Public Relations Services

The Vendor is required to provide public outreach and communications campaign strategy to educate and inform stakeholders and the community about current project status and upcoming initiatives.
- This campaign project will focus on four areas: key message development, digital content development, community and stakeholder relations and issues management and media relations.
- Key message development:
•    Create an integrated strategic communications plan for corporation. 
•    The strategic communications plan should be integrated across all communication platforms for all communications purposes including, but not limited to, public education; public appearances and presentations; websites and website platforms; social media platforms; digital marketing; development of a collateral plan that identifies the types of materials to be utilized (e.g., brochures, fliers, and fact sheets) for all purposes; and a media relations plan for the duration of the contract. 
•    The rebranding should include a new logo, and graphic designs to be applied to all the above. 
•    Contractor shall deliver technical information in plain language for a general audience. 
•    The strategic communications plan shall be developed on the foundation of the “corporation story.” 
•    A rich story narrative is a powerful and crucial component to successful communications and marketing. 
•    With an audience-centric approach the story should be straightforward and instantly and intuitively understood, through illustration wherever possible, without the need for detailed analysis or competence in agricultural initiatives by the audiences. 
•    Corporation story shall include the agency’s projects and initiatives and convey state progress and goal to promote local agriculture, and with public support and proper policy, state can create a resilient, thriving agriculture economy. 
•    Contractor shall deliver technical information in plain language for a general audience.
- Community and stakeholder relations:
•    The increasing public challenges and vocalized community concerns about agricultural projects’ impacts on communities statewide have made it clear that there needs to be more intentional effort to reach out to and include grassroots community in our strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagements and collaborations to more effectively, efficiently, and equitably advance our sustainability and export goal. 
•    Assist the corporation executive director’s office with creating and maintaining a social media services plan and updating corporation social media accounts. 
•    This includes, but is not limited to, the posting of photos and videos of programs, along with industry events and workshops sponsored by corporation. 
•    Social media platforms to include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
- Crisis management and media relations:
•    Monitor news cycle for corporation or corporation -related content. 
•    Identify emerging organization-related issues and respond accordingly with factual and targeted messaging and taking points after conferring with the corporation executive director.
•    Serve as a resource to corporation during natural disasters, health-related crises, business interruptions, and other emergencies. 
•    This includes, but is not limited to, participating in emergency crisis conference calls, training exercises, updating corporation social media accounts, distributing press releases, helping with internal communications, and communicating with media and stakeholders as needed. 
•    Pitch stories to the media as necessary.
- Digital content development and copywriting:
•    Develop content for up to 12 newsletters per year to provide the agriculture audience with a better understanding of corporation activities and to gain public support. 
•    The content will be informational, promotional and reader-friendly technical articles, along with photographs and graphics. 
•    Activities will include:
o    Research and copywriting 
o    Photography 
o    Assist with maintaining and updating corporation email distribution list in constant contact or a similar program.
•    Revamp corporation website to a fully interactive site as a tool to amplify the strategic communications plan. 
•    The new website must effectively tell corporation story to connect with all audiences. 
•    The new website must manage and share data and content and facilitate interactive community engagement. 
•    This online space shall make it possible for state agriculture community to have a voice and a greater sense of ownership and inclusiveness in decision-making about state agricultural future. 
•    Website redesign should include the following:
o    Information architecture (sitemap, wireframes, content strategy) 
o    Design with updated branding 
o    Development (buildout on state’s current platform with ADA accessibility) 
o    SEO (search engine optimization) 
o    Content development 
o    Deployment and site launch (including testing) tracking and analysis.
•    WordPress is the preferred content management system.