If Your PR Cant Do This, Bag It!

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

---

Effective Public Relations: Why Did Bec And Lleyton Do It At 3:15AM?

If you are in Australia at the moment, it is... Read More

Imagine PR Like This Helping You

As the kids say, how cool is this?You're a business,... Read More

Publicity: When Calling a Reporter, Keep it Short

When you are planning to call a reporter for the... Read More

A Winning Game Plan

You want to sell your products or services, and that... Read More

When Should You Outsource Your PR Efforts?

1) Do you NEED solid, consistant media exposure...week after week,... Read More

Think Like a Reader, Viewer, or Listener to Get Great Publicity

About a year ago I read a feature story in... Read More

Press Releases

How do press releases or interest stories have an effect... Read More

Gaining Free Publicity Through Press Releases

One of the greatest ways to promote your product or... Read More

Managers and PR: One Thing Is Clear

As a business, non-profit or association manager, you have a... Read More

How to Create Quality PR Results

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

The Art Of Persuasive Pitching

Media placement is an art. Practicing it often requires as... Read More

35 Quick Tips for Writing A Press Release

Layout1. 1-2 pages in length.2. Double-space.3. 1.5 to 2 inch... Read More

How Would You Ever Know?

Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More

Can Your PR Game Plan be Salvaged?

If, as is often the case, you are preoccupied with... Read More

Business - How to Build it Using the Media

Have you ever noticed that when someone is interviewed on... Read More

Perception Persuasion Behavior: PR at Work

Managers ? the business, non-profit and association sort ? really... Read More

Tactics Vs. Endgame - Endgame Wins

It took me a while to see just HOW crucial... Read More

PR: Advice You Didnt Ask For

Although, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you may... Read More

Top 10 Tips for Successful TV Interviews

1. Appearing in other types of media is the best... Read More

The Right Hook

Have you fantasized about spreading word of your business on... Read More

Think Big

Would you like to be the next Dr. Phil, Suze... Read More

Managers, Got a Grip on Your PR?

What are you trying to do with your business, non-profit... Read More

How To Write More Powerfully For PR, Offline And Online

Years ago when my Dad owned a group of local... Read More

How To Get Radio-Active PR For Your Non-Profit Cause: Part Two of Three

FIVE WAYS TO GET ON THE RADIOHere are five basic... Read More

Why PR Packs a Punch

Done right, it delivers the key, target audience behaviors you... Read More

Right PR Empowers a Manager

Business, non-profit and association managers are in a stronger position... Read More

Media Releases - Helping Grow Your Business

Business people often spend time and money trying to find... Read More

Get PR Off the Bench

Something that results in your most important outside audiences doing... Read More

Company Dress Codes for Small Business; Shorts and Pants

Most small businesses have logo'ed shirts, usually polo shirts with... Read More

How Managers Hurt Their PR Results

Business, non-profit or association managers hurt their own public relations... Read More

Publicity Wont Thrive on Press Releases Alone

Press releases are a useful tool for announcing news and... Read More

Media Training - Essentials for ALL Office Professionals

Often the first point of contact the media has with... Read More

Managerial Survival Key

For business, non-profit or association managers like yourself, survival pretty... Read More