Try this on for size!
As a business, non-profit, government agency or association
manager, you need the kind of public relations effort that
leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. And
you need it because you no longer wish to be denied the
best public relations has to offer, and because you want to
pursue the quality public relations results you believe you
deserve.
That’s fair, but chances are good that you still have most
of your PR eggs in the tactical basket. You know, with the
big PR emphasis on press releases, special events, brochures
and broadcast plugs. And your public relations people pretty
much preoccupied with moving messages from one point to
another.
But here’s how easy it is to make the changeover from PR
tactics like that to PR strategy where the payoff is much richer,
namely, nothing less than those managerial objectives of yours.
This is an action plan that calls on you to do some meaningful
things about the behaviors of those important outside audiences
that most affect your operation; to create the kind of external
stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving
your managerial objectives; and to do so by persuading those
key outside folks to your way of thinking by helping move
them to take actions that allow your department, group,
division or subsidiary to succeed.
What’s really going on here? Well, you’re preparing to
do something positive about the behaviors of the very
outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your
operation. And that’s when PR actually creates the
kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads
directly to achieving those key managerial objectives
of yours.
The underlying premise of public relations brings the plan
into focus: 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.
And it is results such as these that a manager might expect
when he or she approaches PR this way: improved relations
with government agencies and legislative bodies; a
rebound in showroom visits; membership applications on
the rise; new thoughtleader and special event contacts;
capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; new
proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; fresh
community service and sponsorship opportunities;
prospects starting to work with you; customers making
repeat purchases; and even stronger relationships with the
educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.
Take advantage of your PR staff experience to critique your
plans for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning
members of your most important outside audiences. Suggest
queries along these lines: 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?
Do satisfy yourself that they really accept why it’s SO important
to know how your most important outside audiences perceive
your operations, products or services. And be sure they believe
that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can
help or hurt your operation.
There is always a temptation to use a professional survey firm
to handle the opinion monitoring phase. But compare the cost
of such service to the administrative cost of using your staff
PR people because they also are experienced in perception and
behavior matters. 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.
A realistic PR goal is an absolute requirement, and it must call
for action on the most serious problem areas you uncovered
during your key audience perception monitoring. You may,
for example, decide to straighten out that dangerous
misconception, bring to an end that potentially painful rumor,
or correct that awful inaccuracy.
To show you how to get to where you’re going, you must
have the right action-oriented strategy. But, 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 fried onions on your pumpkin
couscous. So be sure your new strategy fits well with your
new public relations goal. You certainly don’t want to
pursue “change” when the facts dictate a strategy of
reinforcement.
Here you’re going to have to write a persuasive message
in order to move your key audience to your way of
thinking. Which suggests that you ask the best writer on
your team to prepare 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.
You will need carefully selected communications tactics to
carry your message to the attention of your target audience,
and there are many such 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.
By the way, you may wish initially to unveil your corrective
message before smaller meetings rather than using higher
profile news releases or broadcast announcements. This is
because a message’s credibility is always fragile and often
suspect, depending on the method by which it was delivered,
Progress reports will help you illustrate how the monies spent
on public relations can pay off. But they’ll also be your 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. Only difference
now is, you will be on strict alert for signs that the bad news
perception is being altered in your direction.
Since there can always be a slowdown in momentum, be
advised that you can always add more communications tactics,
and/or increase their frequencies to address that problem.
Selecting the right public relations approach for your unit
can be much easier when certain basics are observed. For
example, resolve to do something about the behaviors of
those outside audiences that most affect your operation;
create the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that
leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives; and
do so by persuading those key outside folks to your way of
thinking by helping move them to take actions that allow
your department, group, division or subsidiary unit succeed.
Please feel free to publish this article and resource box
in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.
Only requirements: you must use the Robert A. Kelly
byline, and resource box. Word count is 1285 including
guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.
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
230 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:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.PRCommentary.com
