Just as in a typical marketing plan, analysis of the situation in the PR-plane briefly summarize the dominant trends affecting the company’s position in the market or on its relationship with relevant community groups – consumers, customers or partners, investors, officials, potential customers, competitors and the media. In addition, at this point the plan are fixed positive side subject of PR-campaign, as well as negative factors and possible complications.
In case of the PR-audit, which will be useful, it should include:
Ӣ Interviews with College management and other relevant groups, such as, for example, shareholders or members of the media;
Ӣ Review and analysis of current issues, problems and opportunities;
Ӣ re-test in order to determine whether the change is not the target audience and the composition of important social groups since the establishment of the previous plan;
Ӣ assess the preferences and interests of consumers and employees of the company, suppliers, community opinion leaders and other target groups;
Ӣ assess how effectively current media contacts and used the media cover the target market segments;
Ӣ a critical review of the content of a web-site and other marketing and communication sources, printed materials, press materials (including biographies and photos of key figures of the PR-campaign), promotional materials, materials for mailings, etc, according to Six Steps to Developing Your Public Relations and Media Plan (2011).
Defining goals. A clear definition of goals will help to select suitable for a particular organization or event type PR-action. Thus, despite the fact that most of the PR-actions aimed at acquiring the wide popularity among the public, in areas such as investor relations or government circles focused on identifying specific and quite a small audience, establishing contact with it and maintain the connection that prefer not to advertise.
In defining the tasks it is necessary to accommodate specific preferences of target audience or market segment and ensure there are no contradictions between what the company wants, and what is waiting for her audience.
Everything is very individualistic, because some colleges may be interested in seeking to increase their popularity on a specific percentage for a specified period, while the other is going to minimize possible losses after a series of negative news in the media. It is important to determine this specificity. Considering the objectives, they can not be too general and allow for several interpretations.
I will think how to determine which methods are best to give the desired message to the right audience. It’s no secret that the same people perceive words differently, especially if the message is addressed to representatives of different generations and different demographic group. In creating a realistic picture of priorities and values of the target audience will help research data.
I will pay special attention to the formation of the image of the organization or company strategy aimed how this image corresponds to the history and mission of the organization, as well as the image created in the overall marketing plan. Sometimes there is confusion between strategy and tactics, as if they meant the same thing. However, this is not true. The strategy defines the approach and point of application activity, while the tactics explains how it should be done. Here are some examples of the strategy.
To convince the public that living human contact with a representative of more fruitful than the impersonal Internet contact with a computer program, which also may stop at any time. Or: Oppose the “fashionable”, but untested competitor and earned a long history of excellent quality and reliability of products and services company’s reputation.
There are many ways to influence the beliefs and behavior of the target audience. For example, in order to have an impact on staff, I can apply the certain tactics. Among the means commonly used to influence buyers, customers or consumers, there can be called the following:
Ӣ brochures, booklets, manuals and other text materials to promote the goods or services for a wide audience, and targeted at specific market segments and distributed by mail or by representatives of the organization;
Ӣ catalogs, magazines and newsletters;
Ӣ materials web-site;
Ӣ materials for DVD-, CD-ROM, video and audio CD;
Ӣ seminars and conferences;
Ӣ interactive programs contained on floppy disks or placed on the website of the company;
Ӣ sponsorship of various events in the organization;
Ӣ participation in joint sponsorship programs with local and national TV-and radio channels;
Ӣ participation in community and public charities;
Ӣ organization of competitions, auctions, sweepstakes, designed to promote goods or services;
Ӣ creative use of prizes and awards, advertising.