Shel Lustig
Shel Lustig

It’s that time of year for performing spring cleaning tasks around the house, to clean away unwanted dust and let in some fresh air. Spring is also a good time to evaluate marketing and PR strategies and initiate a vibrant restart. Taking the time to declutter ineffective strategies and inject some refined, unique ideas can lead to a revitalized campaign.

Determine what tactics are working and which need to be revised

Decluttering a PR plan starts with determining what’s working and what’s not. It sounds simple enough, but many plans continue to grow over time, becoming harder to manage and less effective. There are many ways to present a message to the targeted audience without losing impact. Ongoing reviews of all these options are important.

Start with analytics. Review Website stats, Nielsen audio and TV ratings, social media statistics and other available data with several goals in mind:

1. What’s driving the traffic?

2. What impact is broadcast outreach having on traffic?

3. Which of your social media or online sites are getting the most traffic? While raw numbers without regard to your target audience can be misleading, it is helpful to know who the leaders are for each media.

4. Which has the highest quality traffic. Quality is how close an audience reflects your target market.

5. Which has the most engaged traffic. Declutter media that doesn't engage their audience. An engaged audience will enhance results.

Create a game plan with your key performance indicators

It can be easy to get lost in metrics, which is why you need to carefully consider your KPIs.

Declutter metrics and sharpen goals. Are you micromanaging metrics or measuring the right ones? Do you have clear goals for each metric? Are you satisfied your KPIs will give you a clear picture?

Declutter resources. Are there resources you should be replacing with more effective opportunities? Are you considering all the options available to you? Are you pre-judging some media resources and leaning too hard on trendy ones?

Implement and track your game plan

Once you’ve decluttered ineffective strategies, you have room to implement more productive ones.

Some agencies are so digitally focused, they might be missing out on opportunities to use more traditional media like broadcast radio or TV to funnel prospects to their digital assets. A fresh new approach that includes radio can reach a whole new audience with your message and act as a key driver to channel listeners to your website.

Now’s the time to review expectations, stick with your game plan and consistently measure KPIs to reach them.

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Shel Lustig is President of MediaTracks Communications, a leading provider of audio and radio services for the public relations industry.