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Managers Your PR Working for You

Written by: Bob Kelly

Article Overview: It had better be if you want the very best that public relations has to offer, and that you have the right to expect.

Managers Your PR Working for You

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box
in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.
Only requirement: you must use the Robert A. Kelly
byline and resource box. Word count is 1230 including
guidelines and box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Managers: Your PR Working for You?

If all you want are brochures, press releases and broadcast
plugs, and you’re getting them, good show!

But, as a business, non-profit, government agency or
association manager, if you want the very best that public
relations has to offer, you may want to think about PR a little
differently. Say, like this: I really need to do something
meaningful about the behaviors of those important
outside audiences that MOST affect the group,
department, division or subsidiary I manage.

Thus, you might conclude that you need to create the
kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads
directly to achieving your managerial objectives. And
then, follow through by persuading those key outside
folks to your way of thinking by helping move them
to take actions that allow your unit to succeed.

The good news is that public relations is based on a
highly proactive premise that can easily go your 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.

What it will mean to you as a manager is that the right
public relations planning really CAN alter individual
perception and lead to changed behaviors among your
key outside audiences. But your PR effort must demand
more than special events, news releases and talk show
tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations
results you believe you deserve. That way, you really
will stand a good chance of getting the best public
relations has to offer.

Follow that path and the end-products you have in
mind will actually appear. For example, customers
starting to make repeat purchases; capital givers or
specifying sources beginning to look your way;
welcome bounces in show room visits occur;
membership applications start to rise; new proposals
for strategic alliances and joint ventures begin
showing up; politicians and legislators start looking
at you as a key member of the business, non-profit
or association communities; community leaders begin
to seek you out; and prospects actually start to do
business with you.

Please don’t be surprised that the public relations
people on your staff can be of real use for your new
opinion monitoring project. After all, they are already
in the perception and behavior business. But to be
certain, determine if those PR folks really accept why
it’s SO important to know how your most important
outside audiences perceive your operations, products
or services. And this is really important: be sure they
believe that perceptions almost always result in
behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

And now, your public relations plan itself. Review it
carefully with the public relations professionals on your
team. Talk over how you plan to monitor and gather
perceptions by questioning members of your most
important outside audiences. Ask questions 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?

Sooner or later the idea will surface about retaining
professional survey firms to do the opinion gathering
work. But know that that may require more expense than
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.

At this point, top priority is establishing a realistic,
achievable goal that addresses the most serious problem
areas you uncovered during your key audience perception
monitoring. Will it be to straighten out a dangerous
misconception? Correct a gross inaccuracy? Or, stop
a potentially painful rumor before it does more damage?

Fact is, every goal needs a matching strategy to show
you how to reach that goal. But there are only three
strategic options available to you when it comes to
solving perception and opinion problems. Change
existing perception, create perception where there may
be none, or reinforce it. But the wrong strategy pick will
taste like Ovaltine on your veal chops. So be certain 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.

Since there is no way to avoid good writing in the PR
game, please face the reality that you must put together
a persuasive message that will help move your key
audience to your way of thinking. It should be a
carefully-written message aimed directly at your key
external audience. Lean on your best writer to accept the
assignment because s/he must produce 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.

Here we are at the point where your people must decide
on the communications tactics most likely to carry your
message to the attention of your target audience. There
are many waiting for you. 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.

Another reality in public relations is this: the method
by which you communicate your message will bear
heavily on its credibility, always fragile at best. Thus,
you may wish to unveil your corrective message
before smaller meetings and presentations rather than
using higher-profile news releases.

A second perception monitoring session will be needed
to measure headway in moving key audience perception.
Those data will comprise your first progress report.
Fortunately, you can use many of the same questions
used in your benchmark session. But now, you will be
watching for signs that the bad news perception is being
altered in your direction.

Slowing program momentum tells you first-aid is needed.
And that suggests speeding up things by either adding
more communications tactics and/or increasing
their frequencies, or both.

You’ll know your PR is working for you when you move
away from dependence on communications tactics and
on to a plan for doing something about the behaviors of
those important external audiences of yours that MOST
affect your operation.

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

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