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Interacting with outside audience members lets your people ask questions like “How do you feel about us? How recently have you had contact with our personnel? Have you actually used our services or products? Do you have any questions or problems with regard to our organization?”
The data gathered by this exercise is
raw material you need to establish your public relations goal. For instance, correct that inaccuracy, clear up that misconception or spike that rumor.
To achieve such a public relations goal, you’ll need right strategy to show you how to do it. And choice of strategies is not complex because there are just three available when you address matters of opinion and perception: change existing opinion, create perception where none exists, or reinforce an existing perception/opinion. Always be careful that your chosen strategy flows naturally from your public relations goal.
Now, what will you say to members of that key target audience that, hopefully, will alter inaccurate perception you discovered? You want your message to be crystal-clear as it details why that perception is just not true. From such clarity should come believability and a compelling delivery that can lead to target audience behaviors you need to meet your department, division or subsidiary objectives.
Actually delivering message is least complex step in public relations problem solving sequence. Fortunately for you, there is a large collection of communications tactics available to you ranging from your own personal contacts, service or product promotions, news announcements and consumer briefings to newsletters, media interviews, emails and dozens of other tactics.
In due course, you, your team and other interested parties will want to assess how your public relations effort is faring at altering offending perception. Best way to determine that is to duplicate your earlier benchmark monitoring session putting similar questions to members of your target audience. The important difference now? You’re watching carefully for signs that troublesome perception is being altered in your direction.
That altered perception, leading inevitably to predictable behaviors, is bottom line. And a strong indication that a workable department or division public relations blueprint can help a unit manager achieve his or her operating objectives.
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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
