Editor’s Note: 4media group is pleased to bring you our Talking Tactics series, which will focus on the importance of various tactics in building masterful PR plans. The first in the series features an interview with 4media group C.O.O., A.P.R and industry veteran, Michael Clark. Following a discussion on what makes a great PR plan, the series will undertake a discussion of how various tactics can inform and bolster plans, leading to clear communications and big results for clients.
Talking Tactics: The SMT as a Vital Element of a PR Plan
Creating a great public relations plan takes time and practice. But after you’ve successfully brainstormed, planned, and researched, it becomes time to get down to business – to actually implement your plan.
This is where tactical considerations become extremely important. Accredited Public Relations professionals define tactics as “the specific activities conducted to implement strategies of a program.” Though this seems broad, it’s actually pretty narrow: tactics, much like verbs, are what you do.
Examples oft given are things like news releases, the creation of websites, or pitching publications. But here at 4media, broadcast is in our bones, and we believe the satellite media tour is a vital tactic for a great public relations plan.
Here’s why:
SMT’s are Champions of The Message
One of the great things about a satellite media tour is that it can champion brand messaging with incredible ease. Because the client or brand works with a chosen talent, there’s time to develop and practice messaging well before the day of the tour. This makes the SMT a vital public relations tactic because messaging is controlled by your brand throughout the tour.
The SMT has Backup Options
The fact of the matter is that things can, and do, go wrong in even the most well-considered plans. Your talent could wake up with a disastrous cold. It could snow, rendering you incapable of making it to the studio. The list goes on. But one of the wonderful things about SMT’s as part of a public relations plan is that they have reliable backups. While not all SMT’s feature paid media, those that do can be rescheduled or moved around to fit inside a similar timeframe. 4media group also offers the Guaranteed Media Tour as another backup option, which offers one of the rarest things in life: a guarantee.
Choice of Talent Can Propel the Tactic to Stations Across the Country
In a satellite media tour, choice of talent is extremely important. But in thinking strategically for a public relations plan, choice of talent can become an even more exciting element. If you’re working with a brand that endorses celebrities, athletes, or well-known influencers, you have an opportunity to leverage that connection for massive coverage. Plus, it has the added benefit of recruiting talent that is already familiar with the brand’s messaging. And when you put on a satellite media tour with a celebrity spokesperson, you can garner earned coverage on stations across the country, making the SMT a tactic well worth the time it took to plan and execute.
An SMT Puts a Bow On Any Plan
Here’s the deal: a well-executed Satellite Media Tour wraps a bow on top of any public relations plan. That’s part of why we consider it such a great tactic. SMT’s provide organic but controlled messaging; they offer tons of high-quality impressions; choice of talent is a fun and valuable consideration; and the entire tactic can be carried off in the course of one morning from a single studio!
If you want to talk more about how to implement a satellite media tour into your next PR plan, all you have to do is reach out. We’re happy to help.