Volume III: Issue 5

This month we provide some advice on how to integrate a strategic alliance into your organization and offer some tips on how to measure the success of your public relations activities.

Collaborating To Win:
Finding Success In Strategic Alliances

Establishing successful alliances for your business can strengthen your marketing and public relations initiatives. By strategically partnering with a like-minded organization, you can create a competitive advantage that will enhance your customer's perceived value of your business.

Think of strategic alliances as any personal relationship: there's the initial meeting, building of the relationship, investment of time and energy, and continual fostering of that relationship. Partnering with another organization works much in the same way, although you'll want to clearly define your goals prior to any agreement, so that you can measure your level of success down the road.

Here is a step-by-step plan for finding success in any strategic alliance:

1. Internal alignment
   Assess your goals, level of commitment and resources available for sharing. Define your success criteria and clarify your own strategies
2. Identify like-minded partners
   Search for and evaluate opportunities. Consider would-be competitors and how you may both benefit from an alliance
3. Establish the relationship
   Educate yourself about the potential partner's business/organization. Plan a “kick-off meeting” to establish the first point of contact and initiate a culture for collaboration
4. Commit to collaborate
   Clarify responsibilities and expectations internally and with the partner. Initiate a formal agreement that both parties sign, to seal the deal and document it for future colleagues
5. Manage the alliance
   Keep in touch with your contact to foster the partnership. Follow through on promises to build trust and cultivate a valuable relationship
6. Assess the relationship
   Establish checkpoint meetings to evaluate what's working and what items need adjustment. Resolve any real or potential conflicts.
7. Renew or exit the agreement
   Don't let the agreement linger infinitely. Periodically renew the agreement, or simply bring closure to it should you feel the relationship is no longer beneficial.

Measuring the Success of Your Programs

Marketing with no metrics is like baseball with no scoreboard. How can you determine the success of your efforts without realistic goals, benchmarks and measurements? When developing marketing or public relations campaigns, “metrics” – or, how one intends to measure the results – should be paramount. Before you launch a campaign or program, ask yourself: “Where do we want to be at the end of this? Where do we think we can go?” Then map out a realistic and executable plan on how to get there. Marketing and PR professionals measure results in a number of ways, depending on the program's goals and tactics. In many cases, results are tied directly to an increase in something, whether it is sales, inquiries, membership, sponsorships or overall awareness. In this case, metrics can include, but are not limited to:

• Web site traffic (or hits on a certain page)
• Phone and/or email inquiries
• Media and/or audience impressions (for a PR campaign)
• Advertising value
• Leads and/or secured new business

In other scenarios, campaigns are intended to change an audiences' perception or raise visibility of an issue. These types of programs can be measured in other manners, such as surveying and benchmarking. For instance, if your goal is to increase awareness of the health benefits of water, you might issue a public opinion survey at the beginning of your campaign to gauge your audiences' feelings and current perceptions of water. This gives you a benchmark, a starting point, and also helps you shape your key messages and strategy. At the conclusion of your program, issue the same survey, then collect, compare and contrast the results to assess if and how your efforts have moved the needle.

With all programs, outlining your objectives and how you intend to measure your success up front is essential to staying on track and being effective.

Best regards,

Peter Rush, Chairman & CEO

Visit Our Web site: www.kellencommunications.com 

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