Every PR task requires a different plan. Whether it is an agency or in-house PR team, there is not excuse adopting same plan for each campagn. If you are an expert in recycling PR plans, this article is not for you.
PR plans are not one of those one size fits all clothes. if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail- abraham maslow. If you are the kind of person who believes in templates, then effective PR planning is not for you.PR requires creativity. if you cannot think of a new PR plan for each project, hire experts.
Stop treating PR plans like fake herbal medicine.The herbalist will claim one concortion treats all conditions. Not all PR tools should work year in year out. How can one herbal powder treat syphilis, fever, poverty,and impotence.
PR plans must be designed on a case by case basis.Recycling a PR plan results in ineffective PR.
Background, objectives, target audience, tactics, timeframe, evaluation, execution and budget are the components of an effective PR plan.
Background in a PR plan gives indepth details about a campaign.Alot of research and analysis is done at this stage.You must do a SWOT (strengths,weaknesses, opportunities opportunities ,threats)
Objectives.A plan must have distinct and clear goals it seeks to achieve. The universal yardstick is that objectives must be SMART(Specific,Measurable,Attainable,Realistic,Time bound)
Target audience. Identify key segmentations that the plan will focus on or will require to be a success.Target audience type will determine the tactics you develop.
Tactics.A PR plan must have strategy and PR tools to achieve it.This section also focuses on type of messaging. Don’t rush to do bull give away campaign to drive sales when you must do a billboard. Each Tactic must answer three questions.what is the issue hindering from achieving the objective?what Niche do we have that can help?what is the gist of the campaign?
Timeframe.A PR plan must have a pronounce itsself on how long it will takes say 3 months.Duration of PR plan will help in drafting a better Action plan.
Evalution.You can not control what you do not monitor.Design monitoring and evaluation tools for the PR plan. if implementation hits a snag, then you are able to adjust it to handle challenges. This can not be possible without tools to monitor the plan.periodic reviews like status reports and meeting will help.
Budget .PR Plan is not a wish list.Bills must be paid with Return on investment mindset.Develop tools according to your budget.
A PR plan doesnot end on paper.It must be implemented.Do not implement the entire plan and finish in a minute.Execute in minimum three phases.It should be like joy of reading a good newspaper.Read from front page to last.Do not jump to the sports page from the front page. Successful execution requires letting professionals do their work. use of a 360 degree Communication network is a must.
Impeccable PR plan must compatibility with the communication objectives, ability to ratings, ability to convey campaign values and emotional appeal, relevance, prestige and credibility, impact, high reach potential and cost effectiveness. Always have the Crisis Management plan just incase PR plan faces chalkenges during implementation.There is need to anticipate these situations such as negative press coverage,controversial messages and . local community sabotage.