Public Relations: Why it Works

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

Public Relations: Why it Works

The short answer is, it works best when its fundamental premise
is the guide, which insures that the primary focus of your public
relations program is the behaviors of your most important outside
audiences. Not less urgent matters like personalities, communi-
cations tactics or administrative concerns.

PR strives to effectively manage the perceptions and behaviors of
your outside audiences with the goal of helping you achieve your
organizational objectives.

Pretty important stuff.

But not difficult or complex.

Particularly when you get started on the right foot.

Namely, do an inventory and identify those groups of people whose
behaviors have a clear impact on your organization.

Because how those folks think about you and your organization usually leads to those helpful/hurtful behaviors, job #1 is, find out
how they perceive you right now.

You and your colleagues must monitor those perceptions, interact
with those target audience individuals and pose lots of questions.
What do you think of us? Have you ever had a problem with our
service? But remain alert to signs of negativity like hesitant or
evasive responses, misconceptions, rumors or inaccuracies.

With those responses in hand, you establish your public
relations goal. For example, correct a specific inaccuracy, clear up
that misconception, or neutralize a damaging rumor.

Next question: how do I get from here to there? You need a strategy.
But in dealing with opinion change, you have just three possibilities.
Create opinion/perception where there may be none, change
existing opinion, or reinforce it.

What you say to members of your target audience is really important.
After all, you’re trying to change perceptions, and that requires a
message that is not only crystal-clear, but persuasive and believable.
So, when you say the misconception, inaccuracy or rumor should be corrected, be sure your facts are rock-solid, credible and, hopefully,
compelling.

Run the message by your colleagues to test its chances of altering perception, then fine tune it.

Your delivery system for moving your message to members of your
target audience is the communications tactic. And there are scores
of them available to you. From newspaper interviews, radio talk
shows, emails, speeches and brochures to op-eds, community
briefings, newsletters, personal contacts and many others.

How will you know if you are making progress?

Once your communications tactics have had six or seven weeks
to make an impact on your target audience, go back out among
audience members and ask the same questions all over again.
The big difference the second time around is, you are now looking
for signs that opinion has been altered with regard to the problem
perception. And watch especially for altered perceptions that include
the corrective elements of your message.

As you continue monitoring key audience opinion/perceptions,
positive changes should begin appearing and, inevitably, lead to
the behavior changes you want.

In public relations, it doesn’t get much better than that.

end