How Would You Ever Know?

Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you from reaching your objectives.

Because you haven't paid much attention to their care and feeding, is it likely you'll know they are placing a hammer lock on your business in time to limit the damage?

With some luck, you might save the day, but why let matters fester until you have a bad situation like this on your hands?

Especially when a proven sequence can help you alter the perceptions, and thus behaviors of your most important external audiences making the achievement of your business objectives much easier.

Take a quick look at what makes it all possible, the fundamental premise of public relations:

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 perception by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished

Now, put it into action this way.

First, think about those groups of people whose behaviors can really affect your organization. The test for placing a key, external audience on your action list is this: does its behavior affect your business in any way. If the answer is yes, list it.

Let's take the target audience at the top of that list and work it over. Obviously, you need to know how members of that audience perceive you, and that requires that you interact with those members and ask a lot of questions. This is the monitoring phase.

How do they think of your organization, if at all? Do they have any problems with you? Do negative thoughts creep into the conversation? Are misconceptions, inaccurate beliefs, even rumors apparent?

As unsettling as these data may be, the silver lining is the fact that they let you establish your public relations goal. Straighten out that misconception, or correct the inaccurate belief, or knock down that rumor once and for all.

Reaching your goal isn't going to happen if you don't have the right strategy. You're fortunate that there are really only three strategy choices: create perceptions (opinion) where there isn't any, change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

Now comes a real challenge ? writing the message that will alter that perception. It must make a compelling case, so think about it carefully. In order to persuade, it must state clearly that the offending perception is not a true perception. Instead, you lay out the truth in a credible manner, keeping in mind your create-change-reinforce strategy choices.

Getting that message to members of your target audience is the least complicated step in the problem solving sequence. There are dozens of communications tactics available to you that can reach those members. They range from open houses, announcement luncheons, press releases and speeches to articles, emails and newspaper and radio interviews, and many others.

Are you making any progress? Only way to tell is to go back to other members of your target audience and ask the same questions all over again. Only now, you watch carefully for signs that their perceptions reflect the corrections contained in your message.

If you're not satisfied with the movement in perception, you should consider using a wider selection of communications tactics with a proven record of reaching that audience. You might want to use them more frequently to increase their impact.

Also, your message should be evaluated again for impact and factual content.

Obviously, if you pay regular attention to your most important external audiences, you will be aware that certain behaviors are beginning to exert a negative impact on your organization.

Using a proven sequence like this to deal with those impacts insures that you will always be aware of brewing target audience behaviors that could hurt your organization.

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 © 2003.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. 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.

---

Dont Be Incredible

Public relations is all about credibility and trustworthiness. If you... Read More

Publicity From Thin Air

In an ideal world, your business would be overflowing withnewsworthy... Read More

What Does Your Telephone Say About You When You Are Away?

Business to Business relationships come to expect a certain level... Read More

Forget The Story Youre Promoting ? Heres What Journalists Really Want From PR People

Although it seems less common these days, there are still... Read More

Watch Your Attitude

So many restaurants spend money on publicity and then practically... Read More

PR Buyers Beware!

It can bite you and waste your public relations budget... Read More

The Non-business Business

Think for a moment! If you were to do a... Read More

Levines Laws For Pitching With Panache

Excerpted from "Selling Goodness- The Guerrilla PR Guide To Promoting... 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 Campaigns ? How To Get To Grips With The Media

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

Trade Show Tactics Revealed

Being part of a trade show gives small business a... Read More

Publicity: Nailing a Media Interview, Part III (Staying on Topic)

In a media interview, always stick to your main points... Read More

Keep The Publicity Machine Rolling with Reprints

More than half of America skips the Super Bowl, the... Read More

Your Online Newsroom: How to Give Reporters a Tip

It's hard to imagine a reporter working today who doesn't... Read More

Managers Who Leave PR to Others

You're a business, non-profit or association manager who needs to... Read More

8 Ways to Use Local Publicity to Drive Your Business

While scoring anice story in BusinessWeek or USA Today is... Read More

Publicity - Tips on Dealing With the Media

You thought of it, you researched it, you wrote it.... 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

Grandma Says...

Southern grandmothers have often said, "there are only three... Read More

Its the Little Details that Can Make or Break a News Story

Have you ever heard of the saying, "One person's trash... Read More

10 Secrets to Free Publicity

Public relations is popular because it is very cost-effective and... Read More

Publicity: Nailing a Media Interview, Part I

The most important thing to remember for any interview: stay... Read More

A Great Way to Do PR

As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get... Read More

Is This Any Way to Run Your PR?

You bet!Especially for business, non-profit and association managers who REALLY... Read More

Media Training: Exposing Reporter Tricks -- Three Tactics Designed to Get You

A reporter's job is to get the most accurate and... Read More

Media Training: Why Nobodys Listening to You

SORRY?WERE YOU SAYING SOMETHING?Many spokespeople approach media interviews the same... Read More

Easy to be Foolish About PR

In fact, here are three really foolish goofs made by... Read More

Advertising Is Dead. Long Live PR

Although I still believe there is a place for advertising... Read More

4th Quarter 2003 Publicity = 1st Quarter 2004 Prosperity

As the year starts to wind down, many businesses and... Read More

When Tactics Are Not Enough

Your public relations people are busy. The buzz is all... Read More

Dont Use PR

?lose the confidence of your key target audiences? discourage them... Read More

PRs Big Bang Theory

Lots of theories out there about public relations.Everything from "publicity's... Read More

Public Relations Strategies: Focus PR Campaigns with Media Coverage Analysis

Prior to launching a new public relations campaign, evaluate the... Read More