But how do you get there? You select a strategy from three available to you: create perception/opinion where none may exist, change existing perception/opinion, or reinforce it. The public relations goal you just set will lead you directly to right choice of strategies.

The message you send to your target audience is crucial, and writing it can be hard work because it must alter negativity you found when you interviewed audience members.

Above all, it must be persuasive while clearly presenting facts. It must be credible, believable and timely as it explains truthfully what is at issue at that moment. In short, your message must be compelling.

Getting that finished message to right eyes and ears is your next challenge. And that means selecting right communi- cations tactics, and you have dozens of them available to you. Speeches, press releases, emails, meetings, radio and newspaper interviews, action alerts, brochures, newsletters and so many others.

Before long, you’ll be looking for indications that your new public relations program is making progress.

After communications effort has had six or eight weeks to take effect, it seems obvious that best way to determine that is to go back to members of your key target audience, interact with them again and ask more questions. The difference this time, however, is that you are looking for signs that your carefully prepared message is really altering negativity you discovered during your interviews with those target audience members. And once again, keep an eye and ear on local media for similar signs that your message has been heard.

If you’re anxious to speed up process, boost number and variety of communications tactics you’re using, as well as their frequencies.

What you want is for your second monitoring go-around to show marked perception change which tells you clearly that behaviors you really want are on way.

In PR business, that creates success.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks 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