Identifying your audience

Peter Turkington
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

Before implementing any kind of public relations campaign, it is important to know who you are speaking to.

In short, you must identify your target audiences.

These are the people who will be impacted by the key messages you’re planning to communicate. The more information you can gather on each stakeholder group the easier it will be to develop objectives, strategies and tactics for talking to them.

The key to properly defining target audiences is to understand how they are involved and affected by the story you’re telling. What do they know about it? How do they feel about it? Are they a part of it? And how will they react to it?

You might define your target publics based on geography, demographics, psychographics, covert power, position, membership, reputation (i.e. opinion leaders, influencers), or role. These can be used alone or in combination in order to identify audiences.

Identifying your audience is key to deciding which media should be used to communicate with them.

But, more on that later…

PR is an investment

Peter Turkington
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

On a number of occasions we at SCS have come across people who view public relations / corporate communications in much the same way as advertising. They expect to see instant results.

When you place an ad you know when and where it will appear. In fact, you will even be able to pick the dates or length of time you would like the ad to run. You'll also know exactly what size it will be.

With public relations, you won't know exactly when and where it will appear (initially) and you won't know how long any resulting article might be.

Public Relations is about investment. Investment of time, building relationships and building trust. Professionals in the communication field help to manage these investments on behalf of their clients.

Reporters need to know that you are a reliable resource. They need story ideas from you that are targeted towards the audience of their particular publication/media outlet. PR professionals work to ensure that these requirements are met through keeping media contacts cross numerous industries.

At times, there will be a lot of back and forth with reporters to work out the details of stories. It might take a few weeks, or even a few months, to nurse the story to eventual publication. There may be a number of angles that need to be covered. Different publications might look at the story from a different viewpoint or be interested in different aspects of the story.

The payoff in all of this is that articles published by local, regional and national media outlets will convey a lot more information about your product, service or organization. Not only will it re-enforce the marketing efforts already undertaken, it will create a buzz and provide credibility that marketing alone simply cannot provide.

8 easy steps to planning an event...

Colin Reade & Peter Turkington
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

An event can be anything from an employee or corporate seminar to a product launch or media event. The keys to success are preparation, organization and common sense.

You can’t go wrong if you:

1. Establish a clear purpose
2. Build solid client relations
3. Search out an appropriate venue
4. Develop a critical path and task lists
5. Carefully research and select any guest speakers
6. Pay attention to the budget
7. Conduct a final check/walk-through
8. Learn from each experience

It pays to remember that what can go wrong usually will go wrong throughout the planning process for a major event. Don’t worry about it. We’ve all been there. Slow down and remember why the event is being planned in the first place. It’s reinforcing a wider strategy and moving your organization towards its overall objectives.

The steps outlined above will help you maintain your focus and keep your project on track.

Some things to know about reporters...

Peter Turkington & Barrie Hussey
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

Do you ever wonder why reporters do the things they do and ask the questions they ask?

Why are our interactions with reporters are so critical to success in media relations?

The answer, two simple reasons:

1. Reporters have the ears of the public. They shape the public agenda.
2. Reporters are the people you will deal with most. When something happens they're the people who make the first, and perhaps only, contact with you.

If you want to have some influence on how stories about your organization are portrayed in the media, you must:

• Have an understanding of who reporters are.
• Know what reporters do and how they think.
• Put your ego aside and help reporters get their job done.

Furthermore, never underestimate reporters. Remember, they’ve heard all the excuses.

Public relations, communication people, and business executives are among many sources of information reporters seek out and use to complete their stories.

One of the more critical steps in becoming a ‘newsworthy’ source for reporters is gaining and maintaining trust. Trust can only be built over time. The best chance you have of getting your news into the daily run is if a reporter or editor knows your information is reliable.

This is done by always providing your reporter contacts with unbiased information that caters to their needs. And, making sure your spokespeople treat journalists as seekers of information, rather than people who are out to get you.

Truth must always be the underlying principle in the media relations process. Once you’ve lost a reporter’s trust your credibility, and perhaps the reputation, of your organization is lost.