Managers: Better Take PR Seriously

by Bob Kelly

Published on this site: January 16th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

As a business, non-profit, government agency or association manager, you will miss out on the challenge of assembling the resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors among your most important outside audiences.

You'll also miss the thrill of persuading those key folks to your way of thinking, as well as moving them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Rather, if years of experience are to be believed, you'll probably find yourself preoccupied by communications tactics like special events, broadcast plugs, press releases and brochures. A shame because you will not be getting the best public relations has to offer.

Those managers taking PR seriously, however, will long since have based their PR program on a fundamental premise like this: 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.

Fortunately, quality public relations planning really can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences. But to do so, you should remember that your PR effort must require more than special events, news releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you deserve.

What kind of end-products, or results, are we talking about? Welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects actually starting to do business with you; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; customers beginning to make repeat purchases; membership applications starting to rise; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures showing up; politicians and legislators looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; and other community leaders beginning to seek you out.

Since they are already in the perception and behavior business, your public relations professionals can be of real use for your new opinion monitoring project. But be certain that the PR staff really accepts why it's so important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Most important, be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Because you must monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences, involve your PR people from the outset. Rehearse with them 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?

Obviously, involving professional survey people will be considerably more expensive 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.

Now you set a public relations goal calling for action on 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 dead in its tracks?

As one good turn deserves another, setting your PR goal demands an equally specific strategy that shows you how to reach that goal. But 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 fluffernutter on your Chinese potstickers. 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.

As you know, when you're dabbling in public relations, you cannot avoid doing some writing, and our current example is no exception. Here, you or your people must prepare a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It must be a carefully-written message targeted directly at that key external audience. Select your very best writer because s/he must come up with truly corrective language that is not only 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.

Exactly what will carry your message to the attention of your target audience? Communications tactics, of course. And there are many available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Because the credibility of any message is fragile and always subject to interpretation, how you communicate is a factor to be considered. Which is why you initially may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

A second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience will seem like a good idea when calls for progress reports are heard. You'll want 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.

Because momentum can always slow, it is fortunate that you can speed it up by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

If this reflects your current PR program, it's probably time to take public relations seriously and begin to change the behaviors of your most important outside audiences, while avoiding a preoccupation with communications tactics. This will allow you to alter individual behaviors within those key groups in a way that leads to behavior change, thus insuring the success of your operation.

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 200 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:[email protected] Visit:www.PRCommentary.com