PR - a guide to getting it right

I was recently asked an interesting question when chatting to a friend of mine: ‘What is the most important thing for a company to look at in terms of its PR needs?’

It got me thinking about all the usual questions organisations ask themselves such as:

• What makes a successful PR campaign?
• Does my company really need a PR campaign?
• How much will it cost?
• Do I need to employ a professional or can I do it myself?

While questions like these are a great starting point, in my opinion, there is one essential question when evaluating PR and marketing requirements: how do you want your company to be established in the minds of your customers, stakeholders, the industry and the media - ‘What is your external positioning?’

To develop an effective PR strategy you have to establish your organisation’s positioning. This is probably the single most important question to answer before you commit to any PR activity. The reason? Because it has a dramatic impact on the direction your PR strategy should take as well as the PR and marketing tactics you employ.

Yes, communications campaigns undertaken without clear positioning have the potential to generate media coverage, but they are unlikely to meet the company’s overall business objectives. And in instances the activity could adversely affect a company’s brand or image.

In order to clarify your positioning, I recommend that you answer the following questions:

• How is your business currently perceived by existing and potential customers?
• How do you want to position your business in the marketplace?
• Is your aim to lead debate rather than follow by establishing yourself as an expert in your sector?
• How do you want your existing and potential customers to see your company, its product or services?

And take the time to discuss your positioning with a PR professional. A good PR consultant should be able to help you assess your current positioning in the marketplace, highlight areas of public perception that may need addressing and help you ensure that together you develop a structured PR strategy with clearly defined aims, goals and metrics.

Once you have decided on how you would like to be positioned, the next step is to determine how to achieve these goals, define your communications strategy, identify your target audiences and set budgets and measurable targets.

Good PR is a craft, one that requires skill and expertise. Whether you elect to use a PR agency, employ an in-house PR professional or opt to manage your PR campaigns yourself be sure that who ever is managing your PR strategy:

• Understands your business objectives
• Has in-depth knowledge of the media
• Can develop a bespoke, strategic and integrated communications plan for your organisation
• Builds proactive and responsive relationships with both its clients and the media.