Best Practices in PR

I was reviewing the Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center study on Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) in the public relations industry, produced at the University of Southern California, and thought that the list of best practices described a helpful path in developing government public relations efforts. There were a total of 13 best practices, listed below, outlined in the executive summary.

First, the report suggests that organizations “maintain a higher than average ratio of PR budget to gross revenue.” The idea here is that the agencies that invest the most in their PR efforts tend to gain from that investment. For local governments, that could mean ensuring an appropriate amount of staff is designated for public outreach and media relations, or that the budget for printing and television production is adequate for reaching the intended audiences.

Next, the report suggests the best PR programs are those that “report directly and exclusively to the C-suite.” Having the public information function buried in a division or relegated to someone as “additional duties as assigned” means that you’re not being strategic or timely with your communications. The person charged with providing external communications needs to be a part of the management team, regardless of their title.

The third item, “optimize the C-suite’s understanding of PR’s current and potential contribution to the success of the organization as a whole,” seems a bit self-serving, but is vitally important. As professional communicators, we should use our skills to communicate the importance and success of our efforts to inform and engage residents. Report back frequently on the activities and outcomes of your communications program and share “war stories” that demonstrate the value professional communications staff can provide to the organization.

While aimed at a corporate audience, the next practice—”Establish an effective social responsibility strategy for your organization”—serves as a reminder to local governments to remember the role of local government in the lives of the residents it serves, and the true meaning of a career in public service. We are in a better position than most to bring about positive change in our communities and therefore have more of a responsibility to do so in a fair and inclusive way.

Relatively new when the report was originally published, the fifth recommendation, to “establish an effective digital-media strategy for your orgnization” has recently become one of the single most important tools for communications professionals to understand and implement. Low cost and direct, social media and other web technologies have the ability to become the most powerful tools that local government communicators have at their disposal. They can be used to increase direct interactions with constituents, increase transparency, and provide engagement opportunities in policy making. It is opening our industry to exciting new possibilities and we need to lead the way in leveraging the reach and power of these tools.

One area where many governments have the most need, yet fail to adequately plan is in “establish[ing] an effective issues-management strategy.” Having a systematic and thoughtful approach to identifying and responding to issues as they arise allows the organization to not only communicate better, but also to be more responsive as issues arise.

The seventh suggestion is to “optimize integration and coordination within the PR/Communications function, and between it and other organizational functions.” That anyone considers “PR” as somehow different that other organizational functions seems like a serious problem to me. Communications takes many forms, written, broadcast, verbal, nonverbal, and others; all of which work in unison (ideally) to support the successful execution of the organization’s mission. Whether it’s wayfinding signage at your park facility, how an officer interacts with a motorist that is being ticketed, or the community newsletter mailed to constituents homes; all work together to make the organization’s reputation with constituents.

“Encourage highly ethical practices across the organization, beginning with communication” says it all.

To best implement the next suggestion, to “encourage the organization-wide adoption of a long-term strategic point of view, beginning with communication,” I would recommend using a Strategic Communications Plan. Ideally, your organization has a strategic planning system that is used to align resources with policy direction that can provide objectives for your your communications plan, but if you don’t, then having the communications plan at least allows you to be strategic in using the communications assets you have.

Ten and eleven are organizational culture decisions that leaders reinforce, whether purposefully or by default. The recommendations are to “encourage the organization-wide adoption of a proactive mindset, beginning with communication” and “encourage the organization-wide adoption of a flexible mindset, beginning with communication.” The nimble organization is more responsive, more resilient, and more effective than the rigid one. Your employees shouldn’t be so wrapped up in red tape that they don’t feel empowered to make decisions that benefit your constituents, no matter what their function. That all starts with the personality and intent of the leaders in the organization, both formal and informal. But it’s also a moment-by-moment choice we, as individual employees, make as we do our jobs.

To me, “optimiz[ing] the integration of PR and reputational considerations into top-level organizational strategies” begins when the senior leaders understand the role of communications in the successful delivery of services. Every function of government involves delivering a service, and all services require communication. The two are forever intertwined and focusing on operational issues while ignoring communications is a recipe for inefficient, unfocused, and inferior services.

The final suggestion is to “measurably contribute to organizational success.” The emphasis is in original and if it wasn’t, I would have added it. Understanding what outcomes you intend to achieve and then measuring your success at meeting them is the only way to ever know if you’re being effective or not. And, just as important, what gets measured, gets done.

Get the whole report at http://ascambassador1.usc.edu/Home/CentersandPrograms/ResearchCenters/SCPRC/PrevGAP.aspx

The Basics of Process Management

Another useful tool in any manager’s kit is process management—the art of setting up, measuring, and evaluating the processes you use to deliver products and services. In government communications we have dozens of processes, from preparing news releases to publishing magazines to running town hall meetings, each of which can benefit from reflecting on how we perform those tasks.

Each process we use involves people and other resources, and by understanding how things are actually happening, you can design your work to be as efficient and effective as possible.

There are about a dozen steps to review and improve the processes that you manager. They are:

• Identify the products and services you deliver (each has its own process)
• Prioritize them so you can work on the most resource-intensive first
• Identify the process owner, who will be accountable for achieving the process goals
• Document the process, using flow charts to show every step
• Identify the customers (or audience)
• Determine what the customer’s requirements are for the end product
• Identify performance indicators
• Develop targets for those indicators through research (such as benchmarking)
• Make changes to the process to decrease hand-offs or other resource impacts
• Develop process tracking to document indicators and results
• Implement the process and monitor results
• Periodically analyze results and make changes to improve the process

By taking the time to go through this for each process, you can reduce the inefficiencies that gradually accrete around the functions you provide. It gives you the opportunity to ask why you’re doing some things as well when you take a hard look at who the audience is and what their needs are for that product. It also overcomes “we’ve always done it that way” thinking by taking a hard look at the cost of doing it that way.

The key here is to focus on the end results you hope to achieve and design a process that delivers those results.

Ready for Anything

One tool that many governments could use on a regular basis—but few actually have—is a crisis communications plan. Also known as an issues management plan, the basic idea is to have a process and policies for responding to crises that ensure that you are as effective as possible when time is short and the stress level is through the roof.

These plans tend to be very generic, as the kind of issues you may have to deal with can vary widely from incident to incident. This is also different from an emergency communications plan, which sets rules for responding to incidents that impact public safety. A crisis is an incident that threatens the reputation of your organization, rather than people’s welfare, although sometimes it can be both, as in the case of a hazardous materials spill.

Some examples from my experience include the arrest of an elected official, the discovery of employee embezzlement, a union vote of “no confidence” in an individual manager, or a lawsuit involving staff. In each case, the issue arises quickly, usually without warning, and results in immediate media and public scrutiny.

Having a plan that helps walk you through the process for each issue can mean the difference between successful resolution and major missteps that impact your organization’s reputation. It can help you feel more confident in responding to the crisis as well.

The plan should include sections that walk you through the following elements of crisis response:

• Situational analysis
• Audience identification
• Communications response
• Message development
• Tools

Situational Analysis

The first step in your plan should be a template for developing an understanding of the crisis. Find out the facts of what happened. Make sure you understand who the affected parties are. Typically you’ll start with a description of what happened—the sequence of events—and then identify the people and organizations who were involved or who are affected by the crisis.

Next, find out what the organization’s operational response is going to be to address the situation.

Then you’ll want to identify the issues at stake and how the incident impacts the organization’s reputation. Think in terms of the consequences of what has happened. These strategic considerations are very important, as they will guide you in developing your messages.

Lastly, you’ll want to identify what you don’t know and need to find out.

Audiences

You’ll want to determine which audiences you should be talking with to address the incident. Start with the victims, the other people involved or affected, the media, your employees, perhaps the entire community. It will depend on the incident, but be prepared to think through who your key audiences are.

This information will help you decide which tactics and tools to employ.

Response

One of the most important aspects of crisis communications is the initial response. Be prepared to respond as quickly as you can after determining what happened and be as honest and forthcoming as possible. Share what happened so that people know the full story, then describe what the organization is going to do to remedy the situation and what steps you’re going to take to make sure it doesn’t occur again. Take responsibility for the things within your organization’s control.

Make sure you know who will be talking to the media and is responsible for developing the messages.

Messages

Based on the incident and the operational response, determine what themes you want to get across. These are one or two generic ideas—like “our top priority is public safety”—that you will use whenever talking about the situation.

Next, develop two to five messages about the situation that help explain what happened, its impact, and your organizational response. Keep them simple and direct.

Your plan could include sample holding statements or outlines that will help guide you during the crisis. You can forget even the most basic things when everyone is hounding you for answers. Set yourself up with all the tools you might need.

Also, try to anticipate possible questions and have an answer ready, even if it’s something like: “We haven’t been able to identify that yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do.”

In evaluating your messages, make sure what you’re saying is accurate, credible, truthful, and empathetic. Ask yourself if they reflect the values of your audience.

By planning this way, you’ll be able to be more effective in your media relations and public outreach efforts.

Tools

In addition to the media, what tools does your organization have at its disposal? What trained staff, communications assets, or partnerships can be used in the response?

You may also want to design a worksheet to keep track of key decisions and actions taken in response to the incident, so you can later go back and analyze how the response unfolded.

During a crisis, people always feel more comfortable seeing a live human talking about what happened and giving firm and credible information about what is going to be done about it. Don’t hide behind news releases or web posts. Be prepared to identify experts, leaders, or other credible sources to get your messages across.

Conclusion

Be ready for anything by having a crisis communications plan before your next crisis. Remember, no matter what the issue is, it’s important to act quickly and with honesty, as attempts to cover up generally extend and worsen the credibility of your organization.

And, as always, after the dust has settled, go back and evaluate how you did. Look at the coverage, length of the crisis, and measure how you did. Then use those lessons to improve your plan.

Have I missed any important elements of crisis response? Leave a comment and let me know.

You Are What You Measure

In managing an effective communications program, one of the most important tasks is in choosing performance measures to determine your success. The things that you measure are the things you and your staff will give the most energy to. By closely aligning your measures to your goal, you can increase the odds of actually achieving your goals.

Here are some suggested measures that you could evaluate for use in achieving your communication goals.

Reach & Penetration

A basic measure of the success of your communications program is the number of people who see the media you produce. There are a number of metrics to determine if you are actually reaching the audiences you are trying to communicate with. The following measures provide information on your audience to determine reach (how broad) and penetration (how deep):

• Cable television subscribers (if you have a PEG channel),
• Number of your channel’s viewers (using a survey),
• Online video views (your website, YouTube analytics),
• RSS subscribers (your website),
• Blog/newsroom visits (your website),
• Traffic source (location of visitors/viewers),
• Raw author contribution to blogs (posts per month, characters per post, videos, photos),
• Document downloads from your website or hosted locations like Docstoc.com,
• Unique website visitors,
• Duration of website visits,
• Incoming links,
• Website transaction volume,
• Call center contact volumes, and
• In-kind value of ad and PSA placements (ad equivalency).

Level of Engagement

One way to measure engagement is to measure the reach of particular messages about engagement opportunities though individual communication channels and measure the actual participation, and then compare the media and message mixes to the participation outcomes. Most of the time you won’t want to experiment with live issues or events, so the opportunity for a rigorous approach is limited.

So while you may not be able to isolate the most effective communications mix, you can describe the overall success by collecting the following data:

• Attendance at events, forums, and meetings,
• Participation on boards and committees,
• Conversion or “click through” rates on opt-in email broadcasts,
• Participation in online polls and voluntary surveys, and
• “Citations” or shared web resources that you’ve produced.

Experience & Opinion

One of the more challenging aspects of the changes in media is that while there is now more subjective feedback available directly from constituents on issues, this flood of information is difficult to compile and analyze in a way that provides actionable data.

One way is to collect comments and feedback from various sources and conduct an affinity analysis to see what the general tone or direction those comments are taking.  To do that analysis, collect the following data:

• Satisfaction with City communications (City survey),
• User ratings (YouTube, Flickr, Etc.), both City-produced and user-content generated,
• Blog/Facebook/MySpace/Twitter mentions,
• Number of fans/subscribers/followers, and
• Comment tone on other sites.

Another area that is evolving and will require some attention in the future is in the realm of online reputation management. This is a type of media tracking that is done through subjective analysis of user comments on blogs, social networking sites, and discussion groups.

Media Tracking

One of the ways to determine the effectiveness of campaigns and other communications programs is to measure the number of times messages appear in earned media.

In July 2008, Reno began using Vocus, an online media tracking program to assist us in determining the placement and tone of media mentions of City policies and programs.

We had several challenges in implementing this program. The first was in designing search terms and setting up media sources to make sure that Vocus captured relevant media mentions. Second has been in reviewing and “scrubbing” collected data. For example, most television news stories are captured through transcript postings that include multiple stories from a single broadcast. Staff must read, edit, and format the entry to make it useful. This is time consuming and with current budget constraints we have let go the part-time staff who formerly managed this process.

Another example is in syndicated stories. The Associated Press will occasionally pick up a Reno Gazette-Journal story related to Reno and it will be republished on websites across the Country, making it difficult to determine what the actual reach of the story was.

It’s also expensive, with most companies like Vocus, Cision, Meltwater, or Burrelles-Luce starting between $10,000 to $15,000 a year.

We also purchased a television monitoring server made by Snapstream that records all four local news broadcasts so that we can make news stories about Reno available on the internal network to City staff.

Data collected under this rubric could include:

• Number of stories, both in general and on specific topics,
• Number of stories generated by City staff efforts,
• Tone of stories, and
• Value of coverage.

While this list is certainly not exhaustive, I believe it covers the important concepts in determining if communications have been successful, and acknowledges the broad range of media used by most governments today.

Do you have any good measures to share?