PR: Lets Talk Fundamentals

How much more fundamental can you get than this? As a business, non-profit or association manager, if you don't get your most important outside audiences on your side, you will fail.

To me, failure means key target audiences that don't behave as you want them to. For example, capital donors or specifying sources who look the other way, customers who fail to make repeat purchases, community leaders working closely with your competitors, prospects still doing business with others, organizations looking elsewhere to propose new strategic alliances and joint ventures, and even legislators and political leaders overlooking you as a key member of the non-profit, association or business communities.

All that can change in a New York minute when you base a public relations effort on this simple premise: 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 those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished.

The primary benefit of that premise to you as a business, non-profit or association manager is the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your objectives.

And that's very doable. Especially when you take the time to list your most important external audiences, then prioritize them according to the impacts they have on your organization.

The real key to success using this premise is actually gathering information as to how members of your key, external audience perceive your organization.

If you have the resources available and can afford professional survey help, fine. If, however, like most of us you don't, the best alternative is for you or your colleagues to begin interacting with audience members. Ask many questions starting with, "Have you heard of us? What do you think of us, if at all? Have you ever done business with us? Why do you feel the way you do?"

Listen carefully for signs of negativity, and watch for untruths, false assumptions, inaccuracies, misconceptions or flagrant rumors.

Obviously, the data you gather from this monitoring activity form the basis of your public relations goal. For example, correct that untruth or inaccuracy, clear up that misconception, or spike that rumor.

Now here, you encounter three forks in the road.

You need a strategy to show you how to get where you need to go. But only three choices are available to you when dealing with matters of perception and opinion: create perception where there may be none, change existing perception, or reinforce it. And make certain the strategy option you choose flows naturally from your new public relations goal.

It's writing time ? hard work preparing the actual message designed to alter people's perceptions leading, hopefully, to the behaviors you need to help achieve your objectives.

The corrective message is crucial. It must be clear about just what perception needs clarifying, and why. Your facts, of course, must be truthful, logical and believable in order to be persuasive. And the tone of the message should be compelling if it is to command attention and alter perception.

Next step is easy. Pick your "beasts of burden," the communications tactics you will use to carry that brand new, corrective message to members of your target audience.

You have a very long list of such tactics at your disposal. The only caveat is, make sure each one shows a proven record for reaching people like those who make up your specific target audience.

Tactics range from electronic magazines (called eZines!), speeches, brochures and emails to radio/newspaper interviews, press releases, newsletters, facility tours and so many more.

Shortly, you will start to wonder if you are making any progress. And that means a second round of Q&A with members of your target audience. Same questions as before, by the way, only now your focus is on signs that their perception has been altered to reflect that described in your carefully prepared message.

You can always speed up the effort by introducing new communications tactics, and by increasing their frequencies. Also, not a bad idea to check that message of yours one more time for both factual accuracy, and for how successful it was at actually impacting opinion.

Clearly, as a business, non-profit or association manager, you benefit most when your public relations program succeeds in creating the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your objectives.

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.

Robert A. Kelly © 2003.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; Director of Communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and Deputy Assistant Press Secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

---

Want This Kind of PR?

PR that really does something positive about the behaviors of... Read More

Using Publicity As A Creative Marketing Tool

Publicity is an important and often overlooked tool of creative... Read More

A Simple Formula for Success

Leaders in the business world need public relations big time,... Read More

The Worst PR Mistakes

For a business, non-profit or association manager, they could be... Read More

Media Training: Why Nobodys Listening to You

SORRY?WERE YOU SAYING SOMETHING?Many spokespeople approach media interviews the same... Read More

Promote Your Products With A Press Release

Writing an effective press release is a way to draw... Read More

When Managers Play the PR Card

The payoff for business, non-profit or association managers can be... Read More

Be Patient? Nah, Lets Kill Something

There's the old joke about the two buzzards sitting in... Read More

Making Press Releases Work - Creating News Where None Existed

Aren't you tired of hearing how extremely easy it is... Read More

Public Relations Primer, Part II: Five Dos

1) Package your story. Two critical elements will help you... Read More

Lets Blow The Lid Off Public Relations

And show it for what it is - a humdinger... Read More

What Many PR Users Ignore

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

In PR, You Pay When You Stray

Don't let yourself be diverted by communications tactics playtime. You... Read More

3 Essential Elements For Turning Your PR Pitch Into Publicity Exposure

1) Establish Rapport, then get the editor/producer excited.There's not a... Read More

Why PR is an Engine for Economic Growth

Business, non-profit and association managers committing their public relations resources... Read More

The Working Case Study

Next to white papers, case studies are the most popular... Read More

What Some Pros Know About PR

They know they had better do something positive about those... Read More

Your Organization: What Role PR?

As a manager, does your current business, non-profit or association... Read More

A Winning Public Relations Game Plan

You want to sell your products or services, and that... Read More

A Natural Phenomenon? Really?

Sure. What else do you call a human discipline whose... Read More

PR - More Than News Releases

Public relations and news releases are synonymous in the minds... Read More

The Ratings are Coming

Small businesses have always known the importance of word of... Read More

PR: A Potent Force for Success

What's REALLY potent for a business, non-profit or association manager... Read More

Managers, Have You Been Shortchanged?

You have been if you're a business, non-profit or association... Read More

Public Relations Success Starts Here

For discerning business, non-profit and association managers, PR success is... Read More

How Managers Hurt Their PR Results

Business, non-profit or association managers hurt their own public relations... 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

Business Growth for Financial Planners in Five Easy Steps

Attracting new business: sometimes it happens by luck, sometimes by... Read More

How to Write Press Releases That Work And Get Free Publicity

One study found that as many as 90% of the... Read More

Best Approach For Free Advertisement

Product/service publicity is the superhighway to business success everyone dreams.... Read More

Press Releases

How do press releases or interest stories have an effect... Read More

Publicity: Write a Letter to the Editor for Free Publicity

Ever wonder why papers devote a page or more to... Read More

Want To Join the Bandwagon? Be Sure It Has Wheels!

Here are two to-the-point questions recently posed by several association... Read More