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Managers, Your PR: Sizzle or Fizzle?

by Robert A Kelly

A fact of PR life is this: when you need to move a message from here to there, communications tactics usually can do that job. But be careful here.

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Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Managers, Your PR: Sizzle or Fizzle?

It's understandable if your PR fizzles when it's limited
to simple tactics like news releases, broadcast plugs,
press events and brochures. But then starts to sizzle
when you do something meaningful about the
behaviors of those important audiences that MOST
affect the business, non-profit, government agency or
association unit you manage.

It especially sizzles when your public relations creates
the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that
leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.
Then continues as you follow through 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.

A fact of PR life is this: when you need to move a
message from here to there, communications tactics
usually can do that job. But be careful here, because
a preoccupation with tactics usually denies managers
the best that public relations has to offer by diverting
the manager from pursuit of the real sizzle outlined
above.

And I mean sizzle based squarely on an underlying
premise such as this: 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.

As it turns out, the premise delivers on its implied
promise: good public relations planning really CAN
alter individual perception and result in changed
behaviors among key outside audiences. But the fact
is, you'll only get there when your PR demands
more than news releases, special events and broadcast
plugs. Only then will you receive the quality public
relations results you believe you deserve.

When we look closer at the kind of PR end-products
that can come your way, we see quite an array:
community leaders begin to seek you out; welcome
bounces in show room visits; new proposals for
strategic alliances and joint ventures; prospects
actually starting to do business with you; capital givers
or specifying sources begin to look your way;
politicians and legislators start seeing you as a key
member of the business, non-profit, government or
association communities; customers begin to make
repeat purchases; even membership applications
start to rise.

Your PR staff will be indispensable from now on.
Work closely with them on your new opinion monitoring
project since they're already in the perception and
behavior business. But satisfy yourself that your PR
people really accept why it's SO important to know how
your most important outside audiences perceive your
operations, products or services. Briefly, be certain
they believe that perceptions almost always result in
behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Spend some serious time reviewing with them how and
when you will monitor and gather perceptions by
questioning members of your most important outside
audiences. Suggest questions to be asked 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?

However, shgould you decide to use professional survey
firms for the opinion gathering chore, be advised that
it may be more expensive than using your PR people
to carry out the monitoring chore. So whether it's
your folks 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.

With key outside audience opinion gathered, the
number one job now is to establish a clearcut and
realistic PR goal that calls for action on the most
serious problem areas you uncovered during your
key audience perception monitoring. You may
decide to stop that potentially painful rumor cold.
Or straighten out that dangerous misconception.
Or correct that gross inaccuracy.

The path to your new goal, however, requires an
action-oriented strategy that shows you how to get
there. Here, 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. Of course, the wrong strategy
pick will taste like maple syrup on your meatballs.
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 it's time for the best writer on your team 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. Your writer must
develop really corrective language that is not
merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but
clear and factual if it is to shift perception/opinion
towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors
you have in mind.

Your next challenge as a manager will be to insure
that the communications tactics most likely to carry
your message to the attention of your target audience
are selected by your PR team. Happily, there are
many available, from speeches, facility tours, emails
and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews,
newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just
be certain that the tactics you select are known to
reach folks just like your audience members.

One of the realities of human existence is that someone
else's message is often suspect because of the WAY in
which it is communicated. So you may wish to unveil
your corrective language through smaller meeting
presentations rather than using higher-profile news
releases.

When you elect to distribute progress reports to illustrate
results, know that this should alert you to begin a second
perception monitoring session with members of your
external audience. You can use many of the same
questions used in the benchmark session. But now, you
will be on strict alert for signs that the bad news
perception is being altered in your direction.

The vicissitudes of life being what they are, any program
can suffer periodic slowdowns. Should that be the case,
here is a reliable remedy: boost momentum by adding
more communications tactics and/or increasing their
frequencies.

As it turns out, a public relations program fizzling along
on simple PR tactics, can indeed begin to sizzle when you
do something meaningful about the behaviors of those
important audiences that MOST affect the business,
non-profit, government agency or association you
manage.

end

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:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:www.PRCommentary.com

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