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Joie de PR?

by Robert A Kelly

The high point of some managers' PR day occurs when a message is successfully moved from here to there, unfortunately denying that manager the best that public relations has to offer.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box
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Word count is 1210 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Joie de PR?

How can business, non-profit, government agency
or association managers NOT be joyful about deploying
a high-impact action plan which does something
meaningful about the behaviors of those important
outside audiences that MOST affect their organizations?

Particularly when they create the kind of external
stakeholder behavior change that leads 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 allow the manager's department, group,
division or subsidiary to succeed.

Still, many such managers remain stuck in a tactical
world wholly preoccupied with simple mechanics like
press releases, broadcast plugs, special events and
brochures. The high point of their day occurs when a
message is successfully moved from here to there,
unfortunately denying that manager the best that
public relations has to offer.

On the other hand, the good news underpinning PR's
premise is the fact that good 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.


The public relations premise itself goes this way: 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.

Results from this approach to public relations are usually
not slow in coming: 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; capital givers or
specifying sources begin to look your way; welcome
bounces in show room visits occur; community leaders
begin to seek you out; new proposals for strategic
alliances and joint ventures start showing up;
customers begin to make repeat purchases; and
membership applications start to rise.

Because your public relations professionals for the
new opinion monitoring project are already in the
perception and behavior business, look first to them to
manage your data gathering activity. 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 believe that perceptions
almost always result in behaviors that can help or
hurt your operation.

Carve out the time you need to analyze your plans for
monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning
members of your most important outside audiences.
Suggest questions like these: 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?

Your cost of calling in a professional survey firm to
do the opinion gathering work, can exceed the expense
of using those PR folks of yours in that monitoring
capacity. 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.

Front and center now is establishing 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.

At the same time, you're going to have to connect
your goal to an equally 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
sauerkraut on your creamed spinach. 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's the time to task the best writer on your team
to get ready 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 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.

What's to carry your message to the attention of
your target audience? The right communications
tactics will do the job, and there are many
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 is
always a concern because its credibility is fragile
and always suspect, you may wish to unveil your
corrective message initially before smaller meetings
through presentations rather than using higher-profile
news releases.

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.

You also should anticipate periodic slowdowns in
momentum. Luckily, adding more communications
tactics, and/or increasing their frequencies, usually
solves that problem.

Yes, there should be a ration of managerial joy when
a high-impact PR action plan is deployed which does
something meaningful about the behaviors of any
manager's important outside audiences that seriously
affect his or her organization.

Especially joyful, incidentally, when s/he is no longer
preoccupied primarily with the simple mechanics of
press releases, broadcast plugs and special events.

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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