Is This What PR's All About?

by Bob Kelly

Published on this site: February 10th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

Simply moving messages from one point to another using tactics like press releases, special events, brochures and broadcast plugs?

Good gosh, I hope not!

Not when many business, non-profit, government agency and association managers badly need to do something both positive and meaningful about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of theirs whose behaviors most affect the departmental, divisional or subsidiary unit they manage.

These are the same managers who need the kind of public relations effort that leads them directly to achieving their managerial objectives; in particular by persuading those key outside folks to the manager's way of thinking by helping move audience members to take actions that help the manager's department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

As long-ago news commentator Gabriel Heater used to say, "Ah, there's good news tonight!" Here, that good news is the fact that the right public relations planning really can alter individual perception and result in changed behaviors among key outside audiences. Achievable, incidentally, only when you as a manager require more than news releases, special events and broadcast plugs. When that happens, you should receive the quality public relations results you deserve.

Here's the way public relations' underlying premise puts it: 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 usually accomplished.

Sample some of the playback that can come about from this kind of public relations: community leaders begin to seek you out; capital givers or specifying sources start to look your way; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; new prospects actually start to do business with you; politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures start showing up; customers begin to make repeat purchases; and membership applications start to rise.

Look first to your public relations professionals, who are already in the perception and behavior business, to handle your data gathering activity, an essential component of your new opinion monitoring project. But be certain that the PR staff really accepts why it's so important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Essentially, be sure they truly believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Together with your PR specialists, analyze your plans for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Suggest that the staff consider questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Retaining a professional survey firm to do the opinion gathering work, can strain your budget and end up more expensive than using your own staff people. 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.

This is where we establish a clearcut and realistic PR goal calling for action on the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. You may decide to straighten out that dangerous misconception, bring to an end that potentially painful rumor, or correct that gross inaccuracy.

Since goal and strategy go together like Oreo cookies and milk, you must connect your goal to an action-oriented strategy that shows how to get to where you're going. Actually, you have just three strategic options available to you when it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Needless to say, the wrong strategy pick will taste like whipped cream on your pot roast. So be sure your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

Now you must task your team's best writer to prepare a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It has to be a carefully-written message targeted directly at your key external audience. S/he must produce some really corrective language that is 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.

Luckily for you, the right communications tactics will carry your message to the attention of your target audience? There are many tactics available from speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Since the means by which you communicate your message is always a concern because its credibility is fragile and always suspect, you may wish initially to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings through presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Measuring how far you've come since the program's inception, you'll want to compare where you are now against the starting point to show the progress you've made. First, you'll be demonstrating, in the form of periodic progress reports, how the monies spent on public relations can pay off. However, it's also an alert to start a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Here, you'll use many of the same questions used in the benchmark interviews. But now, you will be on strict alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Without doubt, you will face periodic slowdowns in the program. Generally, adding more communications tactics, and/or increasing their frequencies, usually solves that problem.

As asked up front: Is PR all about moving messages from one point to another using familiar tactics? I said Good Gosh, I hope not! And I still say, Good Gosh, I hope not!

Much preferred are managers who decide they no longer wish to be denied the best public relations has to offer, preferring instead to pursue the quality public relations results they believe they deserve.

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over 200 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. 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. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:[email protected] Visit:www.PRCommentary.com