A central and crucial element of public relations is ensuring all activity aligns strategically with a client’s business plan or core goal – but what does this actually mean?  

There’s a real plethora of definitions for what ‘strategy’ means, which all suggest a concept that appears similar on the surface, but much more nuanced when you start to delve in a little deeper.  

I recently attended a Training Course with CIPR, all about Strategic Thinking in PR. The programme, set out over one day, encouraged us to take a step back from our day-to-day client work and take a higher-level approach to PR. Its aim was to help us develop strategic thinking as a routine habit – not just something that comes up once every six months! As a result, helping us appreciate the bigger picture.  

In this blog, we’ll take a deeper look at what strategic thinking is, how to work strategy into your campaigns, plans and approach, and how to think more strategically every day.  

What is strategy?  

We hear the word in meetings, client calls and proposal documents. But it is crucial we often step back to make sure we’re all talking about the same thing.  

The HBR Guide to Thinking Strategically defines strategic thinking at a basic level as being about “maintaining a broad perspective on every aspect of your daily work, from making decisions to setting your team’s priorities and managing your own productivity.” 

But this is just one of tens, if not hundreds, of meanings of the word. Nevertheless, it’s generally widely accepted that when we talk strategy, we’re talking: 

• Thinking long term  

• Planning ahead  

• Asking questions and challenging assumptions 

How do you do it?  

Before thinking strategically, we need to lay some groundwork with our team and clients to make sure we have all the tools we need to get going. This includes: 

• Asking for clarity – If you’re not sure about a client’s approach, wider goals or commercial aims, don’t be afraid to ask – as this will help you mould your plans to best fit theirs.  

• Understand the journey so far – To think strategically about the future, you need to know where your client started, their past experiences and where they are now. Without this vital background, you can quickly fall into the trap of making the same mistakes over again.  

• Understand key objectives – This comes up time and time again, but is essential to not only thinking strategically, but also implementing a successful PR programme or campaign. Without having a shared objective, it can be incredibly difficult to measure success.  

But with this approach can also come difficult decisions. For example, taking a new thought process can lead us to uncomfortable conclusions, such as realising a long-standing approach or project isn’t working how you’d hoped it would. A big part of thinking strategically is also being willing to let go of a project that adds no value to your wider goal. While this can seem scary, it’s often an opportunity to gain time and capacity to try something new.  

Making it happen:  

It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of account activity and approach each piece of content or opportunity in silo, but it’s vital that we’re always stepping back and thinking about the bigger picture.  

For example, I personally find keeping a bullet point list of clients’ key values and goals on hand to easily refer to means strategic thinking is no longer an afterthought, but a priority in every press release, comment and opportunity progressed.  

Alongside this, ensure you’re carving out the time with your team to revisit overarching objectives, make decisions – both small and big – with the client in mind, and keep a big picture perspective.  

If you want to find out more about how a strategic PR approach can benefit your business, brand or organisation, get in touch with us today.