Tweet

Why the Usual PR Doesnt Cut It

Written by: Bob Kelly

Article Overview: The usual PR won't cut it once you've marshalled the resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors among your important outside audiences.

Why the Usual PR Doesnt Cut It

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box
in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.
A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.
Word count is 1225 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Why the Usual PR Doesn’t Cut It

How could it when so many business, non-profit,
government agency and association managers apparently
believe public relations is all about creating some
publicity by moving a message from one point to another
using tactics like broadcast plugs, press releases and
brochures?

When you think about it, that belief doesn’t make a whole
lot of sense when the managers who hold that view have
such an obvious need for public relations that leads
directly to achieving their managerial objectives.

I’m talking about public relations that really does something
meaningful about the behaviors of those manager’s
important outside audiences that MOST affect the
departmental, divisional or subsidiary unit they manage.

Perhaps most important, I refer to public relations that
persuades those key outside folks to the managers’ way
of thinking by helping move audience members to take
actions that help each manager’s unit succeed.

With that kind of promise, how COULD the usual kind of
tactical PR cut it?

Especially when PR’s underlying premise further
sweetens the promise: 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 they soon come to realize is that the right public
relations planning really CAN alter individual
perception and actually lead to changed behaviors
among key outside audiences.

Should you count yourself among such managers, please
remember that 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.

And what a variety of results should come your way:
politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key
member of the business, non-profit or association
communities; new proposals for strategic alliances and
joint ventures start showing up; welcome bounces in
show room visits occur; capital givers or specifying
sources begin to look your way; customers commence
making repeat purchases; membership applications start
to rise; prospects actually start to do business with you;
and community leaders begin to seek you out.

Since they are already in the perception and behavior
business, the PR pros on your staff can be of real use
for your new opinion monitoring project. But be certain
they really accept why it’s SO important to know how
your most important outside audiences perceive your
operations, products or services. In the final analysis,
be sure they believe that perceptions almost always
result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

During your planning sessions with the PR staff, cover
your plans for monitoring and gathering 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?

Should someone suggest using a professional survey
firm to do the opinion gathering work, be aware that it
could cost considerably more than using those PR folks
of yours in that monitoring capacity. So, 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 you must call for action on the most serious
problem areas you uncovered during your key
audience perception monitoring. And that means
setting a public relations goal. Will it be to
straighten out that dangerous misconception?
Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that
potentially painful rumor dead in its tracks?

It is obvious that setting your PR goal means you
must set an equally specific strategy that tells you
how to get there. Only three strategic options are
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. The wrong strategy pick will
taste like sorghum syrup on your anchovies. 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.

Because you must prepare a persuasive message
that will help move your key audience to your way
of thinking, good writing becomes crucial. It must
be a carefully-written message targeted directly at
your key external audience. Assign the task to your
very best writer because s/he must come up with
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.

How will you carry your message to the attention
of your target audience? By selecting the
communications tactics most likely to reach those
key folks. There are many such tactics 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 people
just like your audience members.

Because the WAY in which you communicate can
affect the credibility and fragility of your message,
you may wish to unveil your corrective message
before smaller meetings and presentations rather
than using higher-profile news releases.

No doubt you’ve anticipated that you will need to
begin a second perception monitoring session
with members of your external audience in order to
compare how far your public relations program has
come. The need for such a progress report will cause
you to use many of the same questions used in the
benchmark session. But now, you will be on
strict alert for signs that the bad news perception
is being altered in your direction.

Any slowdowns in the program should not be a
source of concern since you can always speed things
up by adding more communications tactics as well
as increasing their frequencies.

At the end of the day, what you will have done is
marshall the resources and action planning needed
to alter individual perception leading to changed
behaviors among your most important outside
audiences. During which, you will have helped persuade
those key folks to your way of thinking, and moved
them to take actions that allow your department,
group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

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
230 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

Related Articles
  Get better results from email newsletters and promotional emails
  An Unfair Edge ? Offer Customer Financing At No Cost To Your Company! A Financial Program Via Canadian Vendor Leasing Works
  How About a Plan B for Fund Raising?
  Is Your Child Drinking?
  How can software for email marketing increase delivery rates?

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Did you buy into the iPhone 3G craze? - Kevin, Doesnt Telus have good promotions for their long standing customers?? I got my Pearl for virtually nothing because I had been with Rogers for like 10 years.... I also just added a new phone to my contract and bought the new Razor for $50?? Perhaps you can jump up and down and threaten to move your contract?? good luck J


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Steps For Starting A Small Business

ROSI Return on SUNK Investment

Is the iPad useful? One CEO tells all ....

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.