It’s almost time to start making New Year’s resolutions! Personal resolutions are pretty standard: lose weight, save money, read more books…you know the routine.
But what about business resolutions? If you don’t already have a Public Relations Plan, we suggest putting it high on your list of things to develop in the coming year.
As part of our Good PR Blog Series, below we’ve listed the essentials of a solid PR Plan, so you can get started:
Objectives
The first and most important part of developing a PR plan is to identify your public relations objectives. Start with your overall company objectives and then ask: what is the goal of our public relations efforts? For example, is it to supplement advertising, build goodwill or establish your expertise in the industry? It could be a combination of things.
Calendar
The key to any good plan is organization, and a calendar is essential to mapping out the steps to reach your public relations goals. Look ahead to 2013 and write down all planned press releases, speaking opportunities and other events. Of course, flexibility is necessary, and you can’t always plan for unexpected PR opportunities, but having a calendar in place helps you stay focused on the task of delivering your message consistently.
Social Media and Company Blog
As part of your PR plan, you’ll want to decide which social media outlets you will utilize, how often you will update, and who will be responsible for staying on message. A separate calendar is useful to track social media and blog updates.
Press Kit
It may seem old fashioned, but putting together a media directory will save you time in months to come. Fill your file with media contacts and editorial calendars to expedite the delivery of your PR plan.
Crisis Management
And of course, don’t forget to include a plan of action to respond to negative public relations situations. This part of your plan should detail who is authorized to respond, who will be spokesperson for the company, and standard company statements to be used.
Now that you have the basics, you’re all set to start writing a PR Plan. Need more in-depth pointers? Don’t hesitate to give us a call–we love this stuff!