Communication tactics are essential to a public relations campaign. Communication tactics are the visual elements to a strategic plan because they're what the target audience will see and interact with. A few examples of communication tactics are:
Websites
News releases
Tours
Billboards
Ads
Special events
Social media posts
Blogs
A few of these tactics may be used in a campaign. Communication tactics can be expensive, so it’s important that organizations do research and plan which tactics will be the most effective (Smith, 2021, p.323). There are five categories of communication tactics, and together “they offer hundreds of different communication tactics” (Smith, 2021, p.326). Today, we will discuss each category to see which will best fit your organization.
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is the category that includes face-to-face interactions and communication tactics. These include promotional events or booths where the customer is face-to-face with a representative from the organization. Interpersonal communication tactics often leave a stronger impression on consumers than other forms of communication. However, they don’t reach as many people.
Owned Media
Owned media includes anything that the organization puts out themselves. This could be content your organization posts on social media, publishes on the website, or email marketing. This is a powerful tool because owned media “is free and you can fully control who sees it” (Digivizer, 2022).
Shared Media
Shared media is not controlled by the organization. Shared media are messages put out on social media or online by customers and consumers about the organization. This is useful tool for organizations who want to build brand awareness.
“Social media provides a platform to actively engage with consumers and become part of a digital community— so by liking, sharing and commenting on posts, you’re becoming part of the conversations and allow your brand’s voice to be heard" (Jones, 2021).
For example, on TikTok it has become a trend to review makeup products from certain brands. This is a perfect example of shared media. It only takes one customer’s video going viral for a brand to gain awareness and sell out of a product or service.
Earned Media
Earned media are “journalism-based communication channels that provide opportunities for the credible presentation of organizational messages to large audiences through the news media” (Smith, 2021, p.325). This could be in the form of newspaper articles or news coverage from credible sources. Similar to shared media, this is not controlled by the organization.
Paid Media
Paid media includes communication channels the organization purchased. Generally, this includes forms of traditional advertising such as: print ads, radio ads, TV ads, or billboards (Digivizer, 2022). This also includes digital advertisements found on websites and social media platforms.
Organizations can implement a mix of these tactics in their communication plan to reach audiences in different ways. However, it’s important that organizations do research to decide which of these tactics would be the most effective in achieving the organization’s objectives.
Paid, earned, shared, and owned media. Photo by merchantcapital.co
References
Digivizer. (2022). What is Paid, Owned and Earned Media? https://digivizer.com/blog/paid-owned-earned-media/
Jones, E. (2021). What is Shared Media and why is it important for the PR industry? PR Agency One. https://www.pragencyone.co.uk/blog/what-is-shared-media-and-why-is-it-important-for-pr-practitioners/
Smith, R.D. (2021). Strategic planning for public relations (6th Ed.). Routledge.
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