Maine Commission for Community Service

Making Public Relations a Priority

By Rochelle Runge

2/04/2010

Make 2010 the year you begin developing a solid communications plan! In these tough times ramping up your public relations efforts can increase your effectiveness in the community.  These are some of the most-often cited PR resolutions for 2010: *

• Establish/maintain status as "go-to person" for the media
• Prove the value of social media initiatives
• Attend more industry events
• Build relationships with stakeholders, constituents, reporters, and online friends, etc
• Blog more frequently/establish a blogging schedule
• Become a mentor/mentee
• Discover a new PR tool such as an up and coming social network or platform
• Strengthen internal communication with key employees and executives

Don't let the New Year's resolution to improve your public relations efforts go by the wayside like so many others.  Here are some quick tips to keep you on track:

1. Set Goals. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. For example, "Increase public awareness of our program by 10%". Want more best practices for setting "smart goals" ? Check out this post from BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas blogger Colleen Flood.
2. Goals VS. Tactics.  After you set goals don't forget to create a path to achieve them.  You may have several tactics for one goal.  One example of a tactic for the goal above might be, "Have one feature in the Kennebec Journal each quarter of 2010."
3. Don't set goals just for the sake of goal setting. Understand your goals.  Make sure they align with the overall communication goals of your organization and your strategic plan.  For instance, the example goal above will help make the general public aware of your organization.  But maybe the general public isn't your target audience; maybe its legislators because your organizations is dedicated to bringing wind power to Maine. If this is the case you might be better off finding a different way to communicate with this audience. 
4. Know your audience(s) and review how you communicate with them. Make sure you're communicating with your audiences via the method they prefer- Twitter, trade publications, newsletters, web, print, etc.You might considertalking with your most valued clients or volunteers to get their ideas and opinions.  You could even conduct a survey, check out www.SurveyMonkey.com .  A little time invested in research will go a long way!  
5. Measure and Evaluate. Create a system to track your communications.  You can and should track your progress in a variety of ways.  Maybe it's tracking visitors on the news section of your website, cutting out press clips, the number of Twitter followers, or hiring a news clip company.  Whatever you do don't skip this step!  It's important to know what works and what doesn't so you can make changes and adjustments to your plan as necessary.

Most of all do what you can and don't get frustrated!  We are all doing less with more so if this isn't the year to undertake a complete overhaul of your communications plan don't be afraid to take small manageable steps.  One small step forward is still a step in the right direction!

* Source: www.burrellesluce.com

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