Top 10 Tips: Di Burton, Cicada Communications

2. Make sure communications are clear, concise, consistent, co-ordinated and controlled across traditional, digital and social platforms. That goes for internal communications too.

3. Remember PR is more credible than advertising. It provides valuable third party endorsement of your business instead of you saying how good you are.

4. PR provides many benefits; it stimulates awareness of you and your business, strengthens your image, positions you as a good investment and helps attract and retain the best staff.

5. Don’t forget digital and social media through which many of your target audience now consume content and look for news. Alongside traditional print media, these should form a central plank of your PR strategy.

6. Good PR takes time and effort. Commit to your strategy and you will get results. Remember, PR is a marathon, not a sprint.

7. Targeted PR and communications are an important part of reputation management. It builds and protects reputation and supports trusted relationships with clients.

8. Know how the media thinks. Don’t bombard them. Understand what they are looking for and try to be relevant. Provide good and compelling content – press releases, blogs, e-newsletters and social media – to keep people coming back to you.

9. PR warms the seat; familiarity breeds favourability. But don’t rest on your laurels. Continue to evaluate and refine messages.

10. Make sure all PR and communications activity is measurable against SMART objectives. PR should be focussed on outcomes which reinforce or change behaviour.