While documentation has always been a part of my business, it wasn’t part that I ‘played up’ at networking meetings. Small business image consulting sounded exotic and sexy. It got people talking about customer service and importance of it. It got me speaking engagements. It got me lots of press. This was all of sizzle that they mentioned on that bulletin board. But, it didn’t get me what I needed most. The steak - more phone calls and emails requesting my services, and ultimately, more satisfaction.

I decided to put my writing services in forefront. In addition to my technical writing, I now specialize in lengthy documentation and press releases. The process of redefining my business was a scary one. All these feelings of fear and inadequacy appeared. I started to wonder what people would think of change. Would they think that this was bad for my business image?

Then, I started to wonder how many other business owners are just offering what sounds good. How many of them aren’t expressing their natural gifts through their business. How many are afraid to make a change? None of us should be afraid to redefine our services or to create a brand where there wasn’t one before. Now I am more secure in what I do. I am true to myself, my passion, and my gifts. It’s a freedom and a liberation that I’ve never felt before.

My services no longer have an exotic and sexy sound to them. But, at least now I can offer sizzle AND steak.

Your PR goal, of course, will be to do something about most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks?

As it turns out, you won’t get there at all without right strategy to tell you how to proceed. But remember that there are just three strategic options available when it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like lemon sauce on your chocolate ice cream. So please be certain new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn’t want to select “change” when facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

At this juncture, you must put together a superbly moving message and aim it 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.

You need your first-string varsity writer for this one 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 behaviors you have in mind.

After bouncing it off your PR colleagues for impact and persuasiveness, it’s on to next selection process -- communications tactics most likely to carry your message to 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. Just be certain that tactics you pick are known to reach folks like your audience members,

Since credibility of message is always at stake, you may wish to unveil it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Calls for progress reports will soon appear, which signals to you and your PR team to get busy on a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You’ll want to use many of same questions used in first benchmark session. Difference this time is that you will be watching very carefully for signs that bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

I’ve always considered ourselves fortunate that such matters usually can be accelerated simply by adding more communi- cations tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

What you want new PR plan to accomplish is to persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to success of your department, division or subsidiary.

Yes, powerful is a strong word but certainly not too strong when people you deal with do, in fact, behave suspiciously like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of 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.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to 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. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com