Many know the saying “new year, new me,” but few business owners apply this sentiment to their public relations strategies. Whether in life or business, the end of the year is the time to reflect on your accomplishments of the past year – accounting for each success and opportunity for growth.
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s essential to take a proactive approach to new beginnings and use the last several weeks of the year to get a head start on the upcoming season. This will allow you to maximize your efforts in current and forthcoming years, particularly concerning PR.
Though there are many ways to approach end-of-year planning, we recommend adding these tried-and-true actions to your PR checklist to ensure your campaigns end the year on a high note and are ready to do the same next year.
1. Look back to move forward
Review relevant materials from the past several months, reflect on what went well, and note what should be adjusted. To further develop and flesh out your efforts, you must thoroughly understand the results and why you received them. Does your messaging resonate with your audience? Did you get more or less traction on an announcement than you expected? While it’s important not to dwell on the past, it’s crucial to understand it so you can move forward confidently.
2. Set clear, SMART goals for the year ahead
According to Forbes, “Without concrete goals, you are essentially shooting in the dark trying to improve.” That is where S.M.A.R.T. objectives come in. These goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, allowing you and your team to focus, assess and pivot goals as needed.
S.M.A.R.T. goals are:
- Specific, featuring outcomes and action steps all team members are aligned on.
- Defined by quantitative objectives. This data and its collection methods are predetermined and measurable.
- Realistic and straightforward, so team members remain energized and enthusiastic.
- Aligned with the organization’s overarching goals.
- Bound to a deadline.
3. Assess potential tactics
Once you’ve set the appropriate goals, it’s essential to research the PR tactics that may be right for you. Whether influencer relations, media relations, event execution, press releases, op-eds, digital content or a combination of all these and more piques your interest, there is an approach that is right for your business. Maybe your organization hasn’t invested in PR before, or perhaps it has used the same handful of strategies for the past several years, but taking this time to research modern and traditional techniques can benefit you nonetheless.
4. Develop a plan
Intentional research ultimately leads to productive planning. Determining your goals and potential tactics of interest will allow you to collaborate and craft a plan to ensure that you’ll enter the new year with direction, enthusiasm and purpose.
5. Maintain momentum
Until the new year begins, be sure not to put your PR efforts on hold. Continuing to pitch media and engage with your audiences through social media, blog posts and e-newsletters will keep you at the top of their mind throughout the busy holiday season. Be sure to announce any significant announcements after the new year, though. Doing so will ensure your big news isn’t lost in the holiday buzz.
Consider crisis communication planning
In today’s environment, it is crucial to consider that a crisis can happen to any person, group or organization at any time. As 2024 approaches, we recommend viewing crisis planning as a proactive business tool rather than a reactive one. Though the hope is always that a situation does not occur, we believe that adding crisis communications to your checklist, identifying any potential points of contention and using preparedness to your advantage will help you move from year to year with greater ease.
For expert help creating a PR checklist tailored to your business, schedule a discovery call with RPR today.