Planning for PR Impact: Identifying Strategies

by Frank L. Williams

In last month’s article, I continued my series on Planning for Impact by discussing the importance of defining your desired outcomes. Planning for impact means that, instead of starting with desired outputs such as sending a certain number of press releases or posting a certain number of items on Facebook, you should begin by discussing your desired outcomes.  Put another way, you should begin by considering what impact you want your public relations program to have.

Last month, we established outcome objectives for the fictitious N.C. Widget Manufacturers Association. By outcome objectives, I mean objectives that define what behavior, attitude or opinion you want to achieve from a specific audience in a measurable, time-sensitive way. This month’s column will focus on identifying strategies to help achieve your objectives. 

Let’s begin by reviewing a few definitions of strategy:

• The science and art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war
• The science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions.
• The art and science of planning and marshaling resources for their most efficient and effective use.

Strategic thinking is high-level thinking.  Strategies serve as a road map toward your destination, not turn-by-turn directions. Your strategy defines the approach you will take, not the specific steps. In the context of a public relations plan, strategies may be communication strategies that target your key publics in order to change attitudes, perceptions or behaviors or organizational strategies designed to bring about needed internal changes.

Let’s explore this further by identifying potential strategies designed to attack three of the potential public relations objectives we identified for the N.C. Widget Manufacturers Association.

OBJECTIVE #1:  35% increase in organic search traffic on the NCWMA website resulting from terms indicating users are searching for information on the widget manufacturing industry in North Carolina (by the end of the calendar year). Potential strategies include:

• Position NCWMA as the authoritative, expert source for information on the widget manufacturing industry in North Carolina;
• Leverage the NCWMA website as a central hub for current information on the widget manufacturing industry in North Carolina;
• Utilize existing communication channels to direct NCWMA members to updated website information;
• Utilize media relations to increase awareness of NCWMA; and
• Expand digital outreach to key publics.

OBJECTIVE #2:  60% of North Carolina citizens surveyed prior to the start of the legislative session view the widget industry favorably. Potential strategies include:

• Position NCWMA as the authoritative, expert source for information on the widget manufacturing industry in North Carolina;
• Utilize media relations to increase awareness of NCWMA and the widget industry in North Carolina;
• Expand digital outreach to key publics;
• Highlight the positive economic impact of the widget manufacturing industry;
• Celebrate major successes achieved by NCWMA members; and
• Showcase community and civic leadership and contributions by NCWMA members.

OBJECTIVE #3: 10% increase in the percentage of NCWMA members who rank the association as a “highly trusted” source of information on the widget industry in North Carolina (by the end of the calendar year). Potential strategies include:

• Position NCWMA as the authoritative, expert source for information on the widget manufacturing industry in North Carolina.
• Solicit member feedback on the quality of information provided and the type of information they desire;
• Leverage the NCWMA website as a central hub for current information on the widget manufacturing industry in North Carolina;
• Utilize existing communication channels to direct NCWMA members to updated website information; and
• Expand digital outreach to current members.

As you can see, these strategies do not yet delve into specific activities, tools or tactics; that comes next. They identify the approach you will take to accomplish your objectives. Further, several of the strategies listed are applied to multiple objectives. 

The big-picture goals we previously discussed define WHY you are engaging in public relations activities. The objectives in last month’s article clarify WHAT behaviors, attitudes or opinions you want to impact, and in what audiences.  This article focuses on strategies that outline HOW you will approach changing those behaviors, attitudes and opinions. Next month we will discuss the “HOW-TO”: identifying tools and tactics to incorporate into each strategy.