Developing a Successful Public Relations Campaign
Written by PR Etc., Inc.
Published by Rockford Register Star
Monday, April 24, 2006

The goal of any PR campaign should be to focus on consistent, long-term communications to ensure your message is relayed to each of your key audiences. Developing and sustaining a successful public relations campaign is much like presenting a speech: tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Some upfront work needs to be done here including identifying your key audiences, developing a message and creating informational materials. Train your employees to tout the message as well.
• Tell them. This is where the rubber meets the road. Tell your message through media interviews, editorial board meetings, speaking engagements and other forms of communications to those audiences you previously identified.
• Tell them what you told them. Find ways to continue to communicate your message, but remember to keep it consistent. Do you have – or can you create – a monthly or quarterly newsletter to your customers? Can your email correspondence contain the message at the bottom? Establish ongoing avenues to relay your message.

Your strategy should be to build top-of-mind awareness for your key constituents but that can only happen if everyone in your organization – from the CEO to mailroom clerk to board members – understand and can easily communicate your message.