How to start a great PR year

Now that we entered a new year, it’s time to look back and evaluate.
Since corporate communications and PR is highly dynamic, a clever New Year resolution is to have a critical look at all the corporate materials and see what still passes the test of time and what should be renewed or replaced.
Following are the 15 key questions to be answered .

1. Has your market broadened or differentiated over the past year?
   Does the company’s product or service still fits the market?
   
2. Has your target audience changed?
   Are they still the same demographics with the same wants and needs?
   
3. Has the corporate message changed?
   Are you still communicating the correct massage using the correct terminology?
   
4. Is your corporate collateral still up to date?
   Does the corporate description still reflect the company as it is today?
   Are references and case studies updated?
   
5. Does the product material still describe the latest version and applications of the company’s products?
   
6. Are all the corporate messages in sync? (Website, newsletters, brochures etc.)
   
7. Does the company know how its customers, market, investors, and general public perceive the company, its mission, its product offerings, and its reputation?
   
8. Do the company’s customers recognize the company’s brand?
   (thorugh PR, advertising, packaging, and sales presentations)
   
9. How do the company’s employees perceive the company, its mission, products, markets, and PR?
   
10. Is the perception that the media, industry analysts, and bloggers have of your company the company the desired one?
    
11. Does the exisiting promotion mix still works?
    Does advertising still works for the company?
    Would launching a corporate blog be a good idea?
    
12. Do the suppliers live up to the expectations?
    Does the performance of the PR and/or IR company meet the expectations?
    
13. Did the company get the media exposure it wanted?
    
14. Did corporate communications and PR support sales to the extend as expected?
    
15. Is the corporate communications and PR plan and budget for 2006 ready and approved?

In short, it is the perfect time to start with examining if the company still send the correct message and image to the market.
It’s the task of corporate communications to ensure and protect the core values and purpose of the company.