Managers, Have You Been Shortchanged?
by Bob Kelly
Published on this site: February 4th, 2004
You have been if you're a business, non-profit or association manager
whose public relations budget is focused largely on nifty brochures,
column mentions and broadcast plugs. Especially without a workable
plan that helps you persuade your most important outside stakeholders
to your way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that lead
to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.
A plan, say, like this one: 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.
Managers like yourself can win big when you base your public relations
planning on this kind of blueprint, one that demands of you a sharper
focus on the very groups of outside people who play a major role
in just how successful a manager you will be your key external
audiences.
The payoff can take many forms: repeat purchases, a big bounce
in showroom visits, increases in capital gifts, new waves of prospects,
a large boost in membership applications, and even new inquiries
about strategic alliances or joint ventures.
More important, as you move the emphasis of the public relations
people assigned to your unit from communications tactics to the
blueprint outlined above, YOU move closer to personal success as
that unit manager.
Take control of the PR folks assigned to your unit and insure that
every last one of them understands why it's so crucial to know how
your operation is perceived by your key target audiences. Be certain
that they accept the reality that those perceptions almost always
end up as predictable behaviors that, left unattended, can raise
cane with your operation.
Discuss how your PR team will undertake a perception monitoring
session and question members of your key target audience: have you
had prior contact with us? Was it satisfactory? How much do you
know about our services or products and people? Have you encountered
problems with our organization?
While you can always hire survey specialists to round up these
data for you, remember that your very own PR team is already in
the perception and behavior game and should be of use for this project.
No matter who handles the perception monitoring drill with members
of your target audience, you/they must remain alert for false assumptions,
unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and untruths.
The reason for this caution is that the perception information
you gather helps you establish your public relations goal. Examples
might include, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption, or
clarify the misconception.
But how do you go about achieving that goal? You pick the right
strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing
perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce
it. Be certain, however, that the strategy you choose is an obvious
fit with your new public relations goal.
Now, what will you say to members of your key target audience to
help persuade those with the offending perception to your way of
thinking? Select your PR team's best writer because you must prepare
a very special, corrective message. One that is not only compelling
and believable, but very clear, based on solid facts and persuasive
if it is to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view
and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.
The next step, luckily, is easy. You must select communications
tactics to carry your message to the attention of your target audience.
Insuring that the tactics you select have a record of reaching folks
like the members of your target audience, you can pick from dozens
that are available to you. From consumer briefings, media interviews,
newsletters and personal meetings to speeches, facility tours, emails,
brochures and many others.
Keeping in mind that the method of communication can often affect
the credibility of the message, you may wish to deliver it during
a meeting, a presentation or other small getogethers rather than
in a higher-profile press release.
Soon, you will want to demonstrate that your new public relations
effort is making progress. And that means a second perception monitoring
session with members of your target audience. Using many of the
same questions as in your first benchmark session, you will now
be on alert for signs that the offending perception is being altered
in your direction.
Fortunately, you can always move things along by adding more communications
tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.
You will not be shortchanged nor feel shortchanged
when you sharpen your focus on the very groups of outside people
who play a major role in just how successful a manager you will
be your key external stakeholders.
Especially when you use a workable plan that helps you persuade
those important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then
moves them to take actions that lead to the success of your department,
division or subsidiary.
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.
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