieve this goal. You may even want to invite others not directly working on communications as they can often bring fresh eyes to the table.
- Develop a strategic PR plan that maps out key activities for each quarter – A good PR plan will have each quarter’s activities mapped out; however it’s important to be flexible as the timing for announcements, such as a product launch or partner announcement, may slip. I like to use Excel to develop a grid for each quarter and drop in the key milestones and launches I anticipate will occur within that quarter.
- Determine success metrics – How will you measure success against the strategies you’ve set forth in the PR plan? It’s important to get crystal clear on this and secure buy-in as it creates shared expectations as to the nature of a successful campaign. There are a number of ways to measure success including story placements, share of voice, return on influencers, etc.
- Secure approval on the plan – Once you’ve completed and presented the PR plan, it’s important to secure feedback and approval on the plan. Again, this creates shared expectations on the PR activities that will be implemented within the coming year.
Proper planning can ultimately determine whether or not a PR campaign is a success or a flop. For more information on how to develop a strategic PR plan, send us an e-mail.