Moving Key Audiences to Take Action?

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Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Moving Key Audiences to Take Action?

You know, those really important outside groups of people
whose behaviors can help or hinder any business, non-profit
or association manager in achieving his or her objectives?
Are you persuading those key stakeholders – especially
those whose behaviors affect your unit the MOST – to your
way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that help
your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

Oh, as a manager, you say you’re covered in that regard –
your public relations team is racking up some juicy print
and broadcast placements, and you say those kinds of
exposures are what your PR program is all about?

At the risk of becoming a skunk at this picnic, I suggest
you consider broadening your public relations field-of-fire
to where it best belongs, on your unit’s key external
stakeholder behaviors rather than the occasional publicity
placement.

Here’s why. The people you deal with behave like everyone
else – they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear
about you and your operation. Leaving you little choice but
to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions
(and their follow on behaviors) by doing what is necessary
to reach and move those key external audiences to action.

And that means using a workable PR blueprint to do the job.
For example, 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.

Consider for a moment what the results of this approach to
PR could be. Customers starting to make repeat purchases, and
even prospects starting to do business with you; fresh
proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; welcome
bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications,
and community leaders beginning to seek you out; new
approaches by capital givers and specifying sources not to
mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member
of the business, non-profit or association communities.

So who’s going to do the work? Your own full-time public
relations staff? A few folks assigned by Corporate to your unit?
An outside PR agency team? Regardless where they come from,
they need to be committed to you, to the PR blueprint and to its implementation, starting with key audience perception
monitoring.

A word of caution. Just because someone describes him/herself
as a public relations person doesn’t guarantee they’ve bought
the whole meatloaf. Make certain the public relations people
assigned to your unit really believe – deep down -- why it’s SO
important to know how your most important outside audiences
perceive your operations, products or services. Make sure they
accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Layout the PR blueprint for them, especially your plan for
monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members
of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these:
how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you
had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the
interchange? How much do you know about our services or
products and employees? Have you experienced problems with
our people or procedures?

If your budget will bear the considerable expense of professional
survey firms, by all means use them in the perception monitoring
phases of your program. However, keep in mind that your PR
people are also in the perception and behavior business and can
pursue the same objective supported by survey counsel input:
identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors,
inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception
that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Time to set your PR goal, one that stands a good chance of doing
something about the most serious distortions you discovered
during your key audience perception monitoring. It could be to
straighten out that dangerous misconception, or correct that gross
inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks.

Next step is the right strategy, one that tells you how to proceed.
And keep in mind that there are only three strategic options
available to you when it comes to handling a perception and
opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create
perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since the
wrong strategy pick will taste like marinara sauce on your key
lime pie, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your
new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change”
when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Time for some hard work. Write a moving message and aim it
at members of your target audience. As always, crafting
action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way
of thinking is tough work. Which is why you need your
first-string varsity writer because s/he must create some very
special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling,
persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to
correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your
point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

I’d try it out on my PR colleagues for impact and
persuasiveness. Then, select the communications tactics
most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target
audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From
speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer
briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings
and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are
known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Because the credibility of a message is often dependent on the
means used to deliver it, you may decide to unveil it before
smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-
profile news releases.

Calls for progress reports will soon be heard, which signals to
you and your PR team to get busy on 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. Difference this time is that you will
be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news
perception is being altered in your direction.

By the way, aren’t we fortunate that, if things ever slow down,
we can simply accelerate matters by adding more
communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies?

So, what you really want the new PR plan to accomplish is to
persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way
of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to
the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

Yes, powerful is a strong word but certainly not too strong
when the people you deal with do, in fact, behave like
everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of the facts
they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you
little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those
perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move
your key external audiences to actions you desire.

end