Your Organization: What Role PR?

As a manager, does your current business, non-profit or association public relations effort concern itself primarily with radio and newspaper publicity? Or does it concentrate on a specialty area like financial communications or trade relations? Or, possibly, it deals each day with sales support or government affairs?

Actually, maybe your PR effort should concentrate on delivering what you really need?

For example, PR that really does something positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your organization?

PR that uses its fundamental premise to deliver external stakeholder behavior change ? the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?

And PR that persuades those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

What fundamental PR premise are we suggesting as your new action blueprint? 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.

The results can be very satisfying: membership applications on the rise; customers starting to make repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; higher employee retention rates, 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.

The first step, obviously, is involving the public relations people assigned to your unit and getting them on board the new approach. Be sure everyone buys into why it's so important to know how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be especially certain they accept the reality that negative perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your organization.

Plan carefully how you will monitor and gather 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?

Your PR people, who are already in the perception and behavior business, can be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. Yes, you can always use professional survey firms, but that can turn out to cost real money . However, whether it's your people or a survey firm who handles the questioning, the objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions .

Your next chore is identifying which of the above problems becomes your corrective public relations goal -- clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix certain other inaccuracies?

You achieve that goal only when you select the right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Picking the wrong strategy is only slightly worse that forgetting to serve horseradish mustard with the corned beef. And please be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Here we have the question of what to say when you sit down to create a persuasive message aimed at members of your target audience. Always a challenge to put together action-forcing language that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking.

Be certain you have your best writer on this assignment 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 shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

Now, an easy step ? pick the 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 your audience members, 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.

With, as always, the credibility of the message at stake, you may wish to deliver it in small getogethers like meetings and presentations rather than through a higher-profile media announcement.

Inevitably, you'll soon hear from your colleagues re: signs of progress. What that signals for you and your PR team is 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. More to the point, you will now be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

We're lucky in this business that these matters usually can be accelerated by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

This workable public relations blueprint will help you 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.

So, while you did not ask for this public relations advice, I hope you will agree that the people you deal with do, in fact, 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.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1165 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

---

Smashing the Myth of the Press Release

A musician spends years honing his craft. He writes world-class... Read More

Mind Your Own Business!

And the best way to mind your own business is... Read More

How Marketing-Minded Financial Planners Get Publicity

You've probably noticed, if you live on this planet, that... Read More

Is This Any Way to Run Your PR?

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

Detailing The Famous Kentucky Derby Train

The annual detailing of the Kentucky Derby Train is an... Read More

Managers Need Basic PR

True, because department, division or subsidiary managers for a business,... Read More

Hispanic Media Relations Training: What to Do When Hispanic Media Call

You are a spokesperson for your company, representing it for... Read More

How PR Makes a Managers Life Easier

Things are pleasant for many business, non-profit or association managers... Read More

Yes, There is a PR Sweet Spot

And here it is: public relations alters individual perception leading... Read More

Time Your News Release For Maximum Publicity

"Cindy, where's that story? I need it yesterday!""Coming right up,... Read More

Permanent Press: Using Press Releases to Keep Your Company in the News

When is your best advertisement not an advertisement? When it's... Read More

Can Media Coverage Build An Online Business? You Bet It Can!

As someone with expertise in media relations, I've been asked... Read More

Etymology- How Words Change Over Time

Etymology is the study of the origins of words.As languages... Read More

Turn Your Business? New Year Resolutions in PR Revolutions

As eyes look forward to a new business year, many... Read More

Where is the Best PR Value?

Wherever the fundamental premise of public relations is practiced.Look at... Read More

Do I Really Need a Publicist?

Are you hesitating about hiring a publicist or, if you... Read More

A Sensible Way to Use PR

The most sensible way for business, non-profit or association managers... Read More

How To Write A Killer Press Release

One of the primary tools still used by PR professionals... Read More

Publicity: Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Never Say These Words to a Reporter

Everyone has something that drives them up a wall. You... Read More

Passion with Purpose - The Winning Combination

The power of PassionPassion is an extraordinarily powerful spring. Without... Read More

Advertising Is Dead. Long Live PR

Although I still believe there is a place for advertising... Read More

Same Old, Same Old PR Still Tops

Like human nature over time, the power of good public... Read More

How Would You Ever Know?

Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More

Why PR Packs a Punch

Done right, it delivers the key, target audience behaviors you... Read More

Are You Sure You Know What Youre Doing?

Because when it comes to public relations, non-believers can produce... Read More

What Does the Public Relations Client REALLY Want, and Why?

It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist... Read More

Make the Media Your Friend

The media (newspaper, radio, television) can be of enormous help... Read More

13 Publicity Ideas for Retailers

If you're trying to promote your store, but you don't... Read More

PR: Your 500 Pound Gorilla

What else, for goodness sake, could you as a business,... Read More

What Many PR Users Ignore

Simply that the behaviors of their most important outside audiences... Read More

Grandma Says...

Southern grandmothers have often said, "there are only three... Read More

Financial Planners Publicity - Dont Wait, Media Folks Want Your Free Publicity

Looking to get your name into a magazine? You need... Read More

Write Press Releases That Dazzle

When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by... Read More