Let’s face it: there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you want as an event professional. Adding wedding PR and marketing to the mix, while essential, can be an overwhelming notion.
Staying organized is one of the best ways to ensure any new strategies remain a part of your regular to-dos. In the past, I’ve touched upon some of my favorite tools for public relations, but not even the best resource will help you if you don’t have a way to streamline things.
So what are some of my top tips for getting your PR organized in 2016?
Embrace project management software
I love to-do lists as much as the next person but the fact remains that there are not enough Post-its in the world to organize everything you need to do in a single day. PR is no different—there are several steps that need to be taken (and in an appropriate order) to submit an event to a blog or magazine and there are even more steps if you plan on pitching story ideas to editors.
Enter, project management software. There are a number of great programs in the market that can help you keep all of your tasks organized, and in some cases, it allows you to delegate to other team members as appropriate.
Not sure where to start? The good news is that there are a number of options available in the market; many of which may also assist you with your sales and event planning needs as well. Look into pricing for each and pay close attention to their offerings. Before long, you’ll find the best fit for you!
Block scheduling
An average work day seems to go by in a flash, so our team has found it helpful to block off specific times in the day to work on particular endeavors, including pitches and submissions. Set an appointment with yourself, as if you’re meeting someone for coffee, and turn off all distractions.
Use this time to focus on the task at hand and you’ll be surprised how much you can get accomplished.
Team meeting time!
I tend to avoid most meetings at all costs. For the majority, I’ve always found them fairly inefficient and an unproductive use of time. However, we actually have loved setting up bi-monthly, brief meetings to review all real wedding submissions. We run through each submission to make sure there is nothing lingering. This not only holds us accountable, but also ensures no submission gets left behind.
Are you a “solopreneur?” Have no fear! You can simply set aside 30 minutes for yourself once every two weeks to review your initiatives over a cup of coffee!
Staying organized should be the top priority for event professionals with too much on their plate.
Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding marketing and wedding PR firm OFD Consulting, which specializes in getting wedding professionals their brides. She is a highly sought after industry speaker and serves as a Public Relations adjunct professor for Virginia Commonwealth University.
