Home
>
Public Relations
>
Managers: Super-Charge Your PR

Managers: Super-Charge Your PR

Ain't a gonna happen unless business, non-profit and association managers, possibly like you, do something positive about those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. And then, as you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, help move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Fortunately for all of us, good public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences.

Why should you believe it? Because of this public relations premise: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Just look at the kind of reactions that can result: customers starting to make repeat purchases; politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; prospects starting to work with you; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; welcome bounces in show room visits; membership applications on the rise; and community leaders beginning to seek you out.

But it doesn't just happen, as I'm certain you already suspect. Your public relations people really must be on board this particular approach to PR. And especially, they must buy into why it's so important to know how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. And do be sure they accept the reality that negative perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your organization.

Now, how do you plan to monitor and gather perceptions of your key external audiences? Why, by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Meet with your public relations people and review possible questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Hopefully it will not come as a surprise that your PR people are already in the perception and behavior business and can be of real use for the initial opinion monitoring project. You can always use professional survey firms, of course, but that can cost a bundle. So, whether it's your people or a survey firm who handles the questioning, the objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions.

Soon you will have to decide which of the problems outlined above (or others) becomes your corrective public relations goal ? clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix a variety of other possible inaccuracies?

At the same time you set your PR goal, you must select the right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The right strategy will show you how to reach that goal. Of course, picking the wrong strategy will taste like peanut butter on a nice piece of Nova Scotia salmon. So be sure your new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. Obviously, you wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

At last we come to the "muscular" part of your public relations effort -- writing a persuasive message aimed at members of your target audience. It's always a severe test to come up with action-forcing language that will help persuade a target audience to your way of thinking.

It almost goes without saying that you must assign the task to your best writer. What is required are words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you desire.

Now comes one of the less pressuresome chores -- identifying the communications tactics needed to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. Always making certain that the tactics you select have a record of reaching folks like your audience members, you have at your disposal dozens of communications tactics ranging from speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others.

Do not overlook the fact that the believability of your message can be dependent on the credibility of its delivery method. And that means you may wish to deliver it in small getogether-like meetings and presentations rather than through a higher-profile media announcement.

As initial impact of your communications tactics is felt, you and your PR people will want to undertake a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. The same questions used in the benchmark session can be used again. But now, you will be looking very carefully for indications that the bad news perception is moving in your direction.

By the way, take comfort in the fact that that your PR program usually can be accelerated by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

To recap: I strongly advise you to remember this as a business, non-profit or association manager: supercharging your managerial public relations effort will depend heavily on you doing something positive about those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation ? positive steps like those mentioned above. And as you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, you will hopefully move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1075 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly ? 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Managers: Super-Charge Your PR

Public Relations