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8 high-stakes situations where PR firepower can help
DAN PECCHIA
In Re: Public Relations
Published: July 7, 2015
When sensitive situations emerge, your business or nonprofit client relies on you to understand the facts, apply perspective and recommend the best options.
In some of those same situations, your client is sitting on valuable public relations opportunities.
You can enhance relationships with your clients by helping them identify and capitalize on such moments. Here are eight of them.
Business Startups
When a new entity is formed and appropriate papers are filed, your client should think about a marketing plan for the enterprise. The ultimate strategy may be to avoid marketing expense until revenue reaches a certain level. But that decision should be based on a careful analysis of the client’s PR potential and the costs and benefits of various PR and marketing options.
Sale of Assets
The sale of a company, division, location or product line can raise questions from multiple audiences. The way in which information is communicated about such major developments can shape the way employees, customers, suppliers and others may react. Thus, communications around these transactions and their timing should be planned out in advance.
Employee Benefit Changes
Changes in benefits are sensitive matters, and sometimes necessary changes make employees unhappy. Good companies not only communicate clearly about such changes but work year-round to make sure their employees understand the business and the context for decisions that may impact them.
Patent Protections
Products requiring patent protection can be more valuable to their inventors and manufacturers if their launches are supported by effective public relations and marketing plans. These are best prepared in advance so they can be approved and activated in a timely manner.
Litigation
Whether your client is the plaintiff or defendant in a new piece of litigation, there is likely a story behind the matter that some audiences, perhaps including customers, employees and/or suppliers, need to understand. A litigation effort should be accompanied by a communications plan.
Labor Contract Negotiations
Although confidentiality is critical in labor talks, many companies heighten their risk by overlooking proper communication. A good communications plan identifies all the audiences that can be impacted and pinpoints what they need to know, when they need to learn it, who’s going to tell them and how.
Business Succession Planning
Executive transitions can also raise questions and create opportunities. An effective public relations plan will not only help key audiences understand why a change was made but also include strategies to build support for a new leader in his or her first months in the position.
Disaster Planning
Crisis communications plans are usually written on a contingency basis with hope they will never be used. Nevertheless, having a viable plan “on the shelf” can save your client from having to craft one during a disaster, when time and resources will be strained.
Dan Pecchia is president of Pecchia Communications, a northeastern Ohio PR firm. Reach him at dan@pecchiacomm.com.