CULTIVATING YOUR P.R. CAMPAIGN: BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING
by Michael Maynard
Growing a strong and healthy garden doesn’t begin in the spring. The real work takes place in the winter as gardeners plant seeds in greenhouses. By the time these small plants are put in the garden, they’re already vibrant. Odds are that they’ll yield great results. In this document Michael Maynard provides a back-to-the-basics foundation for building a successful P.R. campaign.
The same holds true for a public relations campaign. A successful campaign results directly from the work that takes place at the beginning. It involves careful planning, research, coordination, and follow-through. All facets of the campaign — large and small — must be addressed before implementing any strategy. Too often, organizations get hung up on certain issues, leaving the smaller, detailed-oriented (and more important) items to chance. This article examines these decidedly less glamorous elements of a public relations campaign.
SET YOUR GOAL
Like a garden, a public relations campaign begins with a seed of an idea. This involves asking questions about the desired outcome. In other words, what’s the intended result? The goal should determine how the public relations strategy unfolds.
Answering this question isn’t as easy as it seems. 'Get more publicity' isn’t a goal. Neither is 'make more money' The answer should emerge from a thoughtful and thorough discussion between the public relations professional or team and the sales managers and executives.
A goal might be to increase the number of sales leads by a certain percentage — or to introduce a new product or service. Another goal might be to build awareness and credibility of the company. All of these are attainable and measurable goals.
ASK QUESTIONS
Once a goal has been set, focus on potential pitfalls and roadblocks. Involve the sales and managerial staffs to ensure that everyone is working together. Debate the pros and cons of several strategies.
REACH THE TARGET
Who will the campaign target? Who do you want to reach? Existing customers? Prospects who fit the profile of existing customers? An entirely new profile of prospects? Posing these questions will hone your message. Focusing on the target will also help shape the vehicles used to communicate the message: print or broadcast; direct mail or point-of-purchase advertising; billboards or pop-up messages.
DO THE RESEARCH
The research depends on the strategy. For example, if your goal is to build product awareness, this might involve a media campaign. Once you know the target audience, P.R. professionals can research the most effective outlets and markets to reach this group. Research can involve everything from surveys and product test marketing to media searches that define the demographics of the campaign.
GET THE TIMING DOWN
It might be a cliché, but it’s true: Timing is everything. Get the timing wrong and you’ve accomplished nothing, or worse, hurt your company’s credibility. To determine the timing, work backwards from the intended target date of the campaign. Be realistic. Too often, planners fail to realize that printed materials can take two weeks or longer to produce. Setting realistic deadlines and sticking to them will allow you to reach your goals.
MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS
This would seem like something that should be done after the end of the campaign. In many cases, however, it’s important to take measurement before the campaign begins to better assess its success at the end. It might be beneficial to measure product awareness before, during, and after the campaign. You can analyze media coverage, both qualitative and quantitative, at various points throughout the campaign.
A flawed public relations campaign almost always originates with poor planning. In the rush to develop the campaign, it missed the target, wasted money, and was ultimately counterproductive. Proper planning from the get-go can make the difference between a campaign that withers on the vine and one that thrives.
Michael Maynard is public relations manager for Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm in Quincy, MA. He can be contacted at 40 Oval Rd., Quincy, MA 02170, (617) 328-0069, fax (617) 471-1504, or e-mail [email protected].