As a business, non-profit or association manager, why continue a public relations effort that doesn't deliver the key external audience behaviors you need to achieve your department, division or subsidiary objectives?
Time for a change. One that will base your PR effort on a fundamental premise that makes sense. And one that actually leads to outside audience behaviors like these: new proposals for joint ventures or strategic alliances, prospective buyers browsing your services or products, specifying sources or major donors thinking about you, more frequent repeat purchases or a substantial boost in capital donations.
So, you need two things. One, a really personal involvement with the public relations people assigned to your department, division or subsidiary. And two, a new foundation for your PR effort.
A foundation like this: 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.
It will give you a blueprint that will help you persuade your key stakeholders to your way of thinking. In turn, that should move them to take actions that lead to your success as a business, non-profit or association manager.
First and foremost, you need to know how members of your most important external audiences perceive you because those perceptions usually lead to behaviors that can hurt you or help you in achieving your objectives.
So, you and your PR team must list those outside audiences whose behaviors affect your unit the most. Then put them in priority order. We'll use #1 on your list as our target in this article.
Now, you can spend some real money on professional survey counsel, or you and your PR team can do it yourself by interacting with your target audience. Use questions like these to identify opinion, perception problems. "What do you know about our organization? Have you had any kind of contact with us? Was it satis- factory? Do you like our products or services?"
Listen carefully to the responses you receive. Stay alert for evasive or hesitant answers, and be watchful for negativity ? especially inaccuracies, exaggerations, misconceptions or rumor.
These answers are your red meat, the input you need to create the public relations goal. For example, clear up a misconception, kill that rumor once and for all, or fix that inaccuracy. Each of which can lead to target audience behaviors you won't like one little bit.
Reaching that goal is another story. You need a strategy to do it and you have just three choices as you deal with your opinion/perception challenge: create perception where there may be none, change existing opinion, or reinforce it. But take care when you identify your strategy that it compliments your goal.
The heavy lifting in your public relations problem solving sequence will be done by the message you prepare designed to correct the negative perception you identified during your perception monitoring session. You must be very clear about the offending perception, particularly why it is untrue. Remember that you want to change what people believe and, thus, their behaviors so that you can achieve your unit's objectives. Which is why the message must be both believable and compelling.
Getting the message from your organization to the attention of members of your target audience is your next challenge. Luckily, there is a long list of communications tactics standing ready to help you do just that. They range from media interviews, personal meetings and speeches to press releases, newsletters, facility tours and many more. But check carefully that the tactics you employ have a proven record of reaching people similar to those who make up your target audience.
Inevitably, questions will be asked as to whether all this smoke and flame is producing any results. A question that can only be answered back out in the field interacting once again with members of your key outside audience.
While you'll be using the same questions used during your first opinion monitoring drill, this time you're looking for indications that the hurtful perceptions are actually changing, as will the inevitable follow on behaviors.
Incidentally, you can always put the pedal to the metal with additional communications tactics, as well as using them more frequently.
What you have, finally, is the blueprint you need to help persuade your most important stakeholders to take actions that lead to your success as a business, a non-profit or an association manager.
And your cost was "bagging" a PR effort that simply couldn't deliver the key external audience behaviors you need to achieve your unit objectives.
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 communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@tni.net. Visit: mailto:bobkelly@tni.net
shuttle from Midway Glen Ellyn ..No comment. These are probably the two most damaging words... Read More
Sorry about my otaku with this issue (otaku = more... Read More
Have you ever noticed that when someone is interviewed on... Read More
Ideally, you will have two types of quotes in your... Read More
Public relations is the art, as one of my colleagues... Read More
You can have dozens of marvelous ideas to get free... Read More
More than half of America skips the Super Bowl, the... Read More
THE TWO MINUTES UNDERDOGEdward Everett was one of the most... Read More
The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can... Read More
If you own a franchise and have company vehicles, be... Read More
Done right, it delivers the key, target audience behaviors you... Read More
For financial planners, getting publicity, in the end, isn't about... Read More
Some folks see the word "strategic" as a needlessly tiresome... Read More
The media's role is to package and spread news, current... Read More
Big corporations like General Motors and Coca-Cola spend thousands of... Read More
It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist... Read More
OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a... Read More
Yes, that's what public relations really is when it tracks... Read More
An effort built around a string of print and broadcast... Read More
Tis' the season for business and corporate gift-giving! If you... Read More
Be a ResourceThe media people that are likely to want... Read More
If a reporter approached you about an interview, would you... Read More
There'll never be a better time for a manager working... Read More
Yes, and that pressure often comes from a CEO who... Read More
For some, public relations works well when their news release... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare North Chicago ..It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist... Read More
Whenever a recession or volatility threatens the economy, companies immediately... Read More
Strong for business, non-profit and association managers when they use... Read More
The call came into my office and the voice on... Read More
What's a Capability Statement?As the name suggests, it tells potential... Read More
"We are in the communications business, the business of conveying... Read More
Sure. What else do you call a human discipline whose... Read More
A great way to celebrate your achievements and capitalize on... Read More
Sorry about my otaku with this issue (otaku = more... Read More
If you don't have a grip on public relations, how... Read More
Imagine you're the technology reporter at a daily newspaper. You... Read More
THE NATURE OF MEDIAThirty years ago, Marshall McCluhan, the father... Read More
The world has woken up to ethical issues in corporate... Read More
When do you use the newspaper for publishing announcements for... Read More
Press releases are one of the most cost-effective ways to... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, do you see... Read More
As the practice of public relations in China continues to... Read More
There's an old African proverb:"If you think you are too... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get... Read More
As small businesses we have an opportunity and an obligation... Read More
It's a phrase I hear over and over again from... Read More
If you are in Australia at the moment, it is... Read More
Successful buisnesses know that media attention reaches consumers better than... Read More
When your book is mentioned on television, sales go up.... Read More
Because it can alter individual perception and lead to changed... Read More
Public Relations |