The PR Plan

The first step in managing any public relations campaign is to create a strategic PR plan. The strategic plan is created based on "big picture" company goals. It clearly outlines a company's communication objectives, and identifies the target audiences the campaign will reach. The primary target audiences for public relations include:

• Shareholders and the financial community
• Media- members of local, regional, national and international press organizations
• Consumers - members of the public and the industry
• Employees
• Local Communities
• Government- local and national representatives and legislators
• Distributors- retailers, wholesalers and others in the distribution chain for products and services
• Partners- other companies or groups that are considered allies of the organization

Once the communications objectives are developed for each target audience, the next phase in the PR plan details the specific tactics and measurement tools that will be used to execute the plan effectively. The tactics include a realistic timeline and designated company owners.

Executive Involvement

It is important to note that in most Fortune 1000 companies, the creation of the PR plan directly involves the CEO and executive staff, as they are the most visible communicators for the company and embody the company's culture and image. Thus, most CEOs today involve their public relations managers in key business decisions and consider them partners in the communication process.

Basic PR Tools

A critical piece of the PR plan includes understanding how to deploy the basic PR tools. They include:

• Press Kit
• Press Release
• Media Alert
• Backgrounder
• Biographies
• Media Contact List
• Press Conferences/Briefings/Tours