Website images 30

5 reasons why a PR plan has to be strategic if you are going to justify the spend

Behind every successful PR outcome, exists a strategic plan. Within today’s competitive and ever-evolving business landscape, it had become increasingly important for companies to invest in their brand, stay relevant and maintain a consistent voice in their industry.

Strategic planning is a fundamental element of the PR process and ensures organisations are investing in efforts that have promising a return on investment and delivery on business objectives. Whether this be brand exposure, a product launch, personal brand and reputation rebuild, every initiative must be executed with considerate planning.

Here at Taurus, we operate under a unique and trademarked TaurusBullseye© methodology. We start with your business objectives and dedicate time to strategise, plan and execute campaigns with the right marketing and communication tools that will hit your targets and deliver on your bullseye.

Here is what you need to consider when developing a strategic PR plan to ensure you maximise return on investment.

  1. Align tactics with business objectives

From start to finish, planning should be designed to optimise every cent invested to achieve promising results To achieve this, the first step is to clearly define your business and communication objectives up from, so that PR and marketing plans are in sync… Without a clear plan, brands run the risk of missing the mark with the PR campaign, landing them back at square one. Investing in strategic planning ensures brands and agencies are investing their time, effort, and resources to build brand value, articulate their offering, and identify their unique selling proposition effectively within the market.

  1. Effective communication and key messages

Key messages are the core messages you want your target audience to hear and remember.

These build the foundation of the communication strategy and are used beyond media initiatives. They create meaning and help articulate the brand story – whether it be on social media, on your website or even when communicating with prospects. Having a tight list of key messages allows you to control your narrative with media and your target market. They are a fundamental element of the PR campaign and help create the headline you want to be known, remembered and recognised for.

  1. Understand and communicate your brand values

Brand values should be embedded into everything your business does,  including the PR natives. There is no one strategy that fits all therefore brands need to embrace their authenticity and steer away from generic marketing gimmicks that have minimal effect on their primary objectives. The integration of brand values paves the way for an authentic voice amongst key competitors and industry peers, makes you more trusted by customers and prospects and even enhances your employer brand.

  1. Target the right media

To successfully engage with your audience, you need to understand where is your market receiving their information, what are they subscribing to, what conversations are they joining and what are they reading. Targeting the right journalists and publications is vital to ensure your audience are in the prime position to read, learn, understand, and engage with you and your brand.

  1. Revise and refresh

PR success does not happen overnight. Consistency, creativity and willingness to change are key when planning for success. You need to be prepared to invest in effective brand revitalisation to remain in touch within the industry. The key ti a successful campaign is to work in 90-day plans. This allows you to stay on the front-foot and ensure your communications are in line with business prioirties, the market and changing media landscape. At a minimum, PR campaigns should be assessing, evaluated and ready to pivot in 90-day intervals so you are hitting the bullseye!

Investing wisely in your PR strategy with a proven agency is key to ensure you meet your business and communications objectives and maximise return on investment.  When done well, PR can have an enormous effect on your bottom line and enhance your brand image.

Time to engage with a PR agency and build a successful strategy? Learn how we can help you at [email protected].

Scroll to Top