What Are Your PR Needs for 2014?

This has been a rocky year in the government IT space; many of us are relieved to see this year finally come to a close, and look forward to 2014 – a new year, new opportunities, and a new government budget almost in place! This is a great time to assess your organization’s public relations and marketing strategies for the New Year, and make sure you’re on track for higher visibility and awareness in 2014.

Public relations is hands down the best bang for your buck – it is the single most powerful tool in any organization’s marketing communications arsenal. If it’s not in your arsenal, 2014 is the perfect time to take advantage of this influential tool. Consistent, focused PR educates your audience on the solutions you provide to help solve their problems; a results-driven PR campaign builds name recognition and brand awareness, helping you expand your organization’s sphere of influence. Here are five tips to consider when you think through what you need to accomplish through PR to help you support your strategic business goals in the coming year.

 

1.    Think through your business goals and objectives for 2014. You should be ambitious about where you want to be in a year and how much you would like to grow, while also making sure your goals are attainable. Then align your PR goals with your business goals. Want to expand your thought leadership presence? Grow a specific vertical market? Defining your goals helps you clearly identify where PR can provide support and ‘air cover.’

2.    Ask your PR agency/team to define the PR/marketing actions needed to achieve your goals and objectives. It’s important to be realistic about how much you can accomplish in twelve months, and you need to ensure that your actions truly support your goals. For example, if you want to grow a specific vertical market, you want your PR effort to focus on the media and events that serve that specific market.

3.    Review the past year’s successes and efforts that were especially effective in communicating your message, and integrate these initiatives into next year’s campaign, as well. You want to continue to nurture and leverage these successes to ensure continuity and consistency.

4.    Establish metrics to be achieved: how many feature articles are you aiming for, and what’s reasonable to expect with resources committed? Remember, consistency is key, so an important element is securing feature articles that truly tell your story throughout the year, not just clustered around an important event. Want spokespeople quoted in the press? Work with your PR team to define the metrics that make sense with your level of effort and commitment, then put them in writing, and track results.

 

5.    Enjoy the holidays! Make sure to take the time out of your busy end of year work schedule to spend time with friends and family. You have been working hard all year long, so take the holidays as an opportunity to relax and re-energize for next year.

 

And if you need an engaged, focused PR team to help you achieve your goals, please call me – we’d love to help you plan and implement a focused, results-driven PR campaign for 2014! Our promise to you – we’ll consistently deliver results, exceeding your expectations!

 

Happy holidays!

 

For more information on how Advice Unlimited can help you create and implement a successful public relations plan, or provide support for other public outreach and communication initiatives, please contact me at 301-924-0330 or slevine@adviceunlimited.net.