| |
| |
|
PR Information |
|
|
|
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. 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 1180 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. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com
MORE RESOURCES:
PR - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Writing A Press Release News releases (also called press releases) are an important part of a public relations campaign. They are also an important part of marketing your business. The Press Release: How to Get the Media to Pay Attention! As many of you already know, promoting and marketing your business in as many creative ways as possible is crucial to the success of your venture. But finding ways to get noticed presents a major challenge for most entrepreneurs. Media Training - Essentials for ALL Office Professionals Often the first point of contact the media has with an organisation is with the front desk or receptionist. Although designated people within a company may have the training and skills needed to interact with the media, the first point of contact within an organisation can make or break a journalists perception of the company and may impact on how they report about your business. The Three-Mile Radius In last year's animated film Shrek II, a giant gingerbread man steps on a building and sends all the customers scurrying across the street. The name of the establishment they leave and the one they run into is "Farbucks" - poking fun at the fact that an unending stream of patrons appears willing to pay four bucks for a cup of coffee. Publicizing Your Company Got a huge need for publicity and a tiny publicity budget? You don't need to have a Madison Avenue-sized advertising budget to make your name known. Here are five ideas to help you promote your company: 1. Add Some Firepower to your PR Sure, as tactics usually presented to business, non-profit and association managers, special events, brochures and news releases are fine.But they're not the high-octane PR firepower you need to deliver growth results like new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; accelerating prospect contacts; rising membership applications; customers making repeat purchases; rebounds in showroom visits, or capital givers and specifying sources looking your way. Effective Public Relations: Why Did Bec And Lleyton Do It At 3:15AM? If you are in Australia at the moment, it is hard to miss the engagement news of superstar couple, tennis ace Lleyton Hewitt and TV soap Rebecca Cartwright.They are everywhere . Public Relations 8 Fix Factors I say to business, non-profit and association managers, a key part of your job description is - or should be - do everything you can to help your organization's public relations effort as it strives to persuade important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking. Especially when it's YOUR PR program that is tasked to move those stakeholders to behaviors that lead to the success of YOUR department or division. How To Get Radio-Active PR For Your Non-Profit Cause: Part Three of Three HOW TO BE RELAXED AND EFFECTIVE ON-AIRHow does one stay calm, relaxed, and focused while being interviewed on the radio?I've been both a guest and a host, and I've heard the nervousness in the voices of many callers, and seen it in the eyes of some first-time guests.But I also know that it goes away with experience-even though that might be small comfort to newcomers who have the jitters. Managers and PR: One Thing Is Clear As a business, non-profit or association manager, you have a clear choice when you set up your public relations. Arrange your resources to generate a variety of product and service plugs on radio, and in newspapers and in magazines. PR: Behavior Modification Specialist While awaiting economic recovery, business needs to attract the attention of its most important external audiences in a more targeted and focused way. Primarily to impact the perceptions of those key outsiders so that resulting behaviors help those managers achieve their objectives. Andrew Bogut - His Big Media Blunder And What You Can Learn From It Andrew Bogut, the Australian basketballer is now officially in the top four of Australia's sporting rich list after signing a five-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks worth about $37 million.This comes after being selected No. Mind Your Own Business! And the best way to mind your own business is to insure that those audiences whose behaviors have the greatest effect on your enterprise keep thinking about you in the most positive way. Reason is, bad behaviors often follow bad perceptions, so what your external audiences think about you can mean success or failure. PR: Room at the Bottom? When special events and communications tactics rule the PR roost instead of a workable plan designed to manage external audience behaviors that impact your organization the most, that's where public relations results can wind up.You know, bad results like key target audiences showing little confidence in your organization, or seldom taking actions that help you succeed and, in the end, failing to help you achieve your unit objectives. Leveraging Media Coverage - Your Tool For Business Growth Media relations, simply put, is the business of building and growing reputations. One of the strengths of media coverage is that its free and gives great credibility because it is written by a third party, namely a journalist. If I Were Coaching You If I were coaching you as a business, non-profit or association manager on how to get the biggest bang for your public relations dollar, I would sum it up for you this way.Use the fundamental premise of public relations to produce external stakeholder behavior change - the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. A Simple Formula for Success Leaders in the business world need public relations big time, and they show it every day.How? By staying in touch with their most important external audiences and by carefully monitoring their perceptions about the company, audience member feelings about hot topics at issue, and the behaviors that inevitably follow. Why Good PR Warrants Your Attention Because good public relations can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences. And that can help business, non-profit and association managers achieve their managerial objectives. Tactics Vs. Endgame - Endgame Wins It took me a while to see just HOW crucial the behaviors of an organization's key audiences really are to its success, be it big or small, non-profit, business, association or even a public sector enterprise.Sounds elemental, doesn't it? But the truth is, few organizations can succeed today if those target audience behaviors don't fit the organization's objectives. Why Managers Need the PR Advantage Where is there a business, non-profit or association manager who does not need all the help he or she can find in achieving their managerial objectives?Help like altering individual perception leading to changed behaviors among their key outside audiences?Help in the form of positive actions affecting the behaviors of those important external audiences that most affect their operations. And the help afforded when the manager persuades those key outside folks to his or her way of thinking, then moves those people to take actions that let the department, group, division or subsidiary succeed?Of course they can use that kind of help.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
