By Kristy Hesom
Sylvia Schutte, managing director of
Stratitude, defines a PR strategy as: “how you are going to promote a brand, a product or an individual by communicating the right message to the right audience in the right way at the right time”. An effective PR strategy takes time, effort and effective collaboration between key roles players, else it can end up being a waste of time, and sometimes a lot of money.
The importance of a PR strategy
The main aim of PR is to promote an individual, brand or product in a positive light, says Schutte, and without implementing an effective PR strategy, this might not be achieved.
Rebecca Cronje, director at
Cultivate Communications agrees; “PR is very good at creating lots of hype among different influencers – be they media, bloggers, influencers or stakeholders” says Cronje, but without a clear strategy, your efforts can be wasted.
Dana Minter mirrors this sentiment in an article for
highway101, saying that when it comes to the media, and journalists specifically, “You don’t want to pitch meaningless or boring content to them and risk tarnishing your name for future opportunities.”
The time it takes
Like most good things, a PR strategy takes time. “Initially, it can take up to a few weeks to develop a strategy,” says Cronje, as you have to research, download, process and understand what information is required to go ahead.
“Effective PR needs time” agrees Schutte, “but the more you put in, the more you will get out.” Schutte points out that you can, however, see results slightly quicker if your PR strategy is integrated with your communications strategy.
Minter offers simple advice; “don’t give up. PR takes time and persistence.”
The essentials
There are many factors that can influence a PR strategy, but experts agree that research is one of the most essential parts. Cronje points out that it is not only important to research your client, but to research your audience too. Understanding your audience and your client will affect how you communicate with them, says Cronje, be it through traditional channels, through digital and social channels, or through both.
Schutte agrees, “Do your homework – know who you are targeting and know what your competitors are saying to your market.”
While research is important, integration plays an essential role too. “Align your PR strategy closely with your other marketing campaigns,” says Schutte, which include marketing activation, social media, internal campaigns and digital campaigns.
Senior management must be involved
A PR strategy is not restricted to the PR team. In order to benefit most from a PR strategy, the people at the top need to contribute too. “The senior management team should be involved”, says Schutte, “and the communications/ PR/ marketing team should not only be the drivers of the implementation thereof, but also be empowered to make decisions in the execution roll-out.”
Cronje agrees, saying that senior management needs to be involved in the beginning, at least, so that sufficient information is provided to base the strategy on, and that useful feedback on the direction is given too.
Schutte points out that without involvement from senior management, often the most solid strategies can even fall flat. “If the senior team participates in the development of the PR strategy and buys into the importance of the campaign and makes themselves available for the implementation thereof, half the battle is won,” says Schutte.
What are your thoughts on PR strategies? Which campaigns have you particular enjoyed? Tell us in the comments below.