Week Ten

Tactics
Strategy, Planning and Scheduling

In this week’s reading of chapter seven and chapter eight, we understand the process and application of a public relation campaign.
The chapter seven covers strategic communication thinking and recognises the cause and effect relationship between our communication activities and the achievements of organisation's mission. It talks about the creation of campaigns within a public relation job via strategies, planning and scheduling.The reading also discussed different both sort of strategies

• organisational strategy
• public relation strategy

I understood from the reading that the strategic system and systematic design of public relations plans is vital to the effective identification, implementation and management of public relations goals and objectives that complement and support organisational goals.The strategic public relation plan and budgets can firmly establish the goals and objectives of a firm.The reading later also discuss briefly the roles of strategic planning

• budgeting
• scheduling
• listing or checklist making and
• flowcharts
• in a strategic planning of public relation.

Key Performance Indicators should also be identified to measure the progress of the company towards its mission. PR strategies, to my understanding, are very important and useful skills to have in this industry for creating a firm organisation.

Now let’s talk about tactics. The chapter enlightens that a tactic is any means of achieving this strategic outcome. There are two types of tactics,

• Controlled
• Uncontrolled.

Controlled means the practitioner has power from the start to the very end of the process, such as advertising.

Uncontrolled tactics are anything that can be altered or blocked completely such as media relations.

Methods of delivery of tactics also play a critical role in shaping the impact and effectiveness of a message. When deciding which to use, the following factors are taken in account

• Economics
• Dynamics
• target audience and
• whether it will actually reach its destination.
  

Emails are good for an instantaneous way to communicate short sharp messages delivered to the addressee, but they also run the risk of being classified as spam and can be easily deleted.Printed materials such as leaflets and brochures are useful when detail, persuasion or a lasting document is required, but they rely on skilful execution to compel an audience to pick them up and read them. Another effective tactic is the newsletter. This is useful especially for internal publics. It is a form of on-going communication building a good relationship with its readers. It is also cost effective, though frequently it is only appropriate for a extremely specific target audience.

Therefore the strategies and tactics in PR campaigns must be selected, keeing in mind the consideration to targeted addressees, their suitability, advantages and disadvantages and the available budget.