Hey there,
Welcome to the PR Chic blog, today’s focus would be on the differences between strategy and tactic as regards public relations (PR), so let’s dive in!
What is a strategy? Strategy, according to the Management Study Guide, can be defined as “A general direction set for the company and its various components to achieve a desired state in the future… Specifically, it is the blueprint of decisions in an organization that shows its objectives and goals, reduces the key policies, and plans for achieving these goals, and defines the business the company is to carry on, the type of economic and human organization it wants to be, and the contribution it plans to make to its shareholders, customers and society at large”. For me, the strategy is a layout of ideas and plans that will take a business or individual to the next level. In PR, the strategy is used to guide the PR activities in terms of the overall objectives, goals and what should be measured in carrying out a PR activity. Strategy is derived from knowing your goals and objectives, understanding your market, your competition and your audience. So for instance, a PR strategy could be to improve the perception of the media in Botswana about a particular brand through media relations. This is usually based on insights that the media doesn’t perceive that particular brand well; then in carrying out the tactics, a press conference can be had, media parleys or outings can be organized, press releases or an Electronic Press/Media Kit (EPK) can be arranged and shared with the media all in a bid to educate the media about the particular product. The overall strategy was to actually improve perception through media relations with the aim of educating the media and building affinity.
What is a tactic? It is a specific action taken to execute a strategy. For example, if a company’s PR strategy is to increase brand awareness, a tactic might be to use influencers to push the product or service to the fore of their audience. So a tactic is a sub-set of the strategy, these are the specific actions that are taken to ensure that a campaign is carried out correctly.
Furthermore, the strategy is seen as ‘the how’, how can we get from point A to point B, it is the overall plan, the overarching idea that will take the business or individual to that point which they wish to be at. The tactic on the other hand is ‘the what’, what action or activities can we take to bring our ideas to life and make our goals a reality.
There are several PR tactics that can be used to drive a business, they include:
- Content Creation
- Influencer Marketing
- Press Release Writing
- Social Media Competition
- Email Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization etc.
For a PR strategy to work, you need the right tactics. However in a PR plan, the strongest and most important piece of the puzzle is the strategy, if the tactics are not working, then it is easier to change the tactics. However, it is harder to change a strategy because the strategy is the blueprint and the brain of the PR plan, therefore it is imperative to put in a lot of effort in ensuring that your PR strategy is right and fits into the goals that you have set for your PR plan.
I hope you enjoyed reading up to this point, thank you! Join me monthly on my journey into the PR world where I discuss challenges, tips, pointers, and wins in the PR career space. See you soon!
Warm regards,
The PR Chic
