Strategic public relations is used in many places in the field. It’s a great way to set a brand up for future success. Strategic PR includes four phases: research, planning, messaging and evaluation. With these steps, a brand can transform its total image.
What is strategic public relations?
According to Strategic Planning for Public Relations by Ronald Smith “strategic communication is the name for such planned communication campaigns. More specifically, it is intentional communication undertaken by a business or nonprofit organization, sometimes by a less structured group.” (p. 19) In simpler terms, strategic PR is developing a detailed plan to achieve a specific goal.
Why is strategic public relations important?
Strategic public relations is the easiest way to develop, monitor and evaluate plans to determine whether the company is achieving its goal. It allows the ability to target a specific audience and craft the message to catch their attention.
In addition to crafting the correct messages, public relations professionals help get that message to the right channel. It could be finding the correct journalists, determining proper product placement or commissioning the best influencer to support the brand.
Public relations professionals usually work in teams to provide content and pitches for clients.
The most important part of creating a public relations strategy is evaluation. After implementing a campaign, public relations professional review engagements to see if the tactics need modifying. This determines whether the campaign was successful or not.
Examples of strategic public relations:
An example of a company utilizing strategic public relations is Apple Inc. starting an initiative to “ask less of the planet.” The company uses 100% renewable resources to run their workshops and other Apple buildings. The company announces yearly reports to show customers the progress the initiative is making.
The environment initiative began in 2009.
Any brand could benefit from strategic public relations. All it takes is a little research, planning, message crafting and evaluation. Then, anyone can be on their way to changing the way their brand is viewed and creating positive consumer engagement.
