I originally wrote this post with schools in mind, but the information actually applies to any area of PR. Summer is a great time for taking stock in the effectiveness and success of your program and yourself!
In my role as a PR Director for a school district, Summer isn’t the vacation that many other school employees enjoy. I work a 12-month schedule, but that doesn’t mean my workload is the same year-round.
In my role as a PR Director for a school district, Summer isn’t the vacation that many other school employees enjoy. I work a 12-month schedule, but that doesn’t mean my workload is the same year-round.
When school is in session
there are activities happening daily at schools, sports are in season,
competitions are taking place, district policies are being implemented, parents
are volunteering, etc. I have an abundance of items to promote, coordinate and
cover. There are always letters, memos and press releases to write and send.
But in Summer, there’s a different buzz.
Once the students have gone
home and teachers have packed up their classrooms, I am working away planning
and preparing for next year. I’ve
come to think of Summer as a countdown to the first day of the next year. Now,
there are folks who will tell you “Slow
down and take a break.” If you are looking
for that, you are reading the wrong blog post. I’m telling you to seize the Summer and make every minute count!
Here are my 5 MUST DO ITEMS FOR SCHOOL PR IN THE SUMMER:
1. EVALUATE. Take the first few days and look back over the previous year’s events. I
always think it’s a best to review events
right after completion; do a “debrief” while the events are still fresh. However a
year-end review is also important. What stands out as successful? Which pieces
got good feedback? Did anything get unexpectedly good media coverage? What didn’t work?
If you don’t have a good single source of documentation, use
your social media accounts. It’s
not a perfect measure, but it’ll work in a pinch.
Social media platforms often have some very good metrics already in place which
you can use to analyze your past year. Which items got reTweeted? Which posts
got the most likes and shares on Facebook? Which pins or Instagram posts got
the most attention? These can give you an idea of what the community responded
to or what things they would like to see.
2. RESEARCH. Create a simple survey for your community or staff. Google has simple,
free survey tools that you can use to generate multiple question surveys. There
are also a number of other services that have little or no cost such as
SurveyMonkey, Zoomerang, and tons of others. The data is easily collected and formatted as
a spreadsheet that can be shared and archived.
Ask questions about the
programs and events from the past year and always leave a blank for open-ended
answers. You might not always agree with or like what you read, but it’s good to know what people think about what you
do. And just because someone says
something, doesn’t mean you have to
do it. You are collecting feedback, not taking orders.
3. DECIDE.
Looking at what worked and what didn’t,
and considering the feedback you have collected, decide which things you are
going to do again and which you aren’t.
It’s ok to not do something again that didn’t work, or to retool the event or program in a way
that will improve it.
The worst thing we can do
is to have the same drab program year after year because “we’ve always done it.” I am combing some end of year events for next year.
It will hopefully make the event better for the honorees, and it will let us
focus more attention on making the event even more memorable.
Maybe you feel like you
have too many things and need to focus on a select group to have the greatest
impact. Maybe you find there is a need in your community for a specific event
or program. Or maybe you have an idea that you would just like to try out
because you think it would help your students, schools or community. So create
a list and do them!
4. SCHEDULE. An event or a program is so much more than a single date on a
calendar. In order for an event to be effective and successful, you have to
plan and build to it. The best way I have found to do this is to schedule my
specific date for the event, implementation, kick-off or whatever and then work
backwards.
Our Retirement event is in
May, so a week before that I need the programs completed, two weeks before I
need all of the announcements posted, three weeks prior I make sure all the
local media are notified, a month before I send invitations to community
members, partners and district administrators, six weeks before I make sure
each retiree is invited and try to get an RSVP list. You get the idea. Schedule
all the support pieces, so that when the actual date arrives, all the PR work
has already built the buzz and excitement.
5. DEVELOP.
Always make a point to take advantage of at least one Professional Development
opportunity over the summer. I generally attend the NSPRA national conference
in July and one or two state or regional conferences over the summer. During
the year I am in the midst of deadlines and projects across my district, but
during the summer I can make room for extended focus on learning about new
trends and strategies from colleagues across the country. Here are my 7 Tips to Maximize Your Conference Experience.
Even if you can’t travel to a large seminar, there are development
resources you can access online. NSPRA has a wealth of info and resources for
School PR pros on their website. PRSA has a number of webinars and
teleconferences available online. Your state or regional chapters and
educational organizations will have conferences, often with sessions
specifically for PR pros.
So take your Summer and use it to Evaluate, Research, Decide,
Schedule and Develop! Did I mention your Summer must-do? Are there things you
feel I missed? Let me know! …and have a great Summer!
- Jas N
@jasnsmith on Twitter
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