5 Elements of a Strategic PR Campaign

A Public Relations campaign is an organised set of activities created to accomplish a brand’s specific goals, and further establish positive brand reputation. It is executed through a formulated strategy and tactics tailored to meet the overall vision. Target audience knowledge, competitor knowledge, goals, messaging and evaluation, are 5 key elements that formulate a strategic PR campaign.

Target Audience Knowledge

Identifying your target audience through research is a vital element of a strategic PR campaign. Taking out time to properly identify and understand the audience you aim to reach, will help in saving time and money in the long run. By acquiring this knowledge, you can tailor elements of your PR campaign to their specific characteristics and language.

In total, knowing your target audience is a key element of a strategic PR campaign, as it provides direction and streamlining.

Competitor Knowledge

Thorough knowledge about your competitors helps in staying ahead of the competition. It’s important to monitor competitors’ PR activities, in order to take note of their key wins and misses. Understanding the strategies that have worked, can help you identify unique ways to infuse similar elements into your campaign. For areas that are lacking, this can help to identify new opportunities to fill in and further strengthen your positioning.

For example, the process of developing a strategic PR campaign for a whiskey brand, should involve thorough research about PR activities done by other relevant whiskey brands in the market. This will provide valuable insights and aid ideation development. In general, it is important to incorporate competitor knowledge in the formulation process of a strategic PR campaign.

Goals

A strategic PR campaign needs clear goals and objectives. You should have a vision on what you hope to achieve, which will provide clarity on the steps to take in order to accomplish your goals. S.M.A.R.T stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Creating S.M.A.R.T objectives is an easy way to gauge whether you are on the right track when setting goals for your PR campaign. Meeting this criteria creates room for a winning PR campaign. Overall, setting clear goals and objectives is a key element of a strategic PR campaign.

Messaging

Developing a solid message that is tailored to your audience, is a vital part of the PR campaign formulation process. Based on your research, you should be able to establish the most effective ways to reach and engage your target audience.

For example, if the goal and strategy of a brand’s PR campaign is to strengthen brand reputation by leveraging media relations and community outreach — in order to boost awareness and engagement. There are different tactics that can be used to implement this strategy and achieve the overall goals. The brand will then have to select tactics that best suit their audience. In total, forming an effective message delivery is a fundamental stage of a strategic PR campaign.

Evaluation

Measuring a PR campaign through evaluation is a key component of the execution process. You need to determine how and when you will evaluate the effectiveness of the tactics used toward accomplishing the goals and objectives set. Gather, examine and evaluate all necessary data on a frequent basis, and use the information to discover what is working and what is not.

This is a strategic move, as the insight provided can help you decide whether a pivot is needed if certain tactics are not yielding results. It also helps you stay relevant, keep up with trends in the dynamic market and maintain systems that are yielding expected results. Generally, evaluation is a critical element of a well thought out PR campaign, as it aids in tracking audience trends and the effectiveness of campaign tactics.

In conclusion, a strategic PR campaign requires the origination of a well-thought array of planned activities — customised to accomplish the specific goals and objectives of a brand. Target audience knowledge, competitor knowledge, setting clear goals, tailored messaging and evaluation, are all vital components of a strategic PR campaign.

Images not ours unless clearly stated

. . .

Karina is a fun, driven and adventurous girl who has a passion for music, PR and events. She is very outgoing, loves spending time with friends & family and also values her alone time!