Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1110 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004. A PR Surprise for Managers
For those business, non-profit and association managers committed to PR tactics like radio and newspaper plugs, it can come as a surprise to discover where public relations value REALLY lies.
Truth is, your PR budget can deliver results far beyond such limited publicity placements.
For example by embracing
kind of PR plan that persuades those important outside audiences to your way of thinking, and moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed.
Then by using high-impact, fundamental premise of public relations to deliver external stakeholder behavior change – kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.
And finally by revving up creative potential of your assigned PR team or agency and involving them in a way that positively impacts behaviors of very outside audiences that MOST affect your unit.
Perhaps then you will find yourself with a basketful of results such as prospects starting to do business with you; community leaders beginning to seek you out; newly arrived proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; customers starting to make repeat purchases; membership applications on rise; politicians and legislators beginning to think of you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities; welcome bounces in show room visits; and even capital givers or specifying sources starting to look your way.
Spend a moment here and read that fundamental public relations blueprint referred to above: People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.
This lets you broaden your public relations field of fire, putting its primary focus where it belongs, on your unit’s key external stakeholder behaviors.
A caveat here: be sure that public relations personnel assigned to your unit really believe – deep down -- why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be certain they accept reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.
Review with them your blueprint for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: How much do you know about our services or products and employees? How much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with interchange? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?
When you think of it, you’re fortunate that your PR folks already are in perception and behavior business so they can jump right on perception monitoring assignment. If your budget can handle it, you can always use a professional survey firm, but they can be very expensive. Nevertheless, whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking questions, your objective is to identify untruths if not outright lies, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions .
