A Great Way to Do PR

As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get a bang for your PR buck, you could pretty much concentrate on simple print and broadcast mentions or, for that matter, the whole basket of tactical public relations weaponry including old favorites like high-visibility speech appearances and newsworthy special events.

But if you really want premium public relations results, you must use a broader, more comprehensive and workable public relations blueprint to alter your key, external audience perceptions ? perceptions that lead to the changed behaviors you'll need to reach your managerial goals.

In short, you had best take steps to persuade those key external stakeholders with the greatest impacts on your organization to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed.

The PR blueprint is the best place to start: 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.

Publicity tactics, of course, have their role in the blueprint, but they are not the be-all or end-all of the public relations plan, nor should they be.

Savor for a moment premium results like those mentioned above. Prospects starting to do business with you, and customers starting to make repeat purchases; 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

But who will do the work such results demand? People assigned by the corporate office to your unit? Possibly your full-time public relations staff? Or even an outside PR agency team? No matter who they are, they must be committed to you, to the PR blueprint and to its implementation, starting with key audience perception monitoring.

Sad to say, simply because someone describes him/herself as a public relations person doesn't mean they've accepted PR as you understand it. So by all means make certain the public relations people assigned to your unit honestly believe 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.

Sharpen your plan ? your blueprint -- for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about us? Have you met our chief executive or other senior managers? Have you had other contacts with our staff 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?

Use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program if you can afford them. But 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, it's time to establish your PR goal, one that aims to do something about the worst distortions you turned up during your key audience perception monitoring. It could be to straighten out that dangerous misconception, correct that gross inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks.

Now, with the PR goal established, select the right strategy, one that tells you how to proceed. But 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 onion gravy on your raspberries, 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.

With that homework complete, prepare a clear message and aim it at members of your target audience. Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking is hard work, you need your best 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.

Run it by your PR team 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.

Rather than using higher-profile news releases, since a message is often dependent for its credibility on the means used to deliver it, you may decide to unveil it before smaller meetings and presentations When questions about progress are heard, you and your PR team should get busy on a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. And remember to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. Difference this time is that you will be alert for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

If momentum flags, you can always accelerate matters by adding more communications tactics and increase their frequencies.

When all is said and done, you want your new PR blueprint 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. Period.

And, when you think about it, we are fortunate indeed that our key stakeholder audiences 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.

A great way to do PR.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1200 including guidelines and resource box.

Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

---

Speaking to the Press

If you get the hang of speaking to the press... Read More

Not Getting the PR Results You Want?

The reason might be this simple: as a business, non-profit... Read More

The Right Hook

Have you fantasized about spreading word of your business on... Read More

PR Failure Defined

I define public relations failure this way:key audience perceptions are... Read More

Do You Have A Press Package?

How do you make a friend of the media? A... Read More

Public Relations Strategies: Focus PR Campaigns with Media Coverage Analysis

Prior to launching a new public relations campaign, evaluate the... Read More

Publicity Tips from the Pros

If you want to know the best way to approach... Read More

Gaining Free Publicity Through Press Releases

One of the greatest ways to promote your product or... Read More

Marketing-Minded Financial Planners Piggyback on Topic A to Get Free Publicity

That big story the media pursue each day is what... Read More

PRs Big Bang Theory

Lots of theories out there about public relations.Everything from "publicity's... Read More

Marketing-Minded Financial Planners--Appearing on TV? Tell the World!

It doesn't matter how cruel the reality programs get, there... Read More

Is This Any Way to Run Your PR?

You bet!Especially for business, non-profit and association managers who REALLY... Read More

7 Simple Steps To A PR Launch

A PR product or service launching is a perfect way... Read More

Managerial Survival Key

For business, non-profit or association managers like yourself, survival pretty... Read More

For Financial Planners, Marketing and Publicity Is About You

For financial planners, getting publicity, in the end, isn't about... Read More

Prep for a Successful Trade Show

Well, autumn is upon us and with the onset of... Read More

Publicity - How to Write a Headline That Will Garner Free Publicity

Taking your ad and turning it into paragraph-style prose is... Read More

Anatomy Of A PR Campaign

The message is determined by analyzing the brand being marketed,... Read More

Go Ahead, Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Call a Reporter

Yes, you can call a reporter.I've said it before, in... Read More

Whats Stopping You From Getting Publicity?

When I talk with business people, they tend to believe... Read More

This is the Power of PR

The power of public relations is its ability to alter... Read More

Right PR Empowers a Manager

Business, non-profit and association managers are in a stronger position... Read More

PR Works! 15 Ways To Make Your Press Release Stand Out From the Crowd

Do editors of newspapers, magazines and online news sites really... Read More

How To Create A News Angle

Think of a triangle. On the left, imagine the story... Read More

Keep The Publicity Machine Rolling with Reprints

More than half of America skips the Super Bowl, the... Read More

Photographs - Ten Tips For Getting Good Shots

Photographs are essential for getting good publicity in the print... Read More

Managers: Why PR is SO Key

When outside audiences important to your operation do not understand... Read More

Radio Interviews - How To Get Them!

Getting on the radio can be a great tactical move... Read More

Dont Need No Stinking PR?

Almost assuredly you do, especially when your most important external... Read More

The Key to Great PR

The Key to Great PR is PerseveranceBy Paula Gardner of... Read More

Media Training: How to Tell a More Interesting Story

PRESIDENT BUSH TELLS A STORYOn March 18, 2005, President Bush... Read More

Your Online Newsroom: How to Give Reporters a Tip

It's hard to imagine a reporter working today who doesn't... Read More

Press Kit Elements That Work

Considering how fundamental they are to the publicist's trade,it's always... Read More