PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea

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Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea

The notion that a business, non-profit or association
manager can actually hold a big key to success in his
or her own hands IS a thrilling idea!

And it becomes more thrilling as the manager actually
alters individual perceptions leading to changed behaviors
of key outside audiences. Then persuades those external
stakeholders to that manager’s way of thinking, helping
move them to take actions that allow their department,
division or subsidiary to succeed.

The thrill is real when public relations does something
positive for those managers about the behaviors of the
very outside audiences of theirs that MOST affect their
operation, thus helping achieve those manager’s
managerial objectives.

The trick lies in getting a manager’s public relations team
members working towards the same external stakeholder
behaviors so that the PR thrust stays focused.

Here’s one blueprint that can help create such a thrilling
reality: 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.

Properly employed, this kind of public relations approach
can deliver results like enhanced activist group relations;
community service and sponsorship opportunities;
membership applications on the rise; expanded feedback
channels; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint
ventures; rebounds in showroom visits, as well as capital
givers or specifying sources looking your way; not to
mention new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

One can also envision improved relations with government
agencies and legislative bodies; prospects starting to work
with you; customers making repeat purchases; promotional
contest overtures, and even stronger relationships with the
educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

However, one potential source of worry must be, who
makes the blueprint come alive? Will your worker bees
be regular public relations staff? Or people sent to you by
a parent entity? Or possibly a PR agency crew? Regardless
of where they come from, they must be committed to you
as the senior project manager, to the PR blueprint and its
implementation, starting with key audience perception
monitoring.

Something else to keep your eye on. Simply because a
practitioner describes him/herself as a public relations
specialist doesn’t mean they’ve bought into the whole
program. Assure yourself that your team members really
believe deeply why it’s SO important to know how your
most important outside audiences perceive your operations,
products or services. Be certain they buy the reality that
perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help
or hurt your unit.

Take the time to go over the PR blueprint with your
PR team, 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 organization? 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?

Professional survey counsel is always available to handle
the perception monitoring phases of your program, if your
budget will allow. But I stress that your PR people are also
in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the
same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions,
unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any
other negative perception that might translate into hurtful
behaviors.

Here, you need to set your goal in order to do something
about the most serious distortions you discovered during
your key audience perception monitoring. And that could
be to straighten out that dangerous misconception, or
correct that gross inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal
rumor dead in its tracks.

If you are to be successful in this PR effort, you need a solid
strategy to show you clearly how to proceed. To keep things
simple, note that there are only three strategic options available
to you when it comes to handling a perception or opinion
challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where
there may be none, or reinforce it. Of course, the wrong
strategy pick will taste like a cold catfish souffle, so be certain
the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal.
You wouldn’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a
“reinforce” strategy.

Remember that members of your target audience need to hear
a powerful message. But persuading an audience to your
way of thinking is hard work. Which is why your PR folks
must create some very special, corrective language. Words
that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but
clear and factual. Only in this way will you be able to correct
a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view,
leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

By all means, let your communications specialists “spider”
your message to make certain its impactful and persuasive
enough. Then, sharpen it before selecting 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.

A peculiarity of human nature holds that the credibility of a
message can depend on its delivery method. So you might
consider unveiling it in presentations before smaller gatherings
rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases.

Another human reality is that people love progress reports,
a fact that will alert you and your PR team to get back out in
the field and start work 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. Only this time, you’ll be watching very carefully
for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your
direction.

If things aren’t moving fast enough for you, try increasing the
beat with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

Once in a while, we can all use a thrill. This can be one of those
times for the business, non-profit or association manager astute
enough to demand that his public relations effort actually help
him or her achieve their managerial objectives.

end