A good public relations campaign will help develop the image and reputation of your business. A campaign is a program of promotional activities intended to accomplish a specific objective.
A campaign may be short and tightly focused or long with a broader focus. For example, a florist might develop a short and focused public relations campaign for Secretary's Day or Mother's Day. A longer term, broadly focused public relations campaign might have general messages promoting giving flowers as a form of expression to others. Public relations campaigns can even help condition your market to being more responsive to your advertising and encourage them to patronize your business.
The elements to consider in creating a public relations campaign include:
Audience or Publics
A group of people to whom your company needs to be responsive and responsible. This includes customers, prospective customers, colleagues, employees and their families, government representatives, shareholders or investors and your neighbors.Goals of your campaign
What is it that you hope to achieve? Do you want to attract new customers? Enhance your company's image and reputation? Create closer ties with the community? Educate the public about your industry?Medium of communication
Print journalism? Broadcast media? Your Web site? Word of mouth? An exhibition booth at a community event? A billboard?Framework of your campaign
What steps need to be taken in order to achieve your PR goals? What is the outline of your PR campaign? How long will the campaign be? What is the budget? Which staff members are to be involved? What needs to be done?Activities
The actual steps taken to advance your cause and achieve your goals such as giving a speech, donating to a charitable organization, sponsoring a community event, organizing a blood drive, or giving your employees holiday bonuses.Phrasing of the message
What are the reasons why your business is involved in the particular activity? What is it that you want to say? Why was this public relations campaign developed? Public relations messages are different from advertising slogans. For example, Nike's ad slogan is "Just Do It." While its public relations message might be that athletic activity is a vital component to a rewarding life.
To learn the specifics about setting up a media campaign, see Step-by-Step Plan for Planning and Creating an Effective Media Campaign.
