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Kaitlyn Wynn

Analyzing Internal and External Environments in PR

Creating a public relations campaign can be one of the most powerful ways to effectively share an organization's message and build a strong brand. However, before any of this can be accomplished, it is vital to have a complete understanding of the organization's internal and external environments.

Step 1) Analyzing the Internal Environment

Let's start with a quick explanation of what exactly an internal environment is. According to an article from Cascade, "An Internal Analysis is the process of an organization examining its internal components to assess its resources, assets, characteristics, competencies, capabilities, and competitive advantages." Check out the article here. In order to fully understand what you are marketing, it is important to look at the organization's performance, niche, structure, ethical base and internal impediments. Take a look at the description of each element below from Strategic Planning for Public Relations by Ronald D. Smith and ask yourself the questions that follow.

  • Performance focuses on the quality of the goods or services the organization offers. How is the company performing now? How were they performing in the past? How satisfied is leadership with the quality of the goods or services?

  • Niche is the uniqueness of an organization and how it is set apart from others. What can this organization offer that others do not? What makes us different? How can we showcase this?

  • The structure is fairly self-explanatory- how is the organization set up? What is the mission, purpose and vision? How involved are PR professionals allowed to be in decision making processes?

  • The ethical base of an organization is its morals. What do we stand for? How can we make things better? Are we doing anything that does not comply with the morals?

  • Finally, internal impediments are simply internal obstacles that the organization faces.

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Step 2) Analyzing the External Environment

Now that you know more about the internal environment of your organization, it is time to look at what it is facing externally. An article from Tyonote states, "External environment analysis or external analysis is the process of analyzing external factors of an organization to understand uncertainty and achieve competitiveness. The main objective of analyzing external environment factors is to be aware of likely opportunities and threats." For this step, we will look at the 4 factors Smith describes in Phase One of the book listed above- supporters, competitors, opponents and external impediments.

  • Supporters are people or entities who might consider helping the organization reach its goals. This can be loyal customers, investors, organizations with similar goals, etc.

  • Competitors on the other hand, are people who are producing the same good, offering the same service or doing the same thing. However, just because another group is doing the same thing as you, doesn't automatically make them a competitor. Think about organizations that are hindering your ability to reach your goals? Could any of these competitors become allies?

  • Opponents are people or other entities that are simply against your organization. Identify these groups or individuals. Why are the against the organization? How are the affecting our ability to meet our goals or uphold our mission?

  • External impediments also need to be considered. These are economic or social factors that can hinder an organization's abilities to achieve its goals.

That's it, Folks!

Thank you all for reading! I hope this helped emphasize the importance of and help clarify the steps to analyzing your internal and external audiences. It really can make all the difference. Be sure to check out the rest of my PR Campaigns Series and explore the references for more information on the content featured in this article.

References

Admin. (2022, August 1). External Environment Analysis: Definition, 3 tools, & importance. tyonote. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://tyonote.com/external_environment_analysis/#:~:text=Importance%20of%20External%20Environment%20Analysis%201%20Identification%20of,4%20Adapt%20Change%20...%205%20Competitive%20Advantage%20

Cascade, T. (2022, June 29). Internal Analysis: What is it & how to conduct one. Strategy Software for Planning & Execution. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.cascade.app/blog/internal-analysis

Smith, R. D. (2020). Strategic Planning for Public Relations (6th ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781000201468