Hey, Mr/Ms Manager!

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 970 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2003.

Hey, Mr/Ms Manager!

Does it really make sense to bet your PR budget on results
like newspaper mentions and zippy brochures while your
all-important outside audience behaviors are probably
receiving much less attention than they need?

I mean, the concern is valid. What your most important
external audiences believe about your organization, and
then to what behaviors those perceptions lead, has a lot to
do with whether it – and you – succeed.

Ignore that reality and you invite a lot of pain and suffering.
But, bite the bullet now and you can begin seeing results like
growing repeat purchases, higher levels of membership
applications, new engineering firm specifications of your
components, a boost in capital contributions or brand
new community support.

Public relations isn’t that different from any other
professional discipline you employ on the job – you need
a plan to succeed. And the plan must be based on a
foundation that makes sense.

Try on this fundamental premise for a moment and see if
you can live with it: 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.

Because if you CAN live with it, you’ll soon be working with
a blueprint that helps persuade those important stakeholders
to your way of thinking. And that should move them to take
actions that lead to your success as a business, non-profit or
association manager.

Give it a try. Sit down with the public relations folks assigned
to your department, division or subsidiary and tell them you’re
going to find out what those external audiences whose behaviors
affect you the most, REALLY think about the organization, then
list them in priority order – i.e., which audience behaviors have
the greatest impact on your organization – so that we can work
on the one you assign first place.

Because this approach to public relations may be unfamiliar to
those PR folks assigned to your unit, you must take a personal
role in getting it off the ground, as well as inputting each major
decision point. Your incentive to do so lies in the fact that
dealing effectively with key stakeholder behaviors, talks directly
to your own success on the job.

First big question? How do members of your key target audience
actually perceive your unit, that is, your department, division or
subsidiary? You can commit a large portion of your budget to
professional survey counsel or you and the PR folks assigned
to your unit can do it the grass roots way and interact with
members of your target audience, and ask a number of questions.

“What do you know about us? Have you had any contact with
our people? Did it work out to your satisfaction? Is there a problem
with our products or services?” All the while you remain alert to exaggeration, inaccuracies, misconceptions, untruths or rumors,
as well as paying attention to hesitant or evasive answers to your
questions.

The responses you collect will help you set down your public
relations goal, which could read this way: tone down that
exaggeration, neutralize that rumor, or clarify that misconception.

Next challenge? How do you reach that public relations goal?
It may surprise you, but there are just three strategy choices when
it comes to matters of perception and opinion: create perception
where there may be none, change existing perception, or
reinforce it. But be sure that the strategy you select fits your new
public relations goal.

This step in the public relations problem solving sequence may
be the most challenging – preparing the message you will count
on to correct the offending perception you discovered during your monitoring session. Since it will be delivered in online, print, telecommunications, speaker and broadcast modes, it must be
prepared in a compelling yet believable manner. It must explain
why the current perception is untrue and unfair. And it must be
written clearly. After all, you are trying to alter what people
believe in a way that leads to the target audience behaviors you
need to achieve your unit objectives.

How you deliver the message turns out to be less complex.
There are dozens of communications tactics at your disposal
ranging from newsletters, open houses, media interviews and
brochures to emails, speeches, seminars and many more.

Curiosity will soon overtake all concerned as to whether the
program looks like it will reach the goal. Quickest way to find
out is another Q&A session with members of your target
audience. And you and your PR team should ask the same
questions used in the earlier monitoring session.

Big difference the second time around is, you’ll be on the
lookout for signs that you have actually altered the offending
perceptions as planned. And that is a giant step towards
creating the target audience behaviors you need.

Yes, as a manager, what you now have is your own workable,
department or division public relations program that will work
well on behalf of any business, non-profit or association. In
other words, a PR blueprint that will help lead you directly
towards achieving your operating objectives.

end