Home
>
Public Relations
>
Managers, Which PR Is Right For You?

Managers, Which PR Is Right For You?

An effort built around a string of print and broadcast exposures? Or, a public relations initiative that delivers results far beyond simple publicity tactics. Namely, real behavior change among your most important outside audiences leading directly to reaching your objectives. Achieved, incidentally, by persuading key outside people with the greatest impacts on your organization to your way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that help your unit succeed.

It's a clear choice between limiting PR activity to simply placing product and service plugs on radio and in newspapers and magazines. Or, using a workable public relations blueprint to alter individual perceptions that lead to changed behaviors ? something that should be of profound importance to businesses, non-profits and associations who can sink or swim on how well they employ this crucial dynamic on behalf of their department, division or subsidiary.

So, as a manager, why support that business, non-profit or association operation with press release public relations when a basic PR blueprint like this one can hold the key to your success? 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 types of things that could transpire as a result: fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; customers making repeat purchases; prospects starting to look your way; community leaders beginning to seek you out; and even politicians and legislators viewing you as an innovator.

But careful here. Because the cost of gathering key audience perception data ? an absolute must in this business ? can be substantial, it should be built into your original budget request, and hopefully approved because the entire public relations effort is riding on the perception monitoring function.

So, with the key stakeholders whose perceptions of your operation you care most about now the target of your PR effort, you are ready to launch a well-planned public relations program that can reach, persuade and move those individuals to actions you desire.

For your own success, you have to be certain your staff or agency public relations people are REALLY committed to (1) knowing how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services, and (2) the reality that negative key audience perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can hurt you (and them). Luckily, they already are in the perception and behavior business, so they should be able to really help out with your opinion monitoring project.

Professional survey firms are always available, but that can be a budget buster. So, whether it's your people or a survey firm asking the questions, your objective is the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and other "nasties."

Best way to get that activity under way is to meet with members of your most important outside audience and ask questions like "Are you familiar with our services or products?" "Have you ever had contact with anyone from our organization? Was it a satisfactory experience?" Be sensitive to negative statements, especially evasive or hesitant replies. And watch carefully for those false assumptions, untruths, misconceptions, inaccuracies and potentially damaging rumors. When you find such, they will need to be corrected, as they usually lead to negative behaviors.

Now you must select the specific perception to be altered, which then becomes your public relations goal.

But clearly, a PR goal without a strategy to show you how to get there, is like French Toast without syrup and bacon. So you select one of three strategies especially constructed to create perception or opinion where there may be none, or change existing perception, or reinforce it. But insure that the goal and its strategy match each other. You wouldn't want to select "change existing perception" when current perception is just right suggesting a "reinforce" strategy.

Here, you put together a compelling message carefully structured to alter your key target audience's perception, as specified by your public relations goal.

A thought. Combine your corrective message with another news announcement or presentation which may provide more credibility by downplaying the need for such a correction.

Clearly you have to produce a compelling message, one that's quite clear about what perception needs clarification or correction, and why. Goes without saying that you must be truthful, believable and your position logically explained if you are to hold the attention of members of that target audience, and actually move perception in your direction.

On a light note, we sometimes call the communications tactics you will use to move your message to the attention of that key external audience, "beasts of burden" because they must carry your persuasive new thoughts to the eyes and ears of those important outside people.

There is no shortage of communications tactics because the list is long indeed. It includes customer briefings, brochures, press releases and speeches. Or, you might choose facility tours, radio and newspaper interviews, personal contacts, or letters-to-the-editor. There are many available to you and the only selection requirement is that the communications tactics you choose have a record of reaching people just like the members of your key target audience.

If things slow down on you, accelerate them by adding more communications tactics, AND by increasing their frequencies.

With the passage of time, you'll anticipate that folks will soon be questioning you about progress, so you will already be hard at work remonitoring perceptions among your target audience members. Using questions similar to those used during your earlier monitoring session, you'll now be watching carefully for signs that audience perceptions are beginning to move in your general direction.

Satisfying curiosity in this regard is largely a matter of laying out the results you will receive when you undertake this aggressive public relations plan. Put another way, you may be excused for relaxing when you achieve the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary objectives.

end

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 1135 including guidelines and resource box.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2004.

About The Author

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. bobkelly@tni.net. Visit:bobkelly@tni.net

house refresh service Morton Grove ..

In The News:

Carnegie Mellon's noninvasive brain technology allows users to move robotic fingers by thinking about the motion, offering new possibilities for people with motor impairments.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts. Instead of relying only on a password, MFA requires you to verify your identity using two or more methods.

Scientists from Duke, Harvard, and the University of Otago have unveiled a game-changing tool called DunedinPACNI. It uses a single AI brain scan to reveal how fast a person is biologically aging.

A disturbing wave of fake agent phone scams is sweeping across the United States, catching people off guard and draining their savings.

Emojis aren't just playful add-ons; they're powerful tools for building stronger connections in our increasingly digital world.

Google has taken a major step toward the future of clean energy by partnering with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), an MIT spin-out working to build one of the world’s first commercial fusion reactors.

If you create and share art online, you might have seen messages warning that Facebook's parent company, Meta, claims the right to use or even sell anything you post, whether it's pictures, poems, or artwork.

Cybercriminals hit Qantas in a major data breach that exposed information from up to six million customers.

Having reliable, loud, and timely emergency alerts on your phone or device is important because when severe weather strikes, every second counts.

Here's how your daily brew is becoming the foundation for greener buildings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are transforming how we learn. But what does this mean for AI and learning retention?

Modern AI data centers use much more electricity than traditional cloud servers. In many cases, the existing power grid cannot keep up. One innovative solution is gaining traction: repurposed EV batteries for AI data centers.

Microsoft 365 and Outlook users are being targeted by a tactic that injects fake billing alerts directly into their calendars.

Researchers are now showing us that old smartphones as data centers could be the next big thing in sustainable tech.

Scientists have created micro-robots for sinus infection treatment that can enter the nasal cavity, eliminate bacteria directly at the source, and exit without harming surrounding tissue.

Let's examine how your data is collected in everyday life, who is buying and selling it, what happens to it afterward, and, most importantly, what you can do to protect yourself.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. developed small robots called "Pipebots" that can travel inside water pipes to find and potentially repair leaks, all without any excavation.

A groundbreaking new study has uncovered disturbing AI blackmail behavior that many people are unaware of yet.

Four teams of autonomous humanoid robots competed in China's first AI soccer tournament, demonstrating advanced capabilities in ball detection and independent decision-making.

The ID. Buzz autonomous van features self-driving technology with 13 cameras, nine LiDAR units and five radars after Volkswagen partnered with Hamburg and Uber for 2026 deployments.

Social Security phishing scams use urgency and impersonation to steal personal data. Learn how to spot fake SSA emails and implement 10 protective measures.

French startup Pazzi Robotics created an AI-powered pizza robot that made pies in under five minutes without human help, but it closed in 2022 despite patents and expert partnerships.

Reclaim your time from big tech with effective screen time reduction strategies for iPhone and Android, featuring steps to limit app usage and create phone-free zones.

Amazon Prime Day shoppers face threats from 120,000-plus scam websites as cybercriminals prepare phishing traps and malware ahead of the July sales event.

Fox News' AI Newsletter brings you the latest on this rapidly evolving technology.

Managers, Which PR Is Right For You?

Public Relations