All Youve Got To Lose Is Everything

Everything, that is, if you ignore those folks whose behaviors have the greatest effect on your business.

What those people see and believe about your enterprise, pretty well determines what their follow-on behaviors will be - for example, do business with you, or move on to someone else.

Is that what you want? Of course not. So let's do something about it.

While I recognize that there are other factors bearing on the success of your business, this one is simply too important, and its impact too severe and too immediate, to ignore.

You get this airplane off the ground by listing your top outside audiences who, when they like you OR ignore you, you feel it.

In other words, they are groups of people important to you whom we refer to as target audiences or target publics. The one MOST important to you, we call your key target audience. And that's why you must list them in priority order so you know where you really need to direct your resources.

How do you determine who thinks what about you? Sounds like work, but you must continually monitor that key target audience (and probably others). Are you bothered by what they tell you? Is there a perception problem? If there is, we know it usually turns into a behavior problem, so something must be done about it now, at the perception stage.

What you've just done is establish your public relations goal - a specific behavior flowing from an equally specific perception, which we'll work on creating starting right now.

Now that you've got a public relations goal, you need a public relations strategy. Lucky for you (and for all of us), there are only three possible strategies. Create opinion among that target audience where there may be none, change existing opinion, or reinforce it. We've picked "create" so let's proceed.

With your goal and strategy in hand, you begin thinking "messages." And I mean persuasive messages carefully designed to deal with that perception problem you discovered when you interacted with your key target audience. Keep your message focused on correcting that perception problem, and keep it believable and credible. Try it out on a few colleagues to see it if really is persuasive.

Now you need a few "beasts of burden," communications tactics whose job it is to carry those persuasive messages directly to the attention of the folks who make up that key target audience of yours.

And there are tons of them from trade show appearances, awards programs and news releases to speeches, brochures, radio interviews and face-to-face meetings.

Well, here we are again at the monitoring stage. At the start of the program, you monitored the feelings and perceptions of your key target audience so that you could identify the problem and set your public relations goal and strategy.

Now, you monitor all over again to see what kind of progress you made. Specifically, you want to know how many individuals received the message, through what tactics, and how many are aware of your messages' actual content. Also gives you a chance to make mid-course corrections by adjusting both message content and your mix of communications tactics.

Keep the faith! As time goes by, you'll begin noticing signs of awareness of your business, and a growing receptiveness to what you have to say. The bottom line, of course, will be welcome indications that the behaviors you have sought to modify in your direction are, in fact, doing just that.

In public relations, that spells success!

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 © 2005.

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 communications, 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.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

---

Your Financial Planning Clients May Hold the Key to Free Publicity

Every reporter, from the cub at the small town paper... Read More

Writing a Press Release: The Medias Dirty Secret

There's a dirty little secret about press releases that the... Read More

Why PR Can be Effective Medicine

When properly applied by business, non-profit and association managers, public... Read More

Financial Planners, Follow These Guidelines to Get Free Publicity

Be a ResourceThe media people that are likely to want... Read More

Business Gifts for Your Clients and Employees

Tis' the season for business and corporate gift-giving! If you... Read More

How To Get Press To Come To You

Have you ever noticed how the same people's names always... Read More

PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea

The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can... Read More

GETTING YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS

You have a story to tell. Your company has developed... Read More

Are You Newsworthy?

Non-news professionals often have a hard time understanding why their... Read More

Sending Samples With Your Press Release-- should you or shouldnt you? Heres a guide?

When you should send samples with your press release:1) When... Read More

Competition in the News Creates Spin

In larger cities with many outlets they are competing for... Read More

Photographs - Ten Tips For Getting Good Shots

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

Watch Your Attitude

So many restaurants spend money on publicity and then practically... Read More

P.R. Strategies for Professional Service Providers

Promotion for Professional Services Providers requires a different approach than... Read More

Killing Them Softly

The world has woken up to ethical issues in corporate... Read More

Media Releases - Helping Grow Your Business

Business people often spend time and money trying to find... Read More

PR: A Potent Force for Success

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

Andrew Bogut - His Big Media Blunder And What You Can Learn From It

Andrew Bogut, the Australian basketballer is now officially in the... Read More

PR: Short Form for Managers

Experience tells me that too many business, non-profit and association... Read More

Publicity: The Best Things In Life Are... FREEE!

One portion of your marketing plan that you probably don't... Read More

Media Training - Essentials for ALL Office Professionals

Often the first point of contact the media has with... Read More

Media Training: Why Nobodys Listening to You

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

A Well-Oiled Strategy Machine

Yes, that's what public relations really is when it tracks... Read More

Media Relations: Ending the Press Release Crutch

When most people think of media relations, they think of... Read More

Managers Who Tap Into PRs Value

Business, non-profit and association managers get a ton of satisfaction... Read More

TV Reporter Shares the Secrets to Getting Covered on the News

Do you have a great idea for a story, but... Read More

The Ultimate PR Scam

It happens to business, non-profit and association managers when their... Read More

Generating Publicity For Your Business: Knowing Your Media Market Is Critical

When starting a successful business venture or launching a new... Read More

Can Your PR Game Plan be Salvaged?

If, as is often the case, you are preoccupied with... Read More

Hey, Mr/Ms Manager!

Does it really make sense to bet your PR budget... Read More

Life After Press Release Distribution?

A few weeks ago I was participating on an on-line... Read More

How to Stay Composed During Contentious TV Interviews

NOTE: Brad Phillips was a Producer for CNN's The Capital... Read More

Between Now and Economic Recovery

There's still time to review your public relations program like... Read More