A Blueprint for Managing your PR

Please feel free to publish this article in your ezine,
newsletter, offline publication or website. Only
requirement: you must use the Robert A. Kelly byline
and resource box. Word count is 1160 including
guidelines and box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

A Blueprint for Managing your PR

OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a profit for your
business unit, or meet certain expectations of your
association membership, or achieve your non-profit’s
operating objective. In each case, you’ll need public
relations activity that creates behavior change among
your key outside audiences. Behavior change that
leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Here’s how you can make it happen. Accept the fact
that the right PR really can alter individual perception
and lead to those changed behaviors you need. Then
resolve to do something positive about the behaviors
of those important outside audiences of yours that
MOST affect your operation.

In particular, create the kind of external stakeholder
behavior change that leads directly to achieving your
managerial objectives. You’ll be able to pull this off
when you persuade those key outside folks to your
way of thinking, and then move them to take actions
that allow your department, division or subsidiary to
succeed.

Here’s the blueprint showing you how to manage this
kind of public relations. 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.

But you’ll find that you will need a lot more than news
releases, brochures and special events to get a satisfactory
return on your PR investment. Here are some of the results
business, non-profit and association managers can expect
from this kind of public relations. New proposals for
strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom
visits; membership applications on the rise; community
service and sponsorship opportunities; enhanced activist
group relations, and expanded feedback channels, and
even new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Before long, you should see customers making repeat
purchases; prospects reappearing; stronger relationships
with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare
communities; improved relations with government
agencies and legislative bodies, and perhaps even capital
givers or specifying sources looking your way.

A word of caution here because you certainly want your
most important outside audiences to really perceive your
operations, products or services in a positive light. Be
sure that your PR staff is really on board for the whole
effort. Reassure yourself that they accept the basic truth
that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can
help or hurt your unit.

Sit down and review the PR blueprint carefully with
your staff, especially regarding how you will gather
and monitor perceptions by questioning members of
your most important outside audiences. Questions like
these: how much do you know about our organization?
How much do you know about our services or products
and employees? Have you had prior contact with us
and were you pleased with the how things went? Have
you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Clearly, IF the budget is available, you can depend on
professional survey people to handle the perception
monitoring phases of your program. But fortunately,
your PR people are also in the perception and behavior
business and can pursue the same objective: identify
untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors,
inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative
perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

When you set your public relations goal, remember that
you need one that addresses the problems that appeared
during your key audience perception monitoring.
Probably, your new goal will call for straightening out
that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross
inaccuracy, or doing something about that awful rumor.

As day follows night, goals need strategies to show you
how to get there. But you have just three strategic choices
when it comes to handling a perception or opinion
challenge: create perception where there may be none,
change the perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately,
selecting a bad strategy will taste like anchovy paste on
your scones, so be certain the new strategy fits well with
your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t
want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce”
strategy.

How you structure your corrective message is crucial
because persuading an audience to your way of thinking
is awfully hard work. Especially when you’re looking for
words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND
clear and factual. Hard work, but a must if you are to
correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your
point of view, leading to the desired behaviors. Review
your message with your communications specialists
for its impact and persuasiveness.

Sounds obvious, but in order to carry your words to the
attention of your target audience, you need to select the
precise communications tactics most likely to reach them.
Fortunately, you can pick from dozens of available tactics.
From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to
consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal
meetings and many others. Be darn certain that the tactics
you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience
members.

When you think about it, the credibility of your message
can depend on how you deliver it. So, try introducing it to
smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile
communications such as news releases or talk show
appearances. Before long, you’ll need to produce a progress
report, which means it’s probably time for you and your PR
folks to get back out in the field for a second perception
monitoring session with members of your external audience.
You can use the same questions used in the first benchmark
session, but now you must stay alert for signs that your
communications tactics have worked and that the negative
perception is being altered in your direction.

If things aren’t moving fast enough for you, matters can
always be accelerated with a broader selection of
communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

Because people act upon their perceptions of the facts they
hear about you and your operation, you really need a public
relations blueprint like this. Reason being you have little
choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those
perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move
those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.

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 authored
245 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




A Blueprint for Managing your PR - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Kelly's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
What’s YOUR Sustainability Blueprint?
	How to authentically take inventory of your business from a sustainability standpoint and using it to better promote your business. This article explains the importance of authentic sustainability practices, not ...
CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO MONEY FOREVER!
	Most of us were never taught how to win the money game and if we were, most likely we were taught by people who weren’t very good at it. – T. Harv Eker
Do you have a mentor
	Why should you use / not use a mentor?
Truths for Introverts Who Sell: What We Don’t Need To Learn The Extroverted Hard Way – Part Six
	“Why were you so quiet tonight?” is a question that can put an introvert on the defensive. And when it comes from a socializing extrovert it can sound like we just committed the faux pas of a lifetime.
How Managers Hit PR Paydirt
	What this PR blueprint will require of you, is a sharper focus on those important outside audiences who play a key role in just how successful a manager you will be.

---

Related Forum Posts
	Re: Hello from Bangladesh
	Re: Biz Plan Competition
	Managing Virtual Teams
	The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource gu
	Different Hats
	Personal duties
	Re: Biz Plan Competition
	Book Review: Go It Alone: Do What You Do Best, Let Others do

---

Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors

The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.