What is it, you might ask, that allows certain business, non-profit, government agency or association managers to believe that they run a high-quality public relations operation?
In my judgement, they can believe that only if:
1) They operate a strategic PR plan that leads directly to achieving their unit’s managerial objectives.
2) They do something really significant about those important outside audience behaviors that MOST affect the department, group, division or subsidiary unit they manage.
3) They take advantage of the perception levels they’ve achieved as those key external audiences become persuaded to the manager’s way of thinking.
4) And once having persuaded many members of that key external audience to their views on the issue in question, watch that perception closely as it usually morphs into behavioral actions that allow their unit to succeed.
But few managers achieve this level without earlier exposure to the tactical approach to public relations. An approach that pretty much uses a collection of communications tactics to move a message from one point to another. And that’s fine if the manager’s only objective is to create print and broadcast exposure.
However, problems arise when it becomes obvious that counterproductive behaviors by target audiences are the direct result of negative perceptions about the organization or its services, products or personnel.
Suddenly, it is clear why steps must be taken to monitor opinion among members of your most important outside audiences to (1) determine how they perceive your organization; (2) to further evaluate those survey results in order to identify and prioritize public relations goals; (3) to create and share corrective messages with key outside audiences and, finally, (4) to carefully monitor how and when those perceptions inevitably become the key audience behaviors you know you need as the manager in charge of your unit.
This is an action plan that calls on you to do some meaningful things about the behaviors of those important outside audiences hat 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 views by helping move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.
Still, you may be wondering, 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 can actually create the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving those key managerial objectives of yours.
By the way, the foundational premise for this approach to the practice of public relations is sound: 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.
Conducting public relations this way, a manager might expect results along these lines: new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; a rebound in showroom visits; customers making repeat purchases; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; membership applications on the rise; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; fresh community service and sponsorship opportunities; prospects starting to work with you and even stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.
It pays to review your PR timeline with your PR staff and, moreover, take the time to critique how you will monitor and gather 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?
Are you confident that your most dependable and professional PR people really accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services? And do you believe THEY believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation?
Of course, any kind of surveying/polling and the like usually go easier when a professional survey firm helps monitor your key audience’s perceptions. But real pros cost real money compared to using your existing public relations staff who, while they are already in the perception and behavior business, also cost money. 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, misconception and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
This is the time to set a realistic PR goal, one that calls 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 terrible inaccuracy.
Your new goal, obviously will get you nowhere without the support of an action-oriented strategy. If, that is, you are to know how to get to where you’re going. And do keep in mind that 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 chocolate chips in your liverwurst soup. 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.
Now, in order to move your key audience to your way of thinking, the best writer on your team must prepare a carefully-written message targeted directly at your key external audience. And make no mistake about it, putting together a really persuasive message usually is the toughest part of this drill. She 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.
To carry your message to the attention of your target audience, you’ll require carefully selected communications tactics 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.
As the program gets under way, you’ll probably want to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings rather than using higher profile news releases or broadcast announcements. Reason is, a message’s credibility is always fragile and often suspect, depending on the method by which it is delivered, The time needed to prepare and distribute progress reports is time well invested because you will be illustrating 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.
In the unlikely event that forward motion slows down a bit, be advised that you can always add more communications tactics, and/or increase their frequencies to address that problem.
In one long sentence, the manager’s path to quality public relations requires that you 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 to succeed.
Robert A. Kelly © 2006
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.
Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.
Robert A. Kelly © 2005.
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.
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