The success of a small business depends in large part on its public media relations. Promoting the company to the public in effective ways can help to build the brand and attract consumer interest. Here are some things a small business can do to enhance public relations.
You’ve decided you’re going to launch a mini-campaign for a new service you’re offering. Congrats! The fact you’ve recognized you need to get the word out deserves kudos.
But wait! Do you have a plan for this launch? A marketing communications plan, I mean. You know, the document that outlines your ultimate goal(s), measurable objectives, strategies and implementation tactics? It’s also got target audiences, key messages and evaluation techniques? Yes? Awesome! No? Oh dear.
Construction site crane building a blue 3D text. Part of a series.
Don’t shoot from the hip. It doesn’t have to be a long, formal thesis on how to sell Happy Meals (remember to take out the fit-tracker watch incentive!). A plan illuminates the path to success. It should be revisited often to see if it needs adjusting. Throwing darts at the wall rarely leads to an organized effort or desired outcomes. What it usually does is lead to frustration and the question, “Why isn’t this working?”
So what are measurable objectives and strategies? How are they different from goals and tactics? How might I evaluate how it went? We PR folks call it the GOST formula:
Taking time to put something together can really help you stay focused and sell those pedicures. Still not sure about all of this? Check with a communications professional for help. Most of us like pedicures too!
Last month, I introduced you to the four-step process of PR – research, planning, implementation and evaluation – and the importance research plays in developing winning communications strategies.
Research, paid or unpaid, formal or informal, is as important to a successful PR project as Google Maps is to a cross-country journey. It provides the road map to planning and implementation.
As organizations begin to see the ROI from the no-or-low cost methods discussed in my last blog, it will become easier to sell the C-suite on building research into timelines and budgets for future projects.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for! While free and informal research can provide important highlights, some paid, formal options allow for a deeper dive and a greater level of accuracy in targeting your message to its audience.
Looking in the Rear View: A common step in strategic planning is the “communication audit,” a comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s communication efforts and materials. Taking this time to look in the rearview mirror often reveals the good, bad and the ugly. The same is true for project audits.
Evaluate the overall process used for similar past projects. The audience selected, messages developed, tactics used to communicate the message, and so on. While project and communication audits can be conducted by internal communication teams, the addition of an outside perspective can be invaluable. As they say, things often look very different from the outside in.
Narrowing the Focus: Focus groups are an excellent way to ensure the right message is matched to the most appropriate audience. They provide qualitative data needed to make decisions that will deliver more bulls-eyes and ultimately the biggest bang for the buck. While you can gain good information by buying pizza for a group of friends, those results could have bias. An independent voice will result in hearing the sometimes uncomfortable truth that can bring about positive change.
The Survey Says: Surveys are cost effective and relatively easy to implement, making them one of the most common ways to obtain quantitative data. While tools like Survey Monkey allow internal staff to conduct surveys of customers and other key audiences, the anonymity of independent surveys can increase honesty. It’s all about getting trusted results.
Whatever strategies are used, there are benefits from looking in the rear view before moving forward with new projects. Research is always worth the time and investment!
Here it is. My first blog. I’ve written them for my clients, but never for myself. What’s the old saying? “The cobbler’s children have no shoes?”
I’ve been in public relations for 25 years now. Many things have changed, but ultimately, the basics have stayed the same. It’s all about relationships. Perhaps I should share a quick and well-respected definition from the Public Relations Society of America: “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”
The emphasis here is on “mutually beneficial relationships.” PR is about two-way communication. If one side is doing all the talking, it’s not building relationships. It’s advertising or marketing. And if you haven’t followed the most important step in the four-step process of public relations – research – (yes, we have a formal formula!), then you probably don’t know enough about your key audience(s) to know what to say or how to reach them. In other words, you don’t know what floats their boat, trips their trigger, tickles their fancy, etcetera, etcetera.
My clients – heck, even my husband – will tell you I am BIG on research and the fourth step of our process, evaluation. (BTW, the other two steps are planning and implementation. They’re sandwiched between research and evaluation.) If you don’t know where you’re going or how you did along the way, how can you claim success? Learning about the people you want to meet on that journey is critical.
So how do you find that perfect relationship? Lots of ways. Research doesn’t have to be complicated or 
expensive. Many organizations skip it – especially formal, primary research like surveys, polls and focus groups – because they think it will cost too much money. But the ROI can be priceless! For now, however, here are a few no- or low-cost ways to take lessons on your targets so you can make more bulls-eyes:
There are many other forms of research that are well worth the time. Consider it an investment. You’ll be glad you did, especially when you find that perfect relationship!
