Yes, There is a PR Sweet Spot

And here it is: public relations alters individual perception leading to changed behaviors among the key outside audiences of a business, non-profit or association manager. It happens when the manager applies positive actions affecting the behaviors of those important external audiences that most affect his or her operation.

That's the sweet ice cream. The whipped cream comes as that manager persuades those key outside folks to his or her way of thinking. The cherry-on-top arrives when s/he moves those people to take actions that let his/her department, group, division or subsidiary succeed.

A darn nice sweet spot, in this case described as an ice cream sundae. But one that has a real basis for such action: 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 usually accomplished.

Imagine some of the possible results: fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; customers making repeat purchases; new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources; community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; welcome bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

Getting your public relations people on board this particular approach to PR will be your first concern. Are they on board when it comes to knowing why it's so important to be certain how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services? And be sure they accept the reality that negative perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your organization.

Tell them how you plan to monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. 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?

Managers usually perk up when they realize that their PR people are already in the perception and behavior business and can be of real use for the initial opinion monitoring project. Professional survey firms are always available, of course, but that can cost many dollars. But, whether it's your people or a survey firm who handles the questioning, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions or any other troublemaker perceptions.

Now, you identify which of the problems outlined above will become your corrective public relations goal. In other words, clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix a variety of other possible inaccuracies.

Now, you can meet that goal only when you establish the right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Picking the wrong strategy will taste like peanut butter in your cucumber salad. So please be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Tough job ahead! Put together a persuasive message aimed at members of your target audience. Yes, it's always a challenge to put together action-forcing language that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking.

You had best have your best writer on the assignment as s/he must produce that very special, corrective language. And s/he will need 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.

The next chore could even be fun. For example, identify the communications tactics you need to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. As long as you are certain the tactics you select have a record of reaching folks like your audience members, you can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others.

Often overlooked is the fact that the credibility of the message can be dependent on the credibility of its delivery method. Which means you may wish to deliver it in small getogether-like meetings and presentations rather than through a higher-profile media announcement.

An off-handed request for a progress report should be viewed as an alert that you and your PR team need to think about 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 watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Should program momentum slow, think of it as a blessing because you now have the opportunity to add more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

Please remember that PR's sweet spot appears when the manager applies positive actions affecting the behaviors of those important external audiences that most affect his or her operation.

Now, stop doing public relations the hard way and embrace that sweet spot today!

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 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

tidy up service Glenview ..
In The News:

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.
Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.
New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

Public Relations Mixup?

When you pay good money for public relations services, you... Read More

A Sensible Way to Use PR

The most sensible way for business, non-profit or association managers... Read More

Publicity - How to Write a Headline That Will Garner Free Publicity

Taking your ad and turning it into paragraph-style prose is... Read More

Get Outsiders on Your Side

Especially good advice for business, non-profit and association managers whose... Read More

Oprah! How to Appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Do you dream of being on Oprah Winfrey's television show?... Read More

Three Publicity Tips for Marketing-Minded Financial Planners

Financial planners, the first thing to know about reporters is... Read More

A PR Surprise for Managers

For those business, non-profit and association managers committed to PR... Read More

16 Publicity tips for Restaurants

With a dismal failure rate of more than 75 percent... Read More

PR? Why?

Well, for starters, because good public relations can alter individual... Read More

Just What Kind of PR Matters to You?

Parties, videos, booklets and column plugs?Or public relations that does... Read More

Do I Really Need a Publicist?

Are you hesitating about hiring a publicist or, if you... Read More

PR Campaigns ? How To Get To Grips With The Media

If you're serious about getting great results from your PR... Read More

Publicity - How To Get Your Story on Television

A press release telling about "Stevie, the Water-Skiing Squirrel" will... Read More

How to Create Quality PR Results

For many of us, the word quality is closely related... Read More

24 Killer Press Release Secrets

1. Your press release should sound like news, not an... Read More

Media Relations: How We Landed on the Wall Street Journals Front Page

Media relations is a great profession.On good days, I earn... Read More

Its CNN! They Want To Talk To You!

Being invited to appear on radio and television used to... Read More

Why Public Relations Doesnt Just Happen

Public relations is a very important part of the marketing... Read More

Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Its Not Who You Know But What You Know

Almost every day, I hear the same question, over and... Read More

How to Master Communication Even if you failed High School Grammar

Does the thought of knowing your verbs from your adjective... Read More

PR Failure Defined

I define public relations failure this way:key audience perceptions are... Read More

Publicity Tips from the Pros

If you want to know the best way to approach... Read More

Public Relations: The Fundamental Premise

It seems difficult to believe at the dawn of the... Read More

PR: The Wildcard Marketing Strategy

What is the true purpose of public relations and how... Read More

PR tips for business

Question: Why should your business issue a press release? Answer:... Read More

maid service near Winnetka ..