Communication Tactics + Personalizing Tactics
Strategic communication tactics are different tools that allow an organization to communicate its message to its publics. This is the visible element of your strategy and what can be the most expensive part of it as well (Smith, 2017).
In the book Strategic Planning for Public Relations, communication tactics are divided into four different categories (Smith, 2017):
Interpersonal communication
Organizational and social media
News media
Advertising and promotional media
Interpersonal Communication
This is a controlled tactic that involves face-to-face encounters (Smith, 2017). This is considered to be the most persuasive and engaging communication available for public relations practitioners (Smith, 2017). This tactic must be tailored to the specific audience that the organization is targeting to be able to have the strongest impact possible (Smith, 2017). Additionally, this tactic is all about creating and cultivating relationships (Turney, 2011).
This is a strategic communication tactic that focuses on an organization or member of an organization getting in direct contact with the public whom they are trying to build a relationship with. Examples of how this tactic can be utilized are through personal involvement (a shadow program), information exchanges (speech), and special events (luncheon) (Smith, 2017).
Organizational and Social Media
This strategic communication tactic utilizes different types of media as the pathway to distribute a message (Smith, 2017). The categories of media include publications, direct mail, electronic media, digital media, and social media (Smith, 2017). This tactic allows you to communicate with a larger audience more quickly and with less effort (Smith, 2017).
This tactic can be utilized by an organization via magazines articles, organizational newsletters, postcards, podcasts, blog posts, tweets and more. The possibilities of accomplishment and reach that this communication tactic offers can be valuable, but can be costly (Smith, 2017).
Social media has created a new landscape for public relations practitioners. It has made organizations’ reputations more unpredictable than ever (Lloyd). Watch this video about how social media has changed the relationship between organizations and consumers.
News Media
News media as a communication tactic is a diverse option with a very large reach. Forms of news media include print media, news blogs, radio, television, interviews and more (Smith, 2017). The wide range of possibilities via news media. This is earned media, meaning that it is uncontrolled by the organization
Organizations can use this tactic to boost awareness and boost their credibility by earning news media (Smith, 2017). This can be used to communicate with publics by creating and sharing newsworthy information or news about the organization (Smith, 2017).
Advertising and Promotional Media
This tactic is made up of four categories which include print advertising media, electronic advertising media, out-of-home advertising media, and promotional items (Smith, 2017). This is arguably the most expensive tactic but allows the organization to control all aspects of the messaging (Smith, 2017).
This can be used by organizations to reach a large audience as well as increase awareness of the organization (Smith, 2017). More popular techniques of this tactic are branded clothing items, billboards, and commercials (Smith, 2017).
Now What?
Like most other things, the tactic(s) that will be most successful for your organization will depend entirely on your organization, the publics your organization is trying to communicate with, and the message that you are trying to send. Once you choose the right tactic for your organization, you can create an endless amount of opportunities such as increasing brand awareness, strengthening relationships, and solidifying your reputation (Quadros, 2022).
Sources
Lloyd, J. (n.d.). Journalism and PR - News Media and Public Relations in the Digital age. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/journalism-and-pr-news-media-and-public-relations-digital-age
Quadros, M. (2022, January 31). 7 basic (yet brilliant) examples of PR tactics that work. Prowly
Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://prowly.com/magazine/examples-of-pr-tactics-that-work/
Smith, R. D. (2017). Strategic Planning for Public Relations. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Turney, M. (2011, December 28). Parallels between interpersonal relations and public relations can enhance your understanding of both. Interpersonal Relations & Public Relations. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.nku.edu/~turney/prclass/readings/interpersonal.html
