Last week, guest author, Nicole Nolte, shared four free resources on how to get your small business on the right public relations track.  This week, she shares  7 tips that will kick your PR program into high gear.

PR Plan a Complete Cluster? It’s Time to Organize Small Biz Owners!

Here is a stat that might help when considering creating or revamping your PR program. PRWeek.com reported that “startup companies that engage in PR campaigns are 30% more successful in getting funding within one to three months than those that don’t, according to results from a survey conducted by BIGfrontier Communications Group.”

So it’s time to turn that cluster upside down, organize and kick your PR program into gear! Below are seven simple steps to help organize your PR efforts.

1.  Write down your target audience and keep it in front of you at all times – This serves as a constant reminder and will help you stay focused on making sure you are building relationships with media that reach your audience.

2.  Build a PR plan – It doesn’t have to be in depth, could consist of a few bulleted items, but it helps to lay out your goals and the ways to accomplish them.

3.  Create standard process documents – These are one page documents that identify the steps for issuing a press release, tracking results, items that require CEO approval, etc. This will help for any changes in staff within the company that touch the PR program.

4.  Create a spreadsheet that tracks all of your weekly items – This could include a variety of items such as upcoming priorities, events, awards, speaking, as well as a list of coverage to date, interviews, etc.

5.  Detailed press lists – Make note of all conversations, information sent and anything else you deem relevant to track. This allows you to not only plan and make sure you have the correct targets, but also helps you look back at what you have done to identify the parts that work as well as ways you can improve.

6.  Keep an admin folder – This should have items such as executive headshots, bios, company contact lists, product/service images, company logo, etc. You will use these items frequently and having those organized makes it easy!

7.  A safe place – Keep a copy of all PR docs (press releases, event lists, speaker submissions, coverage, etc) in one place! This helps you easily grab anything you need for a boss, investor, reporter, new hire, etc.

Hopefully, this doesn’t seem overwhelming. It takes a little extra time and dedication in the beginning, but as the PR program progresses, it will help to make things more efficient and effective.

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About the Author

Nicole Nolte is an Account Director with Welz & Weisel Communications where she serves as an account lead working to support companies within the security, government and telecommunications industries. In addition to managing accounts, Nicole provides strategic guidance across the agency as how to best implement today’s social media tools for building communities, increasing brand awareness and creating relationships that matter. With a solid background in technology, Nicole started her career at Weber Shandwick Worldwide, where she primarily supported the Microsoft Mobile and Embedded Devices Group.   If you’d like to join her on Twitter, you can find her tweeting here: @NicolePRexec.