The different goals in a campaign leading to the same result

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The world “goal” can have very different meanings. I grew up really only knowing what a goal was in the world of sports, specifically, soccer. Now, my mindset has shifted to goal in a public relations mindset: Reputation management, relationship management and task management goals. While these are all three very different categories, the end goal is the same: To achieve the ultimate goal of the public relations campaign you’re working on. Ronald Smith in his book Strategic Planning for Public Relations tells us that we should “mix and match these” as necessary for a specific campaign. Today, I want to discuss the differences between these three and how they will make executing your campaign easier.

Reputation management goals: Identity and Perception

Reputation management goals perhaps could be the most important to set up because it deals with how the outside world sees you. If your limiters outweigh your customers, there needs to be an entire strategy devoted to that alone. The research that’s involved with reputation management is finding out who and where your target audiences are and then what they think about your organization and the product or service associated. Much of this also involves identifying what these publics see what your organization can give them. Here, I see lots of parallels in this research regarding reputation management goals. If a public does not see anything beneficial from your company, that is likely what your client’s reputation will be. The Mention Memo has a five-step plan outlining for companies how to develop a reputation action plan that can help with the goal-setting process. The steps include:

1. Monitor your reputation

2. Devise a response plan

3. Handle negative comments delicately

4. Build on the positive

5. Follow through and measure your results

Relationship management goals: Nurture and further

In an increasing digital age, relationship management goals should be higher on the priority list. How can you create a personal, unique relationship with each client and public when the likelihood is that you might meet over a computer pr phone screen more than in person? The best organizations have relationships with their clients that seemed uniquely tailored to the individual consumer. You’ll notice that the companies with the best relationships with their publics have the highest customer loyalty. In 2019, Forbes came out with an article that listed the top 100 “customer-centric companies.” These companies were able to earn the relationships they have with their publics because they set reasonable goals that can be built on as time passes. Building that stronger connection with the ones who keep your company afloat. Relationship management goals are what culture loyalty inside and outside of the organization and once those are met, you are almost guaranteed to see positive numbers.

Task management goals: Get it done and onto the next

Task management goals can fall under different categories such as gaining public support, social change, changing a behavior or being in a favorable climate or getting people to show up at an event. Task management goals are easy to define but can also be hard to measure. People might have different opinions on how “big” a crowd needs to be or what a “favorable” climate looks like. When you are setting task management goals, try to attach numbers if you can. Is there a certain amount of people you want to see show up to your client’s soft opening? Is there a percentage of a public that you want to have a favorable opinion? How can you measure that? The more specific these task management goals get, the more you can build on those metrics and use that research for future campaigns. Before you can create task management goals for a client, you need to set achievable task management goals for yourself. Marian Knopp’s podcast, Productivity Tip of the Day episode twelve, “Optimize your task management and workflow,” gives you practical tips on how you can set and meet your own task management goals.