The absence of good PR planning can cause mistakes to be made which could have been avoided. After all, the need for better communication with the audience is essential and it can’t be made by itself, since part of the idea is to engage and delight the consumer.
Something that seems simple such as the launch of a product or service can have a huge negative repercussion for your brand when there isn’t any planning as a guide.
But through strategic planning and consulting, a PR team can create narratives that value the products and services even more, leading them to reaching the right audience. So we can say PR is the key piece to your business as it is responsible for each message that will be shared.
Remembering that the main responsibilities of a public relations agency are: maintaining the reputation of a brand in the media and the market, creating customer service strategies in different types of channels, generating leads and conversions, thinking up new kinds of content, adjusting the company’s image after a crisis period and even acting to prevent one from happening in the first place.
The best approach to planning in public relations is:
1- Know your audience
When identifying the needs, desires and public behavior, in addition to their perceptions, hopes and values, it is possible to create customized and relevant communication strategies and actions for each public of interest, strengthening the company’s image and its relationship with the stakeholders.
In addition to that, public knowledge allows the company to foresee possible crises and to be prepared to deal with adverse situations through good structured communication planning.
2- Understand your business landscape
Comprehending the context that the organization is inserted into allows the evaluation of the internal and external factors that can affect the image and reputation of the brand, as well as the market tendencies and public demand.
Thereby, it is possible to elaborate a more assertive communication plan in line with the company’s goals, contributing to the creation of a positive and lasting relationship with the stakeholders.
3- Define PR goals
To succeed with this step, it is important to consider the company’s main goal and communication strategy. The PR goals must meet the commercial goals and add value to the brand through the strength of the relationship with your audience.
The goals can include increasing the brand’s visibility, improving the company’s reputation, cultivating relationships with influencers or increasing the engagement on social media, for example. It is also important that the goals are measurable, specific and attainable, so they can be monitored and evaluated over time.
4-Establish crisis management parameters
The importance of planning in public relations also involves identifying possible crisis scenarios, such as an accident involving a product from the company, a lawsuit or a public health crisis related to a company’s product, among others.
Is also important to establish a communication protocol which includes contact listings and a communication crisis plan to different company types stakeholders. Finally, it is essential to carry out regular training programs with the crisis management team to make sure everybody is ready to face any unprecedented situation which could potentially occur.
5- Set a budget
To guarantee that the PR activities are effective and sustainable long-term, a budget where the company can identify available resources, defining realistic goals and planning PR strategies are a must. In addition to this, a well-defined budget can help to avoid unnecessary cuts in moments of financial crisis, protecting the company’s image and maintaining its marketing positioning.
6- Define actions to the public
When taking the audience’s necessities, expectations and behaviors into consideration, it is possible to develop communication strategies that tighten the bond between the company and its stakeholders, creating a trusting relationship and transparency which can bring benefits such as customer loyalty, more engagement between employees and improvements in the brand’s credibility and reputation.
7- Measuring and tracking results
To measure results, it is important to have clear and realistic goals, follow the correct KPIs, monitor the public’s perception of the company, evaluate the ROI and analyze the coverage obtained by communication vehicles.
In addition to this, doing opinion research and interviews with strategic publics is necessary to measure the satisfaction degree and the engagement level with the brand.
Now that you know why the planning is so important to the public relations process, why not put it into practice? An agency specialized in PR can help to increase and develop your business further.
