A Sensible Way to Use PR

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A Sensible Way to Use PR

The most sensible way for business, non-profit, public entity
or association managers to use public relations is to strive to
alter individual perception among their target publics, which
leads to changed behaviors, thus helping achieve their
managerial objectives.

In so doing, managers employ their public relations resources
to do something positive about the behaviors of those important
external audiences of theirs that MOST affect their operations.

When you think about it, it’s a VERY sensible approach to PR
that leads managers to persuade their key outside folks to their
way of thinking, then move them to take actions that allow that
manager’s department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

What lets it all come to pass is the reality that 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.

If you are one of these managers, please remember that your PR
effort must demand more than special events, brochures and press
releases if you are to come up with the public relations results you
believe you paid for.

This approach to public relations can richly reward its users: fresh
proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; capital givers
or specifying sources beginning to look your way; customers
starting to make repeat purchases; membership applications on the
rise; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome
bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business
with you; higher employee retention rates, and even politicians and
legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business,
non-profit or association communities.

You may count yourself fortunate that your PR people are
already in the perception and behavior business. They should
be of real use for this initial opinion monitoring project. But
you must be certain of who among your PR team really
understands the blueprint outlined above and shows
commitment to its implementation, starting with key audience
perception monitoring.

Then, be certain that your public relations people really
accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important
outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services.
And make sure they believe that perceptions almost always
result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Go over the whole process with your PR staff. In particular your
method for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning
members of your most important outside audiences. Questions
along these lines: 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?

When you compare the cost benefits of using those PR folks of
yours in that monitoring capacity to the cost of using professional
survey firms to do the opinion gathering work, you may conclude
it’s a no- brainer. 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.

Now it’s goal-setting time. One that calls for doing something
about the most serious problem areas you uncovered during
your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten
out that dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy?
Or, stop that potentially painful rumor cold?

At the same time you establish your public relations goal, you
must establish a strategy that tells you how to get there. So keep
in mind that there are just three strategic options available when
it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change
existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or
reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like mint sauce on
your corned beef, so be sure your new strategy fits well with your
new public relations goal. You wouldn’t want to select “change”
when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

It’s never easy when you realize that you must now write an
action-producing message that will help persuade one of your
key audiences to your way of thinking. Well, you do, and it must
be a well-written message targeted directly at your key external
audience. Select your very best writer because s/he must produce
really corrective language. Words that are 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.

Happily, it’s time to identify the communications tactics most
likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience.
There are tons available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and
brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters,
personal meetings and many others. But you must be certain that
the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience
members.

Incidentally, you may wish to unveil this kind of message before
smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile
news releases. Reason is, the credibility of any message is fragile
and always at stake, so how you communicate it is a concern.

Talk about progress reports will alert you and your PR team to
begin a second perception monitoring session with members of
your external audience. You’ll want to use many of the same
questions used in the first benchmark session. But now, you will
be on red alert for signs that the bad news perception is being
altered in your direction.

Should program momentum be sluggish, you can always accelerate
the effort by adding more communications tactics as well as
increasing their frequencies.

Finally, the sensible use of public relations by managers is most
apparent once they accept the fact that they must do something
positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences
that most affect their operations.

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 Sensible Way to Use PR - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Kelly's Website.

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