Managers, Have You Been Shortchanged?

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Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Managers, Have You Been Shortchanged?

You have been if you’re a business, non-profit or association
manager whose public relations budget is focused largely on
nifty brochures, column mentions and broadcast plugs.
Especially without a workable plan that helps you persuade
your most important outside stakeholders to your way of
thinking, then moves them to take actions that lead to the
success of your department, division or subsidiary.

A plan, say, like this one: 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.

Managers like yourself can win big when you base your public
relations planning on this kind of blueprint, one that demands
of you a sharper focus on the very groups of outside people
who play a major role in just how successful a manager you
will be – your key external audiences.

The payoff can take many forms: repeat purchases, a big
bounce in showroom visits, increases in capital gifts, new
waves of prospects, a large boost in membership applications,
and even new inquiries about strategic alliances or joint
ventures.

More important, as you move the emphasis of the public
relations people assigned to your unit from communications
tactics to the blueprint outlined above, YOU move closer to
personal success as that unit manager.

Take control of the PR folks assigned to your unit and insure
that every last one of them understands why it’s so crucial to
know how your operation is perceived by your key target
audiences. Be certain that they accept the reality that those
perceptions almost always end up as predictable behaviors that,
left unattended, can raise cane with your operation.

Discuss how your PR team will undertake a perception
monitoring session and question members of your key target
audience: have you had prior contact with us? Was it
satisfactory? How much do you know about our services or
products and people? Have you encountered problems with
our organization?

While you can always hire survey specialists to round up these
data for you, remember that your very own PR team is already
in the perception and behavior game and should be of use for
this project.

No matter who handles the perception monitoring drill with
members of your target audience, you hey must remain alert
for false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies,
misconceptions and untruths.

The reason for this caution is that the perception information
you gather helps you establish your public relations goal.
Examples might include, spike that rumor, correct the false
assumption, or clarify the misconception.

But how do you go about achieving that goal? You pick the
right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change
existing perception, create perception where there may be
none, or reinforce it. Be certain, however, that the strategy you
choose is an obvious fit with your new public relations goal.

Now, what will you say to members of your key target audience
to help persuade those with the offending perception to your
way of thinking? Select your PR team’s best writer because you
must prepare a very special, corrective message. One that is not
only compelling and believable, but very clear, based on solid
facts and persuasive if it is to shift perception/opinion towards
your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

The next step, luckily, is easy. You must select communications
tactics to carry your message to the attention of your target
audience. Insuring that the tactics you select have a record of
reaching folks like the members of your target audience, you can
pick from dozens that are available to you. From consumer
briefings, media interviews, newsletters and personal meetings
to speeches, facility tours, emails, brochures and many others.

Keeping in mind that the method of communication can often
affect the credibility of the message, you may wish to deliver it
during a meeting, a presentation or other small getogethers rather
than in a higher-profile press release.

Soon, you will want to demonstrate that your new public relations
effort is making progress. And that means a second perception
monitoring session with members of your target audience. Using
many of the same questions as in your first benchmark session,
you will now be on alert for signs that the offending perception
is being altered in your direction.

Fortunately, you can always move things along by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

You will not be shortchanged – nor feel shortchanged – when
you sharpen your focus on the very groups of outside people who
play a major role in just how successful a manager you will be –
your key external stakeholders.

Especially when you use a workable plan that helps you persuade
those important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then
moves them to take actions that lead to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

end