Mata Kuliah Tahun

: O0354 - Public Relations Writing : 2010

PR PLAN
Pertemuan 25 & 26

"Public Relations is about reputation; the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) Planned PR is the most effective PR. One of the most basic PR skills is the ability to write a solid communications plan.

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 Any public relations campaign should start with a plan. The plan can be dynamic and change as the situation changes, but if a well-thought-out communications plan is in place before the campaign is launched, everyone involved will be better prepared to roll with the punches.

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 Many corporations and established PR agencies have their own "house style," so to speak, of writing a communications plan. Some are extremely short and simple, while others are lengthy and elaborate. The names may vary, but all communications plans should have seven basic elements.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Situational Analysis Key Messages Goals and Objectives Audiences Tactics Budget Evaluation

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Situational Analysis
This is background information on the situation being communicated about. The situational analysis can include information on the company's history and current culture, the state of the marketplace or industry, the economic and political situation surrounding the company at the moment, a crisis or emergency that is threatening or some other change approaching, a new product about to be launched, etc.

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 The situational analysis really can't be too detailed. It should include any research the communications department staff has access to or has done themselves, studies and articles from relevant publications, expert testimony even anecdotes from the staffs personal experience can be included here. The bottom line: provide a detailed portrait of the problem or opportunity.

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Key Messages
Two to four points or statements the company would like to get across to its audiences.

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Goals & Objectives

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 Objectives are clearly measurable through quantitative research, such as studies and financial analyses. In the example above, it is quite straightforward to find out how many laptops were sold in 2007, to track progress toward the 2008 goal, and to measure sales again at the end of 2008 to see if the objective was met.

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Audiences
Sometimes called "publics," these are simply the people (or entities) to whom the key messages must be communicated in order to reach the goals and objectives. Audiences are often divided into primary and secondary categories, especially when the budget is tight so that staff can concentrate effort on the most important audiences first.

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 With that said, give the choice of audiences careful thought. An audience includes anyone who might be affected by whatever the company is doing in this plan. For example, if the company is building a new facility, people living in the neighborhood will be affected and will need to receive some communication. An environmental group might become an audience if the facility is being built in a wildlife habitat area. Make sure no one is left out.

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Tactics
The communicator should come up with at least one communications tactic for each audience. Tactics are the specific methods used to communicate. For example, if the organizations own employees are an audience, tactics might include an all-employee e-mail message and an article in the employee newsletter; for board members, a letter from the CEO; for the media, a letter to the editor or a standard press release; and for the local community, an op-ed piece in the local paper and a town meeting.
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 Deciding what tactics to use for each audience is another article in itself. The communicator should use research, his or her own experience and that of coworkers, advice from other PR practitioners and industry best practices to determine how each audience is most likely to be informed and persuaded.

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15

Budget
Obtaining budget approval is one of the primary reasons why a formal written proposal is prepared. As such, budgets are often set out in a separate section. Formats vary based, but ultimately are recast to conform with charts of accounted used by accountants. Consultants and agencies generally seek approval of their total spending plans, including compensation (fees) and reimbursement for direct (out-of- pocket) expenses. Programs conducted by in-house staffs generally focus only on out-of-pocket expenses. However, a frequent question is whether costs are to paid from existing budgets or net new allocations.
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Evaluation
Every communications plan must include some form of evaluation to be done at the end of the campaign, as defined by the plan document. Even if the campaigns budget is tight, the staff can do an informal review and discuss what went well and what didnt.

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 If clear, measurable objectives were set when developing the plan, then some kind of research or analysis should be possible to determine whether the objectives were reached. Collect feedback from various audiences, whether informally through e-mails, calls from the public or a review of media coverage of the issue, or formally with a scientific survey done at the beginning of the campaign and repeated at the end. There are dozens of ways to evaluate the success of a public relations effort, and none of them is necessarily "right" or "wrong." The only mistake a professional communicator can really make here is to fail to evaluate the campaign at all.
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RACE
RESEARCH Situation Analysis Key Messages Goals & Objectives Audience Tactics

ANALYSIS

COMMUNICATION

EVALUATION

Evaluation

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