How you get to that goal, however, is another question because you have just three strategy choices when it comes to perception/ opinion matters like this. Create perception/opinion where there isn’t any, reinforce existing opinion, or change it. A warning: insure that your new strategy is an obvious match for your new public relations goal.

Now, alert your team to a real writing challenge – a message tasked with altering offending perception. Which means your writer must produce a message that changes what many target audience members now believe. No easy job!

It must be clear about how current perception is out of kilter. And it must not only be truthful, but persuasive, compelling and believable if it is to lead ultimately to desired behavior. True heavy lifting!

By way, messages like that best retain their credibility when delivered along with another news announcement or presentation, rather than a dedicated, high-profile press release.

Speaking of delivery, it’s time for you and your PR team to select communications tactics to carry that message of yours to members of a target audience that really needs to hear it. Fortunately, there are dozens of such tactics awaiting your pleasure – speeches, radio/newspaper interviews, brochures, op-eds, newsmaker events, newsletters and many, many more. Be careful that tactics you use have a record of reaching folks just like those you’re aiming at.

It won’t be long before people around you begin asking about progress. Which, once again, will put your team back in opinion monitoring mode out among members of your target audience. And questions they ask will be very similar to those used in first perception monitoring session.

Difference this time around will be your close attention to just how much current perceptions are really undergoing change for which you planned. You want solid signs that offending perception is actually being altered.

You can always shovel more coal into boiler by adding new communications tactics, then using them more frequently to achieve faster progress.

When you apply a comprehensive and workable plan like this, you have little to fear from “a PR scam.” Instead, you are on-track to achieve those key audience behaviors you must have to reach your unit’s operating objectives.

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

Step #7: Passwords Ensure all passwords granting access to company’s computer network, databases and critical files are properly enforced. Passwords should be at least 8 characters in length and combine letters and numbers. Users should change their passwords at least every 90 days. Network administrator passwords should be changed every 30 days.

Protection Beyond Security The 7 steps outlined above are critical as first line of defense in protecting your data. However, it is important to be aware that data loss can still occur. Beyond data loss caused by disasters and criminal activity, data can be lost for a variety of more mundane reasons. These include application corruption, hardware failure, accidental deletion and user error. In any of these circumstances, you will need to roll back to a clean, available copy of your data. Continuous, online backup to a secure remote site provides archived and up-to-the-loss copies of data that can be quickly and conveniently recovered. With this added protection, your data is not just secure, but available and supporting your business.

Paul Hrabal is founder and President of U.S. Data Trust. U.S. Data Trust provides online backup and recovery services to growing companies that need to protect and maintain access to their data without risk and IT overhead of maintaining an internal tape backup system and staff. Paul may be reached at 1-888-DATA-SAFE or pr@usdatatrust.com. Information resources and a confidential data risk survey are available online at http://www.usdatatrust.com . ###