If you’re looking ahead to 2021, trying to put together a rock-solid plan for your brand, you’ve come to the right blog. This is exactly what we’ve been up to for the past few weeks for us and our clients, looking back at 2020 and establishing our 2021 outreach plans!
Click here for a free downloadable event planning template!
Templatizing your 2021 PR Plan
At M&C Communications, we use a basic structure with all of our PR plans, which includes research.
Primary: This is research you conduct yourself. This could be in the form of a survey, questionnaire or something more in-depth
Secondary: This is research you find from an outside source, such as online articles
After research, we perform a SWOT analysis.
Strengths: What are your internal strengths?
Weaknesses: What are your internal weaknesses?
Opportunities: What external opportunities are there for your brand?
Threats: What external threats could affect your brand?
One of the most important things you can do to build Brand Protection is to develop messaging. We have talked at length about the 4 Cs (clear, compassionate, consistent, conversational)! Use them when establishing your brand’s messaging in 2021.
Establish your objectives. We review these quarterly for our clients. Your objectives should be SMART.
Specific: Your objectives should be details
Measurable: Your objective should be able to be measured with metrics
Attainable: Your objectives should be challenging but within reach through your work
Realistic: Challenging yourself is good but always work within your means
Timely: Be deadline-oriented
When working with our objectives, it’s important to utilize the PESO method to ensure you’re optimizing all of the possible ways to attain media coverage.
Paid: This coverage you pay for like commercials or advertising online
Earned: This is media coverage you have earned through outreach and media pitching
Shared: This is content where you’ve collaborated with others
Owned: This is content you produce for your brand (and where YOU control the message!)
Examples of Brand Protection PR™ using your strengths
At M&C Communications, our niche is Insider Media Relations™. This means we understand the media inside and out! We are all former journalists and maintain close relationships with our former colleagues working in news. We use these professional relationships when working to earn coverage for our clients.
One of the easiest ways you can begin to build relationships with journalists covering your industry is by using Twitter. It’s the fastest and easiest way to connect with journalists. Any good journalist lives on Twitter because of how quickly the platform can disseminate breaking news.
Whether you are engaging with their work or chiming in on a casual conversation, your efforts to connect will not go unnoticed. Keep in mind as technology continues to boom, digital and social media will continue to be a significant factor in where people digest their news. Journalists are increasingly critiqued on their social media presence by their managers, so there is an incentive to interact with brands who connect with them online.