PR 101- Civic Engagement

How does the general public view your industry? Do some members of the public have a negative or lukewarm feeling of your business? You can change this through civic engagement and a good public relations strategy. There are a number of ways to do this, but the goal is to put a friendly face on your brand or the industry you represent. Below is an overview of how to execute a successful event.

• Set a Goal
  Before you plan your associations next event, it is imperative that lay out clear objectives. Are you trying to raise awareness? Promote yourself? Put a friendly face on your industry? These questions will help you better understand if you’re trying to target employers, media, customers, etc. This blog post breaks down this phase into three clear steps.
• Market your Event
  You can go about this in a number of different ways, but some of the best strategies include press releases and social media campaigns. After you’ve crafted an effective press release follow it up with a social media campaign in the days or weeks leading up to your event to ensure sustained interest.
• Capitalize on Earned Media
  Earned media is media attention that is created through some good old fashion sweat equity. Civic engagement events are the perfect opportunity to capitalize on this by creating interactive activities for guests to engage with.
• Measure Success. Learn from Mistakes.
  Once your event is over, it is important to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Did you get enough media attention? Did guests enjoy themselves? What could have improved the outcome? Read these tips from people who have learned from avoidable mistakes.

Below is an example of a civic engagement event Targeted Persuasion helped organize in Asheville.

If you need any help with your organization’s upcoming event, contact Targeted Persuasion today.