Select one that logically flows from goal you established.

Now, you’re ready to write persuasive and compelling message you’ll be counting on to change perceptions and move your target audience behaviors in your direction.

It’s not an easy writing job. The message must be not only persuasive and compelling but very clear, direct and brief in its presentation. The facts and figures supporting WHY target audience members should alter their perception of your organization must be accurate and believable. It’s best to try out message on a few audience members first, then adjust if needed and commence public distribution.

Now, to mix metaphors, who will be your “beasts of burden,” or “foot soldiers?” In other words, which communications tactics will you use to carry that carefully constructed message to eyes and ears of key target audience members?

There are a lot of tactics available to you. Everything from letters and emails, personal contacts, face-to-face meetings and special events to brochures, press releases, speeches, broadcast interviews and a ton of others.

At this point, you will still not know if you’re making progress towards your public relations goal.

Which is why you must return to field and once again talk to those members of your key target audience. Ask questions very similar to those you used during your earlier information gathering.

The big difference second time around will be that you are watching closely for signs of changed perceptions, hopefully in your direction. Have misconceptions cleared up? Does it appear that inaccuracies have been corrected? Do you see signs that dangerous rumor has been defeated?

Not enough progress? Review mix and frequency of your communications tactics. And take a hard look at that all- important message. Measure it as to how well your facts and figures equip it to change minds and perceptions. Make adjustments and recommence firing!

What you’ve just completed is a first-class, “strategic” plan for managing perceptions and behaviors of your key external audiences. A plan that will have a large say in your personal success and, possibly, survival of your organization.

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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

Here, you come to three forks in road to a workable strategy that will show you how to get to your public relations goal. When it comes to altering opinion (perceptions), you have just three options available to you: create opinion where there may be none; change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

Pick one that obviously is required by public relations goal you selected.

Now we come to real work, preparing persuasive and compelling message you need to alter perceptions, and thus behaviors in your direction. For example, if members of your target audience are persuaded that you in fact offer quality service instead of inferior service they believe you provide, their behaviors will signal change when they begin doing business with you again.

But your message must not only be persuasive and compelling, it must be easily understood, completely factual and, of course, truthful in all details. That’s only way your message will be believable enough to alter perceptions.

Is there a difference of opinion about how to get your message to eyes and ears of members of your key target audience? Not really because there are so many communications tactic “foot soldiers” available to carry that message for you. They range from fraternal club speeches, newspaper and radio interviews and awards ceremonies to brochures, face-to-face meetings, plain old emails and dozens of others.

Once you fire communications tactics gun, and give it several weeks to sink in, you must return to monitoring what members of your key target audience are NOW thinking about you. And that means more questions.

If you fail to do so, you will never know for certain if your public relations effort is making any progress.

You should use same questions as you did for your first information gathering session. The difference now is your objective: have perceptions been altered in your direction because, if so, a change in behavior cannot be far behind?

And so, your public relations goal and strategy will make sense; your message will be persuasive and compelling, and your communications tactics will be aggressive and well-targeted.

A sure path to public relations success.

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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