HOW TO EVALUATE THE SUCCESS
OF PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITY
Special to MEDessentials by Angela O'Mara
Many physicians feel it is
sometimes difficult to evaluate the effectiveness and success of a publicity
campaign This, however, is simply not true. Over the past twenty years,
the field of public relations, especially in the medical industry, has
grown dramatically. If P.R. didn't work, this field would not have grown.
A day does not go by that a physician, or office administrator, does
not ask questions pertaining to publicity. How does it works? How effective
is it? How is it obtained? The following addresses some of the questions
I have recently been asked.
Q.
How can I tell if my public relations program is working?
A.
The key to measuring whether or not you're program is working
is to begin by establishing clear guidelines early on in the client/agency
relationship. This includes goal setting, perceived media events, key
programs within your practice that you wish to publicize and areas of
special interest to you. Your agency should report regularly on its
activity so that you can be reassured that they are working on your
behalf and meeting the goals as set at the beginning.
Q.
I'm interested in beginning a public relations campaign. How do I plan
one?
A. There are six basic
steps to planning a P.R. campaign.
- Set realistic goals and
prioritize them.
- Identify the media outlets,
either print or broadcast you wish to approach.
- Identify the procedures
you think the media would be most interested in.
- Make sure you are sending
the right materials to the right editor/producer.
- Determine what tools
you are going to use to interest them in your story (i.e. news release/video
news release, photos, etc.)
- Track and evaluate the
results.
Q.
Is it realistic for P.R. people to promise articles in magazines like
Vogue or on popular TV shows like Oprah?
A. Rule number one in
publicity is that there are no guarantees. Reporters and producers are
very ethical and rarely place people on TV shows or in national magazines
based on favors. Stories are placed based on how news worthy they are
and whether they will have popular appeal. Be cautious of any P.R. person
making such grand promises.
Q.
The last firm I hired didn't seem to have any idea of what stories to
pitch for me. I thought I was hiring a professional who would know how
to approach the media but it seemed as though they wanted me to do all
the work. Is this right?
A. In the beginning of
any P.R. relationship a plan of action must be formulated. This is a
JOINT responsibility that should be shared by both the client and the
P.R. person. The goals must reflect the overall direction of your practice.
Unfortunately, you alone know what those goals are. I understand when
you say that you felt as though you were doing all the work, however,
even those of us that have been practicing P.R. for many years still
believe that every client is unique and that every message is individual.
In the early days you must work closely with your agent to make sure
that once you have determined what the message is, it's conveyed loud
and clear. Communication is a two-way street and you must communicate
in order to guarantee success.
Q.
I'm considering hiring a P.R. agency to help me plan a Grand Opening.
How many months in advance should I hire one?
A. That all depends upon
the scale of your Grand Opening. If you wish the firm to only do local
publicity, you should be planning this three months in advance. If you
wish them to do invitations and advertising, and help with overall activity
you ought to allow yourself a good six-month window to make sure everything
is discussed in advance and a realistic time schedule is determined.
Q.
I want to hire a P.R. person, but am only comfortable doing so on a
month-to-month basis. I'm told P.R. doesn't work this way. Is that true?
A. Yes, it's generally
true. Public relations is rarely a quick fix and works best when part
of a consistent program. It often takes several weeks or months to determine
the message(s) and put together a cohesive media kit and media plan.
After that, even placing the story can takes time due to deadlines,
media commitment and coordination. The press receive such a daily influx
of ideas that it often takes weeks or months to convince them why they
should run yours.
The above article is reprinted
with permission by MEDessentials.com
