We recently started potty training my daughter, so it’s no surprise that as I’ve been immersed in the world of big girl panties, accidents and extra laundry, I’ve noticed a few public relations lessons. For anyone that’s crossed this bridge with their kids, here are 4 ways potty training is like PR.
4 Public Relations Lessons from Potty Training
Have you potty trained your kids? Did you notice any similarities to public relations?
1. Conduct research. Before I even thought about throwing the diapers away, I did my homework. I researched the subject online to find out what experts recommend, talked to friends with older kids to find out what worked well for them and read books that offered advice and wrote down ideas I wanted to try. Just like I took the time to find out what potty training methods seemed like the best fit for my daughter, it’s important to research before beginning your public relations campaign. Read helpful articles online and do a couple of consultations with experts to get their advice.
2. Be prepared. Even after my research was done, I knew I needed to prepare. We pulled together supplies and began talking about the potty, what it’s used for and telling her we’d teach her how to use it soon. Make sure you give yourself time to prepare at the beginning of your public relations campaign. Build a mobile-friendly website that provides clear, concise information, take high-res images of your products and set up pages on various social media platforms like Facebook or Google+.
3. Stick with it. We decided to skip pull-ups and move straight into panties right away, so the first day and a half was…challenging. It took her a while to understand what she was supposed to do, which made us start second-guessing whether or not she was really ready or if we were approaching this the right way. But we stuck with it; by the third day she started to get it and by day five we were accident free! Although we didn’t see the results right away, our messages were sinking in. Make sure you give your PR campaign plenty of time to work before changing your strategy. Public relations is a slow and steady approach, so be diligent and stick with it for at least 6 months (if not longer) before changing direction.
4. Recognize small achievements. Potty training is a process, just like public relations. You aren’t going to see all the results on the first day, so it’s important to recognize the small achievements as they happen. Did your Facebook page get substantially more followers than last week? Did a blogger write about your business? Even though you haven’t achieved the end result yet, notice the smaller milestones and use them to encourage yourself.
A successful public relations campaign requires research, preparation, sticking with the plan and recognition of small achievements – just like potty training! Can you think of any ways these two activities are similar?
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Photo Credit: Crispy / cropped from original