How to Boost Your Public Relations Strategy

 

 

Boost Your Public Relations Strategy

Your company’s PR strategy is as diverse as yours company.Whether you have a small business or a global corporation, there are bound to be some constants in your company’s public relations plan. Even within the same industry, your company’s PR strategy will vary depending on the type of organization you are. For example, if you are a small business, chances are you don’t have the budget to hire an in-house public relations firm. This makes it most important to remain flexible and responsive to keep new media outlets at bay while maintaining the confidentiality of your clients and their sensitive information. If you work for a medium or large corporation, however, you must have an in-house PR team that can respond quickly and implements long-term strategies. You need them when external public relations becomes too
challenging and internal communication becomes ineffective. Here are 5 ways to boost your public relations strategy: 

Define and communicate your core values

One of the best ways to boost your public relations strategyis to clearly define your core values. This will give your team members a common language to communicate with and it will also act as a guide for your
company’s cultural climate. Your company’s core values are the most important
factor in your public relations plan. They represent the core beliefs,
attitudes, and principles that make up your company and guide every decision
you make. These values can be depicted as a character, written on a wall, or
even as a hashtag on social media. Your company’s core values are the glue that
holds your organization’s weave together. 

Have strong, clear leadership

Strong leadership is essential to your public relationsplan. Whoever is in charge of your company’s public relations efforts needs to be able to speak with authority on your company’s values, mission, and
strategy. If there is ever a question as to whether or not a decision or action
taken by your team member is in line with your company’s values, that person
should be immediately removed from their position. No one should be immune from
scrutiny or criticism, whether it comes from other team members or the public
at large.

About Marisa Hochberg

Hire top-notch executives

Top-notch executives are essential to your public relationsstrategy. There are few things as time-consuming and challenging as finding the right person to fill a position. Hiring the right person can take more time and effort than you might think. When you first start a small business, you may not
know who to hire. Hiring an in-house public relations consultant can be a very
difficult and time-consuming process. A good starting point is to find a
veteran public relations executive who is willing to work for a lower salary. You
can usually find these professionals by searching on LinkedIn for “public
relations executives in your industry.” 

Maintain an active social media presence

In addition to having strong leadership and leadershipskills, it’s important to have social media managers on staff who can keep your social media presence up to date and handle any emergencies that might arise.
Having a plan for how you’ll handle various crises can help you avoid the
frustration and embarrassment of having to spend hours on the phone with public
relations experts just to figure out what happened. Having a plan for how
you’ll handle various crises can help you avoid the frustration and
embarrassment of having to spend hours on the phone with public relations
experts just to figure out what happened. 

Have a robust newsroom

You need to be able to quickly produce news releases, blogposts, and videos when needed. You should have a plan in place for how you’ll produce content at a moment’s notice. Having a plan can help you avoid the frustration and embarrassment of having to wait days or weeks for your
company’s news to get out. 

Don’t be afraid to hire ex-journalists

When you are dealing with sensitive topics, like governmentdata or personal health information, you need to have a clear understanding of what level of confidentiality you should maintain. Having an in-house public relations team can be great, but you need to be careful with who you hire. You
may work with the media a lot and you don’t want to make a bad decision based
on the people you hire to work for you.

Bottom line

To keep your public relations strategy fresh, implement somenew strategies. New media is a constant in today’s world, so adapt your strategy to stay relevant and ahead of the curve. Don’t be afraid to
experiment. Try new things. Be flexible. Your company is bound to change with
time, so experiment with different strategies, bring them to the table, and see
what works best for your company. Keep in mind that every day is a new day.
There is never a good time to start thinking about your company’s public
relations strategy. The only time you should be thinking about your company’s
public relations strategy is when you have one.