When times are tough, it's no time to ignore those external audiences whose behaviors matter so much to your organization.
In your own best interest, are you seeing to their care and feeding? I mean, if a certain group of outsiders behaves in ways that really help or hinder your operations, they do rate your attention, right?
Of course they do! That's why we call them key target audiences, or publics. Either way, what they think about you, then how they behave, can support or derail the best laid plans.
Why take any chances?
Make a list of those important external audiences and put them in priority order. Then pick #1 and let's go to work.
Since it's their perceptions that lead to behaviors, you must get inside their heads. That means monitoring members of that key audience and asking lots of questions to determine what they think about you and your operation.
Watch for rumors. And for negativity. Misconceptions and misunderstandings involving your products, services and pricing should be pursued in those conversations.
With that kind of data in hand, you are able to establish the public relations goal. Namely, correct that misconception, or neutralize that rumor, or clarify that fuzziness about your services.
Goals are certainly necessary, but they need a strategy that shows HOW you will alter those worrisome perceptions. In this business, we have just three possible strategies: create opinion (perceptions) where none exist, change existing opinion, or reinforce it.
Obviously, you will select the strategy that leads directly to achieving your public relations goal.
Now the tough part. What will you communicate to members of your #1 target audience? Your message is key to the success of your public relations effort.
It must be clear as crystal as to what needs to be clarified or neutralized. It must be obvious that the message is truthful, authoritative and compelling. In short, it must deliver a specific message about what is being corrected.
What do you do with the message? As with a bullet in a rifle, you pull the trigger. Or, to mix metaphors, you call in the "beasts of burden," communications tactics, to carry your message directly to members of that key target audience.
You're fortunate that there are piles of communications tactics just waiting for you - the Internet, broadcast appearances, press releases, brochures, seminars, personal meetings, special events, emailings, and on and on.
Sooner rather than later, you're going to want some signs that your public relations program is working. And that means Remonitoring that target audience, again asking lots of questions and seeking evidence that a misconception has been corrected, an inaccuracy cleared up, or a rumor explained away.
If that is the result of your REmonitoring drill, your public relations program has succeeded.
Should your remonitoring not yield those results, you will need to adjust your communications tactics to produce a broader mix of "weapons" going against that audience. You may also decide to increase the frequencies of your tactics. Your message, of course, must be reevaluated for clarity, emphases and factual support.
Handling public relations this way, you're moving in the right direction because you're mobilizing your most important external audiences in support of YOUR goals and objectives.
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.
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 communications, 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.
Visit: bobkelly@tni.net; bobkelly@tni.net
house refresh service Morton Grove ..If you're an online business using public relations (PR) to... Read More
WHITE NOISEA client recently told me about a fascinating new... Read More
Receiving free advertising is the dream of most business people.... Read More
An effort built around a string of print and broadcast... Read More
I often begin my media training sessions by asking members... Read More
So you've put yourself "out there" with a public relations... Read More
Every reporter, from the cub at the small town paper... Read More
Sometimes a phone call isn't intimate or long enough to... Read More
One of the primary tools still used by PR professionals... Read More
When I search Google News for "surveys," I get nearly... Read More
What makes a good media release and how do you... Read More
More than half of America skips the Super Bowl, the... Read More
Public relations is a very important part of the marketing... Read More
I define public relations failure this way:key audience perceptions are... Read More
I don't know about you but I get really frustrated... Read More
One big mistake that many marketing-minded financial planners make when... Read More
Corporations are willing to pay substantial amounts of money to... Read More
For those business, non-profit and association managers committed to PR... Read More
When I talk with business people, they tend to believe... Read More
Yup -- it's hot and sticky and you don't feel... Read More
Let's say you've called a reporter with some ideas for... Read More
Sometimes there seems to be no client news worthy of... Read More
The right kind of PR, that is, the kind that... Read More
Media placement is an art. Practicing it often requires as... Read More
Being invited to appear on radio and television used to... Read More
cleaning service near Mundelein ..And hurt bad if you are a business, non-profit or... Read More
OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a... Read More
For many of us, the word quality is closely related... Read More
The Today show? The New York Times? Vanity Fair? What's... Read More
Small Business Owners should send press releases out at least... Read More
One study found that as many as 90% of the... Read More
Are you launching a new product or website? Announcing a... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, what do you... Read More
Just happens to be public relations activity that alters individual... Read More
1) Package your story. Two critical elements will help you... Read More
The Internet may have opened worlds for businesses and consumers,... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, your public relations... Read More
Got a huge need for publicity and a tiny publicity... Read More
If a reporter was writing a story about you and... Read More
Public relations writing when writing press releases can be a... Read More
Only two media in Spanish speaking countries offer RSS: the... Read More
And show it for what it is - a humdinger... Read More
The media's role is to package and spread news, current... Read More
Each of us is exposed to people from other cultures... Read More
If you're seeking to promote yourself or your new business... Read More
Where is there a business, non-profit or association manager who... Read More
You can if, as a business, non-profit or association manager,... Read More
Considering how fundamental they are to the publicist's trade,it's always... Read More
How can media training help you create a successful Hispanic... Read More
The most sensible way for business, non-profit or association managers... Read More
Public Relations |