Four tips to stay in check with your communications plan

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

You go to the doctor and you change the oil in your car, right? Well then, why not complete a PR

checkup too?

It’s more important than ever to manage conversations and determine if your company is on target with your communications plan or if your plan could be a bit healthier. If you have a PR plan in place, take time to diagnose your existing PR needs based on your previous campaigns and future goals by doing the following:

• First, review your goals and objectives so you can make sure that what you are saying, and how you say it, reflects what you’re trying to achieve.
• Second, determine what has worked and what didn’t work. Whether it’s social media, traditional media relations, or community outreach, take a few moments to look back and evaluate how your activities played out.
• Third, identify opportunities that might occur in the coming months, such as major milestones, product launches or new service offerings. You can then develop a list of action items to organize activities that will enable you to achieve your objectives.
• Finally, be flexible and willing to change your PR activities to meet new needs. Planning and reviewing your PR strategy now will not only help generate new ideas and opportunities, it’ll give you guidelines for daily activities.

If you haven’t created a PR plan, this is a great time to review past PR efforts and develop a plan to meet your PR goals. If you don’t have the time to put together a complete plan, at least put your goals and objectives in writing so you can refer back to them and evaluate your success.

Remember, while PR plans are subject to change, planning ahead enables your business to stick to your overall goals and maintain a healthy business focus.