Mind your business - have an effective communication strategy

By: Angela Raleigh, Senior Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc.

No matter how hard you try, how loudly you shout, or how often you email the media if you don’t have a communication strategy in place you may not get the results you hope for. 

So what’s the secret to building a successful PR campaign? The best PR plans are simple and have effective communication between your business, customers and target audiences. Here are some tips to consider when developing your communication strategy.

Build relationships:  Build trusted relationships with the media by offering them useful and accurate information to show your expertise and that you are a reliable source. A long-term relationship with the media is much more valuable than short-term success.

Make sure your news is newsworthy:  The media is looking for information that will be of interest to their readers and/or viewers. News releases are a great way to get the word out about business success. But it’s important to remember the golden rule of quality over quantity…news should be distributed to your target audience regularly, but not too often. You don’t want to bombard the media with a lot of information one month and then not distribute any news releases for the next few months. A good plan takes into account regular distributions to keep your brand in the news. 

Utilize social media:  Ever successful PR strategy should utilize some form of social media. News travels fast via social networks, so when you have success with traditional media make sure you include links to your coverage on your company website and social networks to cross promote your efforts.

Monitor and track your progress:  On a regular basis monitor the news and review your PR objectives to make sure they are still relevant and, if needed, make adjustments. Be creative in planning for future news. Celebrate successes and learn from activities that did not go as planned. A successful strategy will track past activities, document the status of current activities and outline upcoming activities.

So there you have it, tips on developing a communications strategy that will help build effective communication between your business, customers and target audiences. And remember be flexible and adaptable because the PR world is constantly changing.