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: http://www.prcommentary.com
I am often asked by clients to target USA Today... Read More
It's one thing for a senior manager to approve story... Read More
Have you ever noticed how the same people's names always... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, what do you... Read More
New business owners often miss out on publicity opportunities because... Read More
Publicity is an important and often overlooked tool of creative... Read More
I often begin my media training sessions by asking members... Read More
If you want to succeed, build a great team. A... Read More
Just think about it.If I come to believe that you... Read More
Do you want to be quoted by the national press... Read More
You worked hard to get a story on your business... Read More
You want to sell your products or services, and that... Read More
Maybe it played for Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams,"... Read More
And show it for what it is - a humdinger... Read More
SORRY?WERE YOU SAYING SOMETHING?Many spokespeople approach media interviews the same... Read More
When you are planning to call a reporter for the... Read More
Everyone has something that drives them up a wall. You... Read More
What is the true purpose of public relations and how... Read More
As if making sure your company runs smoothly on an... Read More
If you manage a department, division or subsidiary for a... Read More
With all due respect to all those stereotypical males out... Read More
Relationships are based on trust-not just romantic relationships, or doctor/patient... Read More
The annual detailing of the Kentucky Derby Train is an... Read More
It took me a while to see just HOW crucial... Read More
In my travels around the country while building my business... Read More
Yes? Then do something positive about the behaviors of those... Read More
Many of my clients have had the misguided perception that... Read More
You're a business, non-profit or association manager who needs to... Read More
Yes indeed! If you are a young person who has... Read More
What is the one thing that all of the best... Read More
Strong for business, non-profit and association managers when they use... Read More
Layout1. 1-2 pages in length.2. Double-space.3. 1.5 to 2 inch... Read More
It's a phrase I hear over and over again from... Read More
So you have spent hours and hours writing, shaping and... Read More
If your reading this, you must be online and most... Read More
FIVE WAYS TO GET ON THE RADIOHere are five basic... Read More
Excerpted from "Selling Goodness- The Guerrilla PR Guide To Promoting... Read More
A musician spends years honing his craft. He writes world-class... Read More
Just think about it.If I come to believe that you... Read More
It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist... Read More
Got a huge need for publicity and a tiny publicity... Read More
Sometimes there seems to be no client news worthy of... Read More
When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by... Read More
Southern grandmothers have often said, "there are only three... Read More
As small businesses we have an opportunity and an obligation... Read More
And hurt bad if you are a business, non-profit or... Read More
A reporter's job is to get the most accurate and... Read More
For many of us, the word quality is closely related... Read More
UNDER FIREA friend whose organization is often in the media... Read More
Most small businesses do little to no public relations (PR)... Read More
You never want to inundate a reporter with information, but... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, occasions will arise... Read More
What you are about to read is a step by... Read More
There's the old joke about the two buzzards sitting in... Read More
Sure, as tactics usually presented to business, non-profit and association... Read More
What's more crucial to the success of a business, non-profit... Read More
It really is powerful when a business, non-profit or association... Read More
A press kit is an essential press relations tool. While... Read More
It's safe to say that we live in interesting times.... Read More
Although, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you may... Read More
Public relations writing when writing press releases can be a... Read More
They know they had better do something positive about those... Read More
Recently, I told a friend (who's a business owner) that... Read More
When, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you are... Read More
If you leave a star player sitting on the bench,... Read More
When I search Google News for "surveys," I get nearly... Read More
Public Relations |