Managers: Can We Agree on This?

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Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Managers: Can We Agree on This?

Your public relations effort really should involve more
than press releases, brochures and special events if you
are to get your PR money’s worth.

In particular, you should be pursuing those three pots of
gold at the end of the PR rainbow.

First, when you use the fundamental premise of public
relations to produce external stakeholder behavior change
– the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial
objectives.

Second, when you do something positive about the
behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your
business, non-profit or association.

And finally, when you persuade those important outside
folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take
actions that help your department, division or subsidiary
succeed.

The fundamental premise of public relations mentioned
above is the action blueprint you need to reach those
objectives. 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.

Look at the kinds of results this process can achieve --
fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures;
community leaders beginning to seek you out; membership
applications on the rise; prospects starting to do business
with you; customers starting to make repeat purchases;
welcome bounces in show room visits; capital givers or
specifying sources beginning to look your way, and even
politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key
member of the business, non-profit or association
communities.

If you wish to pursue such results, spend some time listing
those outside audiences of yours who behave in ways that
help or hurt you in achieving your objectives. Then
prioritize them by how severely they impact your operation.
Best place to start is with the target audience in first place
on your list.

The chances of you having current information as to how
most members of that key outside audience perceive your
organization, are not that good. If you had been regularly
sampling those perceptions, however, these data would be
available to you.

You and your colleagues will have to monitor those perceptions
yourselves if the dollars aren’t there to pay for professional
survey people. Interact with members of that outside audience
by asking questions like “Have you ever had contact with
anyone from our organization? Was it a satisfactory experience?
Are you familiar with our services or products?” Be alert
for negative statements, especially evasive or hesitant replies.
Watch carefully for false assumptions, untruths, misconceptions, inaccuracies and potentially hurtful rumors. When you find
such damaging perceptions, they will need to be corrected,
because experience shows they usually lead to negative
behaviors.

You must do something about such negativity before it morphs
into injurious behavior, so you now select the specific perception
to be altered, and that becomes your public relations goal.

Sorry to say, a PR goal without a strategy to show you
how to get there, is like Huevos Rancheros without the hot
sauce. That’s why you must select one of three strategies
especially designed to create perception or opinion where
there may be none, or change existing perception, or
reinforce it. The challenge here is to insure that the goal and
its strategy match each other. You wouldn’t want to select
“change existing perception” when current perception is just
right, suggesting a “reinforce” strategy.

Here is where your writers earn their money. Someone on
your PR team must put those writing skills to work and
prepare a compelling message carefully designed to alter
your key target audience’s perception, as called for by your
public relations goal.

A word of caution: combine your corrective message with
another newsworthy announcement of a new product,
service or employee, which may lend credibility by not
overemphasizing the correction.

Your corrective message also must be multifaceted,
including several values. Clarity for example. It must be clear
about what perception needs clarification or correction, and
why. Your facts must be truthful and your position must be
persuasive, logically explained and believable if it is to hold
the attention of members of that target audience, and actually
move perception your way.

Here is a less rigorous part of your campaign, selecting the
the actual tactics you will use to carry your persuasive new
thoughts to the attention of that external audience.

There is no shortage of communications tactics available to you
including letters-to-the-editor, brochures, press releases and
speeches. Or, you might settle on tactics such as radio and
newspaper interviews, personal contacts, newsletters, or group
briefings, always making sure those you select have a record
of reaching the same audiences as those that make up your
target stakeholders.

Inevitably, you will be asked about progress and will have to
once again monitor perceptions among your target audience
members. Using questions similar to those used during your
earlier monitoring session, the difference here is that you will
now watch carefully for indications that audience perceptions
are beginning to move in your direction.

Luckily, one option remains ours to exercise -- we can always
expedite matters and put the pedal to the metal by employing
additional communications tactics, AND by increasing their
frequencies.

When you target behavior change that lets you achieve your
operating objectives, you are doing what is necessary to move
those important outside audiences towards actions that will
lead to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

end