Karen’s PR blog

Different Kinds of Public Relations Plans

Ad Hoc plans–This kind of plan is temporary, and is mean to fix a problem that arises.  After the problem is remedied, the plan is ended.  “Ad hoc” means “for this purpose only.”

Standing plans–These are longer-lasting, but still not permanent, plans.  They are designed to maintain good working relationships with important, long-term publics.  The plans might include regular and frequent communication with a public, such as a newsletter, or regular meetings between employees and managers.  But standing plans will occasionally need changing; when they become obsolete, they should be changed to keep the relationships on good terms.  There is the danger that, without periodic evaluation, the standing plans will become fixed even when they need altering.  Research or communication audits can prevent this.

Contingency plans–These are for “what if” scenarios.  The company identifies a scenario that could potentially play out, and they have a plan in place for if and when it happens.  This allows them to catch an issue before it has gathered too much strength–it allows them to be proactive and not reactive.

The thing to keep in mind with plans is that they should always fulfill some part of the company’s mission statement or values statement.  This ensures that the plan will accomplish something worthwhile and will not cause wasted time and effort.

Why Do We Plan?

To keep our actions in line with our organization’s values-based mission–If our actions are not working toward a particular value, there is the risk that the actions are random and pointless.  With proper planning, you can make sure that your actions are indeed steps on the path toward a value-driven goal.

To help us control our destiny–Planning ensures that we are being proactive and not reactive.  This gives us the chance to take an issue and shape it in a way that is more beneficial for the organization.

To help us better understand and focus our research–Planning helps us to see each step of the process, and therefore bring into the light the areas that need more planning or research.  Otherwise, we risk losing time and resources by not executing a plan well enough in the first place.

To help us achieve consensus–By seeking feedback, the planners, decision-makers, top executives, employees, and involved publics can all get on the same page and make sure they all want the same goal.

To allow effective management of resources–There is only so much time, effort, money, support, expertise, etc., so you want to make sure you are putting it to good use.

PR departments don’t so much plan to change a behavior.  That may be a desired outcome, but behavior does not change overnight.  It takes much time and effort and resources to effect change.  But building relationships with important publics is the only way to do this.  You must work with them, listen to them, and change when needed so that they will in turn trust you with their resources.  After some time, their goals and your goals will ideally become aligned.  It takes two-way communication.