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
Alexis limo rentals ..Imagine you're the technology reporter at a daily newspaper. You... Read More
Did you Know That Even TV Remote Control Units... Read More
You know that getting publicity is vital to the health... Read More
The VIP databases are fun to create and can be... Read More
If you own a franchise and have company vehicles, be... Read More
Just think about it.If I come to believe that you... Read More
When a group of outsiders behaves in a way that... Read More
Public relations changes minds in the process of delivering what... Read More
The power of PassionPassion is an extraordinarily powerful spring. Without... Read More
Why, public relations that stays true to its fundamental premise,... Read More
Wherever the fundamental premise of public relations is practiced.Look at... Read More
Would you like to expand the volume of your business?... Read More
It's difficult enough running the day-to-day aspects of a business,... Read More
Recently I had a craving for... Read More
When your public relations results pretty much depend on whether... Read More
In an ideal world, your business would be overflowing withnewsworthy... Read More
Managers, please take a minute and read two sentences: People... Read More
Should it be measured in "publicity by the pound," or... Read More
How to write a press release is a major challenge... Read More
For business, non-profit or association managers like yourself, survival pretty... Read More
Getting a press release published in a newspaper or magazines... Read More
This is the ending to my previous article, How to... Read More
SORRY?WERE YOU SAYING SOMETHING?Many spokespeople approach media interviews the same... Read More
Non-news professionals often have a hard time understanding why their... Read More
"Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you... Read More
car service from Midway Alsip ..If, as is often the case, you are preoccupied with... Read More
If you're seeking to promote yourself or your new business... Read More
How cool is this? You're a business, non-profit or association... Read More
Publicity is obtaining editorial coverage or features for your business.... Read More
Think for a moment! If you were to do a... Read More
Attention: Who Else Wants To Get Publicity Whenever You Want... Read More
As a mobile detailing company it is important to have... Read More
Well, for starters, because good public relations can alter individual... Read More
How do you make a friend of the media? A... Read More
Recently someone asked me why so many restaurants go out... Read More
Hundreds of thousands of News Releases are sent out all... Read More
When special events and communications tactics rule the PR roost... Read More
A term you'll hear in newsrooms, in editing meetings, in... Read More
You thought of it, you researched it, you wrote it.... Read More
I mean public relations that presumes from the get-go that... Read More
If your reading this, you must be online and most... Read More
Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More
I believe this about public relations.People act on their own... Read More
Managers, please take a minute and read two sentences: People... Read More
Want to get radio interviews and coverage in print publications... Read More
You can SO measure return-on-investment for a public relations program!Try... Read More
Recently I had a craving for... Read More
As the comedian Steve Martin once said, "some people have... Read More
Yes, and that pressure often comes from a CEO who... Read More
Business, non-profit or association managers hurt their own public relations... Read More
Public Relations |