Each new campaign is a chance to rebrand and regroup, and to gain more fans, customers or users. A good PR campaign can benefit your brand drastically by attracting positive national media attention, dramatically boosting sales, and cultivating a strong relationship between your brand and the public. Use the following steps to structure your next campaign and maintain and reach your goals.
1. Establish your goal.
It’s important that you have a clear idea of what you wish to achieve or accomplish before you begin laying down any other foundations for your PR campaign. Understand the limitations of your goal(s) by asking yourself questions like: What is my budget? Which product/service do I want to increase in sales? What kind of core values or philosophy do I want to project? Start with a big-picture goal to help you plan the milestones you might need to meet to get there, and make sure your goal is…
SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
2. Know your audience
Knowing your audience allows you to better tailor and distribute your message. Identify the group of people you want to target your message to. Think about factors like: What age group are they? What are their interests? Who might need your product/service? Can they afford your product/service? Doing so will also help you narrow down which platforms (like social media, TV, radio, email) you might use to share your message.
3. Choose your message
What do you want your audience to take away from the campaign? Your message should resonate with your audience. For your campaign to work, you must have a story, purpose or cause that is interesting to the public. Look at the message from your audience’s perspective. Why should they invest themselves in your message and your brand?
4. Distribution
Decide how often to distribute your message. Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly? Make sure to issue your message through outlets that are relevant to your industry and that will reach your intended audience.
5. Stay on top of your mentions
Websites like Moz Pro’s Fresh Web Explorer or Google News allow you to monitor your brand in the media. It’s imperative that you keep tabs on how your brand is being talked about—for one reason, so you can mark your campaign’s progress and get a sense of the public’s perception of your brand image.
When media outlets include your brand in an article, feel free to reach out to them with your website link and offer them your contact information in case they have questions or would like to direct readers your way.