A Sensible Way to Use PR
by Bob Kelly
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Published on this site: July 4th, 2005 - See
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The most sensible way for business, non-profit or association managers
to use public relations is to striveto alter individual perception
among their target publics, which leads to changed behaviors, thus
helping achievetheir managerial objectives.
In so doing, managers employ their public relationsresources to
do something positive about the behaviors of those important external
audiences of theirs that MOSTaffect their operations.
When you think about it, it's a VERY sensible approach to PR that
leads managers to persuade their key outside folks to their way
of thinking, then move them to take actions that allow that manager's
department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.
What lets it all come to pass is the reality that 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.
If you are one of these managers, please remember that your PR
effort must demand more than special events, brochures and press
releases if you are to come up with the public relations results
you believe you paid for.
This approach to public relations can richly reward its users:
fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; capital
givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; customers
starting to make repeat purchases; membership applications on the
rise; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces
in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you;
higher employee retention rates, and even politicians and legislators
starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit
or association communities.
You may count yourself fortunate that your PR people are already
in the perception and behavior business. They should be of real
use for this initial opinion monitoring project. But you must be
certain of who among your PR team really understands the blueprint outlined above
and shows commitment to its implementation, starting with key audience
perception monitoring. Then, 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. And make sure they believe that perceptions
almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.
Go over the whole process with your PR staff. In particular your
method 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?
When you compare the cost benefits of using those PR folks of yours
in that monitoring capacity to the cost of using professional survey
firms to do the opinion gathering work, you may conclude it's a
no- brainer. 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.
Now it's goal-setting time. One that calls for doingsomething about
the most serious problem areas you uncovered 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?
At the same time you establish your public relations goal, you
must establish a strategy that tells you how to get there. 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 mint sauce
on your corned beef, 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.
It's never easy when you realize that you must now write an action-producing
message that will help persuade one of your key audiences to your
way of thinking. Well, you do, and it must be a well-written message targeted directly at your key external audience. Select
your very best writer because s/he must produce really 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.
Happily, it's time to identify the communications tactics most
likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience.
There are tons 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 just like your audience
members.
Incidentally, you may wish to unveil this kind of message before
smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile
news releases. Reason is, the credibility of any message is fragile
and always at stake, so how you communicate it is a concern.
Talk about progress reports will alert 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.
Should program momentum be sluggish, you can always accelerate
the effort by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing
their frequencies.
Finally, the sensible use of public relations by managers is most
apparent once they accept the fact that they must do something positive
about the behaviors of those important outside audiences that most affect their operations.
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. mailto:[email protected]
Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com
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