NO. 2 PLANNING of Public Relations process

2. PLANNING

- Second step in PR process
- Before any PR activity can be implemented, it is important to know in what sequence to
accomplish an organization’s objective
- PR planning should be strategic


Different Kinds of PR Plans

Ad Hoc Plans
-Latin phrase means ‘for this purpose only’
-The plan is important but it’s temporary

Standing Plans
-wise organizations have on- going & long- term plans to nurture relationships

Contingency Plans
-Plans that are used for ‘what if’ scenarios
-Through scanning & monitoring, organizations often spot issues that may require action
-A smart organization prepares a contingency plan to overcome the issue


Elements of a Program Plan

Situation
-Valid objectives cannot be set without a clear understanding of the situation that led to the conclusion that a PR program was needed

-3 kinds of situation:
1)The organization must conduct a remedial program to overcome a problem that negatively affect the organization
2) The organization needs to conduct a specific one- time project
3) The organization wants to reinforce an ongoing effort to preserve reputation & public support



OBJECTIVES
-2 kinds:
1)Informational objectives
2)Motivational objectives

AUDIENCE
-PR programs should be directed toward specific & defined audiences/ publics
-Target specific publics within a ‘general public’

STRATEGY
-A strategy statement describes how, in concept, an objective is to be achieved, providing guidelines & themes for overall program
-Should state key themes & messages

TACTICS
-The specific activities that put the strategies into operation & help to achieve the stated objectives
-Involves using the tools of comm. to reach primary & secondary audiences with key messages


CALENDER/ TIMETABLE
1)The timing of a campaign
2)Scheduling of tactics
3)Compiling a calendar

BUDGET
1)Staff time
2)Out- of- pocket (OOP) expenses


EVALUATION
-Evaluation criteria should be realistic, credible, specific & in line with client or employer expectations


Why Do We Plan? (Why planning ?)

-To keep actions in line with organization’s values
-To help control destiny
-To help better understand & focus research
- To help achieve consensus
-To allow effective management of resources

(to be continue with no 3 - COMMUNICATION on next posting)