|
In today's society, media relations are important
for any organization, especially local school districts. Effective communication
with media outlets is a necessity that is often misused or overlooked.
And unfortunately for many school districts, media coverage only takes
place during a period of strife.
At Communication Solutions, our media relations strategists
are in daily contact with members of the press. Consequently, we are familiar
with the deadlines of newspaper and local radio and television stations,
while being sensitive to the requirements for the placement of stories.
Our specialists are aware of the appropriate person to talk to in any
given situation. Such an established network of relationships is also
helpful when the firm acts as a school district spokesperson for less
than positive occurrences or the arrangement of press conferences when
major news must be explained.
It is important that the positive aspects of your school district are
communicated to the general public. Communication Solutions uses knowledge
of the media and our network of contacts to promote positive activities
that take place frequently throughout the school district. These stories
highlight outstanding students and other aspects about a school district
that commonly go unnoticed. Our specialists at Communication Solutions
will work to maintain balanced media exposure for your school district,
highlighting special events that make your district unique.
Labor disputes and threats of employee strikes can
be trying for school board members as well as school districts. While
administrators and school board members are focused on resolving the conflict,
the specialists at Communication Solutions are determined to keep the
lines of communication open. Communication Solutions can act as the spokesperson
for the district or coordinate between the appropriate spokesperson and
media so that accurate statements can be disseminated to the public.
Communication Solutions has handled several strike situations and is experienced
in understanding the delicate process of negotiations. It is always important
to effectively communicate a balanced message and we work closely with
the school board or district to convey these messages exactly. We are
capable of producing high-quality publications that will express these
ideas and reach the desired audience. Our specialists take an active role
in these times to represent the school board with pro-active, balanced
information.
In the unfortunate case of a work stoppage, Communications
Solutions can work with a school district to ensure that a strike contingency
plan is in place. Once this plan has been decided upon, we then communicate
that plan to the community through the appropriate media outlet.
Do you have a targeted approach to your promotional
materials? Has the creation of a school district newsletter been on the
back burner for months?
Our writers and graphic designers are experts in
creating newsletters and other publications that are aesthetically pleasing
and reflect your message. Whether you are focusing on internal or external
forms of communication, we narrow the message to a target audience and
translate technical jargon into easily understandable points.
In the past, we have developed quarterly administrative newsletters designed
to reach residents and monthly publications following the activities of
the school board. These materials reach audiences involved with the school
district and present a clear, precise, and positive picture of the activities
and initiatives taken.
Another vehicle by which Communication Solutions announces positive school
district news is through electronic newsletters. Such newsletters, which
can contain all of the photos or graphic elements of a printed publication,
can be a fast, convenient way to reach a large audience.
We are capable of handling all photography and graphic
design and make it a priority to remain aware of the issues that are important
within a district.
For school districts, having a monthly show to air
can give a big boost to a district cable channel. With polished productions,
you can provide the community with an inside look at the exemplary programs
taking place throughout your school district.
Knowing it can be hard to find someone within the
district with the time and energy to devote to monthly programming, the
Communication Solutions takes on the responsibility of working with the
administration and school board to develop ideas for shows, writing scripts,
coordinating interviews, scheduling tapings and editing the final product.
Whether you want to highlight curriculum initiatives, school safety programs
or extracurricular activities, Communication Solutions is experienced
in producing quality shows that will entertain and educate.
We know that it is important to recognize outstanding
achievements made during a school year and reward those who made contributions
towards a better learning environment. A special Year-In-Review program
can be designed to make these recognitions and commemorate another completed
school year. The graphic designers at Communication Solutions can work
closely with your school district to create an attractive, eye-catching
publication. This will ensure that those you wish to recognize will receive
sufficient coverage.
Ever-changing sentiment makes public opinion research
a powerful tool in creating a positive public image. We can help you to
assess your strengths and weaknesses through a variety of public opinion
research tactics. Communication Solutions has experience executing well-written
surveys that are designed to gather the information necessary to provide
you with helpful feedback. Our surveys can be adapted to meet the needs
of your unique situation and are implemented through mass mailings or
systematic phone calls. Our analysts can also facilitate more personal
tactics such as focus groups to gain raw data. Once this information is
acquired, a comprehensive assessment and evaluation is compiled into a
user-friendly report assessing public opinion of your school district.
Prepare for the unexpected and don't be caught off
guard.
"Outsourcing" your crisis communication to public relations pros allows
you to focus on the problem while we coordinate all communication. With
extensive experience in crisis communications, Communication Solutions
can create a unified campaign to allay the concerns of the public.
Our first step in handling these potentially explosive situations is to
keep a cool head. After analyzing the conditions with school officials,
our team of specialists goes to work to produce a plan of action with
timely, accurate, and appropriate information that is released to the
public. Our team works together with you to create a balanced media approach
through a variety of outlets including communication through school cable
channels, Web sites, press conferences, and fax and email "blasts." The
structured and consistent messages from school officials to the media
allows your district to keep the public informed without the problems
of misquotes or inaccurate data.
Communication Solutions takes the communication burden off your shoulders
and puts it into the competent hands of our experienced publicists, former
journalists, and political consultants.
Image is everything.
That's why more and more schools these days are asking
about image advertising. Is your school district recognized for its strong
academics or talented extra-curricular activities? Is your community an
active and friendly place to live?
These are some of the questions that Communication
Solutions takes into account when creating an image advertising campaign.
Our campaigns are designed to make potential newcomers aware of the advantages
of your school district. A strong campaign will attract those looking
for a better schooling environment for their children. By advertising
to Realtors and working with real estate publications, we can focus your
efforts on the desired audience, new residents. Image advertising can
also be targeted towards long-time residents of the area to revamp your
public perception and restore faith in the community.
Our website design specialists will work with you
to create a user-friendly, attractive website in order to capture the
attention of your audience. Communication Solutions specializes in writing
website content to effectively communicate with the public. We can take
the time to sit down and plan the best possible way to maximize the benefits
of being found on the World Wide Web.
Communication Solutions has worked with a multitude
of school districts throughout southeastern and central Pennsylvania.
Here are some examples of the work we have done for these districts:
- West Chester Area School District — When West Chester
embarked upon an extensive building project that involved the construction
of a new high school and renovations to three other schools in the district,
the administration and school board recognized the importance of communication
with the public. Because the construction was bound to affect not only
staff, faculty and students, but also parents, businesses and residents
who used district facilities, Communication Solutions helped the district
target these potential audiences and developed strategies to reach these
audiences.
Communication Solutions wrote copy for the district's website, which
included regular updates on the progress of the project, issued press
releases about the district's commitment to communication and wrote
public service announcements about the construction projects that were
aired on local radio stations. The creation of a speakers' bureau and
the distribution of construction news articles to publications by the
local chamber of commerce were also part of Communication Solutions'
duties.
- Perkiomen Valley School District — As teacher
contract negotiations progressed through the summer of 2002, Communication
Solutions helped the school district take a proactive role in communicating
with the public. Throughout the bargaining process, we wrote and issued
press releases that were distributed to the media and posted on the
district's website. This assured that the district's side was always
represented in local media coverage of the negotiations. When the teachers
union went on strike, Communication Solutions was on call 24 hours a
day to make sure that press releases containing valuable information
about the district's strike contingency plan were provided to the media
and posted on the website to allay parental concerns.
- Methacton School District — Communication Solutions
stepped in to help Methacton School District explain to its residents
the many uncertainties facing Pennsylvania school districts planning
budgets for the 2003-04 school year. With state funding declining and
rates for health insurance and retirement costs rising, the district
felt it was important to make residents aware of the factors making
an impact on the school budget. Communication Solutions took that message
and designed a "Budget Update" newsletter to explain to residents in
plain language the challenges of the budget process. Using graphics,
the publication showed residents where district money comes from and
where it is spent.
- Hatboro-Horsham School District † To enhance local media
coverage of the district, Communication Solutions Group wrote about
numerous events and initiatives within the school district throughout
the 2002-03 school year. As a result, Hatboro-Horsham received publicity
in local newspapers photographs and stories and on Philadelphia-area
television stations every month. With former journalists on staff, we
have the media contacts and the news sense needed to write attention-grabbing
press releases and media alerts that will get reporters and photographers
to show up at events.
- Central Dauphin School District — When Central
Dauphin built a new high school, Communication Solutions was instrumental
in organizing a well-received groundbreaking ceremony with the theme
"Bring a Shovel, Begin a Legacy." We invited key government officials,
prepared speeches, notified the media and the public, and prepared programs
for the event. The end result? A successful event that attracted the
attention of local television stations and newspapers.
|