Embrace the power of proper PR planning

For many businesses, April signifies the start of a new financial year and business planning is in full swing.  The Limeys are on a mission to ensure that as many organisations as possible are on board with a full and proper strategy for their PR & comms. The reason being that this way, the value of PR can be truly realised – and yes, that includes hard deliverables like sales leads.

We have a suspicion that PR has been underselling itself. And that is partly due to a lack of confidence and bravery within the sector, and is partly due to there being too much of an emphasis on tactics.

The truth is that PR & communications should really be a C-suite issue. Managing reputations is what comms people do, and today the health of a brand’s reputation will very much align with its commercial performance and value in the long term.

However, extracting maximum potential from PR & comms demands considerable effort up front. It means getting a whole range of departments on board, engaged and willing to help with information and data.

Here are five Limegreen essentials to more effective public relations:

1. Sell PR as a discipline within the business.
Spend time with directors and colleagues in sales and operations to explain how PR can contribute in so many different ways – from corporate reputation management to driving sales.

2. Spend time up front agreeing objectives, inputs, activities, out-takes, outcomes and impacts.
This may sound like hard work – but it is a vital part of understanding and identifying what PR can and can’t do. AMEC provides some excellent best practice guidelines in the form of the Barcelona Principles and provides a useful template. It will require time and serious thought to get the most benefit but it will be worth it! Mandatory requirements include working with other sales and marketing colleagues to access analytics and information. In particular, set sensible targets i.e. impacts that can be monitored. So, when the question is asked: “What exactly can PR do? Why should we invest in PR?” You will have tangible evidence.

Spend time reviewing the stats and the feedback and agree how far you want to move the dial. What KPIs can you link to PR and comms? Shifting approval rating? Driving awareness?  Here are some of the options:

3. Explore the tools that are available and relevant to your sector/remit.
This of course includes whatever comes with your media monitoring package, which will likely be updated on a regular basis – and could include tools to track dark or ‘closed’ social, for example. This is increasingly critical with more and more businesses using WhatsApp as a customer comms channel. There are many free tools to track trends. Our favourites include Answerthepublic.com, Moz, and Google Trends. Good value paid options include Releasd, Get Social and SimilarWeb.

4. Research is the best way of monitoring awareness and positioning.
Formal brand tracking is insightful but expensive (and so it should be), but depending on the brand and organisation concerned, there may be a role for a Google Forms awareness survey through an email or social media channels to benchmark where you are at.

Could you run some focus groups with key customer groups?

Could the sales team be briefed to ask customers for specific feedback on brand messaging, specific campaigns and awareness levels?

Awareness will also be linked to reach. So, from a quantitative perspective, reach absolutely has a part to play – and this will certainly compare/equate with paid media, alongside engagement.

5. Review and adjust.
At the end of each quarter, see how your PR & communications programme is performing and adjust as necessary.

If you would like a Limey view of the world, please get in touch by visiting limegreencommunications.com, calling Sarah on 07774 925943 or emailing sarah@limegreencommunications.com