Because good public relations can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences. And that can help business, non-profit and association managers achieve their managerial objectives.
It all happens when you do something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. In particular when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.
I believe the key to good PR is this reality. 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.
In other words, your public relations effort must involve more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really want to get your money's worth.
The payoff can make your day: membership applications on the rise; customers starting to make repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; higher employee retention rates, capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way, and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.
But who among your PR team really understands the blueprint outlined above and shows commitment to its implementation, starting with key audience perception monitoring? Luckily, your PR people are already in the perception and behavior business, so they should be of real use for this initial opinion monitoring project. Be certain that your public relations people really accept why it's SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Make sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.
Talk it over with them, especially your game plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions along these lines: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?
Because it can run into real money using professional survey firms to do the opinion monitoring work, you may wish to use those PR folks of yours in that capacity since they're already in the perception and persuasion business. But, whether it's your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
What your aiming at, obviously, is a PR goal that does something about the most serious distortions you discover during your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially painful rumor cold?
Of course, without the right strategy to tell you how to proceed, you won't get there at all. So keep in mind that there are just three strategic options available when it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like horseradish on your pancakes, so be sure your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.
Here, you must come up with a well-written message and send it to members of your target audience. It's always a challenge to create an actionable message that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking. What you want now is your strongest writers because s/he must build some very special, corrective language. Words that are not merely 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 have in mind.
After your PR team has signed off on draft copy of your message, you move on to the next selection process -- the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. There are scores that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But you must be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks like your audience members.
An alert: you may wish to avoid too loud a voice with this kind of message and unveil it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases, as the credibility of any message is fragile and always at stake.
>From this point forward, you'll start getting requests for progress reports, which tells you and your PR team to begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You'll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. But now, you will be on red alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.
It does seem fortunate that such matters usually can be accelerated simply by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.
The value of public relations to managers becomes clearer when you realize that the people you deal with behave like everyone else - they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Which means you really have little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.
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 ? 2004.
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.
Visit: bobkelly@tni.net; bobkelly@tni.net
limousine Ackley .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareI recently worked with a group dealing with an unusual... Read More
This guide to "SEOing" your PR efforts can help you... Read More
A reporter's job is to get the most accurate and... Read More
China's media is booming creating opportunities for marketing-savvy businesses. But... Read More
Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More
Press reviews are a common and basic feature for surveying... Read More
They know they had better do something positive about those... Read More
You can have dozens of marvelous ideas to get free... Read More
What are you trying to do with your business, non-profit... Read More
Just happens to be public relations activity that alters individual... Read More
A press kit is an essential press relations tool. While... Read More
Individual financial planners can outscore bigger competitors and gain market... Read More
While scoring anice story in BusinessWeek or USA Today is... Read More
How much more fundamental can you get than this? As... Read More
Recently I had a craving for... Read More
Say, from tactics like special events, brochures and press releases... Read More
Done right, it delivers the key, target audience behaviors you... Read More
As someone with expertise in media relations, I've been asked... Read More
There is something newsworthy happening at your organization right now.... Read More
THE NATURE OF MEDIAThirty years ago, Marshall McCluhan, the father... Read More
It took me a while to see just HOW crucial... Read More
Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More
The media live by the calendar. Your story pitch might... Read More
If your product or service can be given as a... Read More
Public relations is a very important part of the marketing... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare Alexander ..And not results you can measure only in terms of... Read More
Next to white papers, case studies are the most popular... Read More
Stripped down to its core, publicity is little more than... Read More
The call came into my office and the voice on... Read More
Did you Know That Even TV Remote Control Units... Read More
There's an old African proverb:"If you think you are too... Read More
It seems difficult to believe at the dawn of the... Read More
If you don't have a grip on public relations, how... Read More
How can media training help you create a successful Hispanic... Read More
Talkback radio offers a fantastic opportunity to access thousands of... Read More
What's the real reason some managers shy away from public... Read More
Is your business looking for new and creative ways to... Read More
That big story the media pursue each day is what... Read More
If a reporter was writing a story about you and... Read More
The Public Relations (PR) industry is responsible for creating and... Read More
So you've put yourself "out there" with a public relations... Read More
The right kind of PR, that is, the kind that... Read More
When I search Google News for "surveys," I get nearly... Read More
As a manager, does your current business, non-profit or association... Read More
If you are in Australia at the moment, it is... Read More
It can bite you and waste your public relations budget... Read More
The public relations goal and strategy make sense; the message... Read More
This guide to "SEOing" your PR efforts can help you... Read More
The media has the power to shape public opinion and... Read More
You may remember Forrest Gump's Vietnam pal ? the one... Read More
Public Relations |