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Tips for perfecting your PR Strategy

Your PR strategy must be well planned and effectively implemented to ensure your organisations objectives are met. Gaining stakeholder buy-in, maintaining consistent messaging using a range of communication channels, and ongoing measurement and evaluation are just some of the essential ingredients for the ‘perfect’ PR strategy.

Below is a Public Relations Strategy, step-by-step approach - produced by Di Burton FCIPR, CIPR Approved Trainer.

• Look at the bigger picture
• What can PR do?
• Where do we need to be?
• What is the rational?
• Who do we need to talk to?
• What are our core messages?
• How do we get there – tactics?
• Getting the timing right
• Remember the budget parameters
• Measurement and evaluation 

Further information on this guide can be found in the members area of the CIPR website. If you are a CIPR member, log in at  www.cipr.co.uk/member_area/members.asp to read more.

If you’re working in corporate communications, public affairs or public relations, the CIPR one-day ‘Perfecting PR Strategy’ conference has been designed with you in mind.  Throughout this conference you will gain an insight into the experiences and knowledge of a range of speakers - all experts in their fields.

Topics covered include:

• Planning and implementing a PR strategy
• Find out how to create maximum impact on minimum budget
• Hear how to measure and evaluate your strategy
• Examine best practice in communicating change
• Look at the use and impact of new media channels

This conference will end with an hour-long ‘strategy clinic’. During this session you will hear from a panel of leading strategists, from a range of sectors, and hear their thoughts on what makes a successful PR strategy.  If you have any questions, put them to the panel for expert answers.

Further information and details on how to book can be found at www.cipr.co.uk/strategy or contact Eloise West by email at  EloiseW@cipr.co.uk or telephone 020 7766 3349.

Eloise West, conference organiser

Perfecting PR Strategy kicks off CIPR Autumn programme

The CIPR’s autumn/winter conference programme kicked off yesterday with the sell-out Perfecting PR Strategy boutique conference attended by 50 senior level PR professionals.

The over-arching theme of the day was how to put public relations at the heart of organisational strategy and the full programme can be seen at www.cipr.co.uk/strategy.

Without an effective strategy, you are winking in the dark

Vikki Stace from Trimedia set the scene by looking at how to put together an effective PR strategy, the importance of linking this to your business objectives and how vital it is to measure the results of your PR efforts in terms of their impact on organisational goals. As she said, “Implementing a PR programme without an effective strategy is like winking at someone in the dark – you may know what you are doing, but the audience doesn’t.”

Yorkshire Water’s Rob Salmon talked about ensuring corporate strategy is generating the right reputation externally; and Susannah Randall, The Wellcome Trust, suggested ways to get employees to buy into a strategic approach and develop a sense of shared ownership.

After a delicious lunch, Penny Lawson from ITV talked about how they changed their strategy with their high profile, award-winning Brand 2010 campaign following a merger, and communicated the new brand vision internally and externally.

Last but not least of the speakers, Kevin Reed and Fiona Battle discussed today’s multi-media world and how YouthNet’s communications strategy makes use of the very latest technologies to reach its target audience of 16-24 year olds.

In a packed day, delegates also had the opportunity to attend two themed discussion groups on either Internal Comms or Crisis & Issues Management.  This was a time to share experiences with peers and discuss different ways of tackling these issues.

A dynamic day, filled with discussions begun in the Q&A sessions and break-out groups, which continued into the post-conference reception. The general consensus was that a good day was had by all!

What delegates said about yesterday’s CIPR Perfecting PR Strategy conference:

“Lots of ideas to take back to work – I think the course will have cost-justified itself with one new strategy!”

“Really useful pointers that I can take back to the office.”

Delegates will have access to selected presentations from the conference shortly; if you attended, keep an eye out for an email from us with your access information.