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As I hurtle from briefing meeting to briefing meeting talking to executives who think they may want to ‘do’ some PR I have to constantly remind all concerned that PR can only be delivered successfully when it’s planned properly.  PR Companies that do not plan their PR activities are unable to manage their workload or their clients’ expectations.

So, as an aide memoire I have jotted down the key areas that need to be addressed when planning a PR initiative.

Wassup?

First and foremost we need to know what problem the PR Company is helping to solve.  It’s not enough to say ‘we need profile’ presumably you need profile for a reason because you are trying to address some challenge or other.  The type of problems PR can help with could include:

• we want to build a new factory butb may face resistance from the local community
• we need to attract more, better qualified staff
• we need to appear bigger than we are in order to be considered for larger contracts
• in uncertain trading conditions we need to appear more robust than our competitors
• we are in a high risk business where accidents can and do happen, we need to be prepared to deal with such eventualities

Who’s Who

PR is about communication and this is best executed with a clear idea of who you are communicating with. Different groups of people will have different sets of priorities and motivations. In order to influence how they act you need to have a clear idea of what they currently think of you as: a business, an employer, an investment opportunity and you need to have a clear view of how this differs from the way you would like them to think.  If you don’t know this in real terms (and I’m not talking about dodgy customer satisfaction surveys in which people validate their decision to do business with you) then you need to get this intelligence in place.  Quite simply, if you don’t know what they think – how will you know when you’ve changed their minds?

From Clueless to Clued-up

Knowing who you are targeting and what they think in the context of your ‘problem’ will provide a clear indication of what you need to tell them in order to change their perception about your organisation. The message needs to be persuasive, demonstrable and memorable – not just a bunch of hygiene factors slickly but meaninglessly put together.  And, it needs to be communicated and understood both internally and externally – the approach must be homogenous.

Getting the messaging right is of course half the battle.  The other half is delivering it in an appropriate, relevant and affordable way.  Part of this investigative process must be to establish how opinions and attitudes are formed and how audiences access their information so that your channel selection and communication approach is appropriate and deployment efficient.

Last pieces in the jigsaw

By this stage in the game we know what we are trying to do; what we are saying to who and why; and which channels are the most pertinent.  You now need to agree a timeline with appropriate evaluation points and most importantly allocate resources – budget, people, facilities. This last point will determine whether you can achieve your objectives and may require you to review your ambitions accordingly – you have to be realistic and it’s better to do something specific and affordable incredibly well.

With a plan you can amend, update, detour and review. Without one you’re simply flailing around in the dark.

Keep safe and have a very prosperous New Year.

Having been through several pitches recently I am surprised at just how unscientifically some people approach the business of securing a PR partner.  The economy is not especially buoyant at the moment so surely this would mean increased caution and a heightened sense of importance when it comes to investing in new professional advisors. Yet so many pitches turn in to a long-winded guessing game of ‘waddayawant’.  If you don’t know what you want, you will probably get something you didn’t really expect.  It stands to reason.

This blog is not going to blather on about target audiences, business objectives etc. you know that all needs to go in the brief – this is about the stuff that gets forgotten and leads to obscure decision making.

On your marks:

So Mr Client, what do you really want? After all, at the end of the day, it’s all about the outcome. (Except the relationship bit –but we’ll come back to that!)  In a perfect world what would success look like in 12 months’ time?  Write down in as much detail as possible what it would look and feel like.  This could include where you want to see coverage appearing, what type of coverage, what frequency, what new relationships you want to see emerging, what perceptions do you want to influence or change

Next, jot down the main challenges, both internal & external, that you expect to face in trying to achieve these outcomes.

Now in the context of your challenges, budget and your organisation’s attitude to PR, prioritise your wish list – what is ‘must have’ and what is ‘nice to have’

Get set:

PR companies come in all shapes and sizes, cultures and outlooks.  So what do you think would suit your way of working best.  Important question here:  Do you want to be a big fish in a little pond, a small fish in a big pond or do you, quite frankly, loathe fishing and just want a team working on your account that you like and trust to work hard on your behalf to achieve the desired results?

Laughs aside, you need to get a feel of what is acceptable to your organisation but if the choice is exclusively yours – you need to set your own parameters.  Is prior sector experience a pre-requisite; do you want your PR company to have other clients in the space – how does this impact on confidentiality; will you be perceived as more or less important than your competitors.

What do you want your PR team to contribute?  Do you want it to ‘do’ or to ‘think and do’ or just to ‘think’?  Do you want a seamless extension to your in house team or a completely separate source of independent advice supplied when requested.

A possible pitch list will evolve as a result of recommendations from people you respect and like such as friends and colleagues as well as from opportune incoming sales calls and perhaps a spot of online research.  Invite 6-7 PR agencies in for an informal chat and general discussion of your requirements.  The purpose of this is to establish if there is a cultural fit or any obvious bloopers that could prevent you from working together.

Invite the companies you regard as being the ‘best-fit’ to respond to your brief.  At this stage you need to be clear:  do you want the pitch team to be the account team? If so put it in the brief as a mandatory requirement.

Go!

The pitches themselves will happen with varying volumes of bells and whistles.  Keep focussed on the substance – any idiot can learn a script and murder a PowerPoint – have they dealt with all the requirements documented in your brief.  Are you confident that they can deliver their proposals and promises?  Are their ideas realistic and on strategy or just ‘pitch puff’ with little or no probability of coming to fruition.  Do you like and trust them?

And remember; unless you specify otherwise, the most junior person at the pitch will probably be the person you will be dealing with every day.  So be prepared to ask that person lots of questions!

Finally, the winner is….

….going to be representing you, every working day, forthwith.  They are going to be a visual and audible reminder of the quality of your commercial thinking and business decision making to your colleagues, your organisation’s clients  and stakeholders as well as and the world’s media.  Get the criteria right and prepare to shine!