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Let’s assume that we will strive to change existing opinion on
key issue. With your perception, behavior modification goals and now, strategy, established, progress will be measured in terms of specific altered behaviors, i.e., floor traffic returns to showroom; activist rhetoric declines; a low employee retention rate reverses. Such progress indicators can be set down, and agreed upon, once negative perceptions are truly understood, thus establishing degree of behavioral change that realistically can be expected.
A Persuasive message
What do we say? Well, we prepare persuasive messages designed to inform, clarify, and impact individual perception in such a way that individual behaviors flowing from those perceptions are consistent with that desired by our organization. Bringing important target audiences around to one’s way of thinking really does depend heavily on quality of message prepared.
The messages must contain clear evidence supporting your organization’s views on issue such as a credible third-party endorsement of your position. Regular assessments of how opinion is currently running among employees, suppliers and community leaders should be made. Finally, action-producing incentives leading individuals to change their perceptions of issue, thus altering their behaviors, should be included in message – incentives that testify to organization’s good intentions and veracity. It’s Tactics Time
Now, you select most effective communications tactics available to you.
The question is, how will you reach your target audiences – especially in various locations? You have many choices. Face-to-face meetings, email, hand-placed feature articles and broadcast appearances, special employee, supplier or community briefings, news releases, announcement luncheons, onsite media interviews, facility tours, promotional contests, brochures and a host of other carefully targeted communications tactics.
Reaching such audiences with message through special events is particularly effective. They offer news value and include activities such as financial roadshows, awards ceremonies, celebrity appearances, open houses and trade conventions.
Your public relations effort effort can be accelerated, even amplified by carefully selecting very best tactics from among print or broadcast media, key podium presentations, special events or top-level personal contacts. When these tools communicate with each target audience, they must score direct bullseyes.
And remember that vital to success of any action program is selection and perceived credibility of actual spokespeople who deliver messages. They must speak with authority and conviction if they are to be believed, and if meaningful media coverage is to be achieved.
Action
While it’s pull-the-trigger time, you should insure that you approach your target audiences with a tactical schedule calculated to reach them consistently as well as through varied media such as newspapers, radio and television appearances, high-profile speeches, facility tours and community briefings.
How are we Doing?
The key activity here is monitoring progress, seeking signs of improvement in target audience perceptions and behaviors.
You and your colleagues should speak regularly with members of each target audience, monitor print and broadcast media for clear evidence of organization’s messages or viewpoints and regularly interact with key customers, prospects and influential citizens.
Indicators that messages are moving community opinion – read perceptions and behaviors -- in your organization’s direction will start appearing. For example, indicators like comments in community meetings, local newspaper editorials, e-mails from suppliers as well as public references by political figures and local celebrities. The End Game
You’ll know when you arrive at public relations end game because changes in behaviors will become truly apparent -- among them, encouraging supplier and thought-leader comment, increasingly upbeat employee and community feedback and an increased pace of positive media reports.
Bottom line? The public relations program can be deemed a success when you clearly meet original behavior modification goal you set when it all began.
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Bob Kelly, public relations consultant, was director of public relations for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-Public Relations, Texaco Inc.; VP-Public Relations, Olin Corp.; VP-Public Relations, 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
