Are You a PR Chowderhead?

You are if you stand by while your public relations people futz around with communications tactics instead of nailing down those outside audience behaviors that help you reach your objectives.

No slap at communications tactics. They come in real handy at right time, as noted later in this piece.

But real public relations opportunity lies with this reality: 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 those people whose behaviors affect organization, public relations mission is accomplished.

What it does for you, is put spotlight where it belongs by delivering key external audience behaviors you need to help achieve your mission objectives. So look at tactics for what they are -- no substitute for a primary public relations effort.

For example, change perceptions and, thus, behaviors among those important outside audiences of yours, then watch for activity like customers making repeat purchases, capital givers or specifying sources looking your way, prospects starting to do business with you, community leaders seeking you out, organizations proposing strategic alliances and joint ventures, and legislators and political leaders viewing you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities.

It just isn’t that hard to do it right.

Check out PR work underway in your unit for activities like these. Has anyone listed those outside audiences with greatest impact on your specific operation? Has that list been prioritized according to severity of those impacts?

Do you have any real idea of how those key target audiences at top of list perceive your organization? That’s really important because, as fundamental premise cited earlier notes, those perceptions inevitably morph into behaviors that can help or hurt achieving your unit objectives.

Of course there’s work involved in pulling this off. You, your colleagues or somebody, must get out there and interact with members of that key target audience.

Someone who leaves store without buying, because they couldn't pay now, will seldom be seen again. Sure, some go to an ATM, withdraw cash and return, but they are exception rather than rule. Others will write a check, but there are people who can't afford, at this moment, to write a check either. If you can't close a sale when they are ready to buy, they have time to cool off, and you will most likely lose opportunity.

The same holds true on web. If you can't close when someone has made up their mind to buy, you will probably lose sale. Now there are several methods of accepting payment on web. One is to have them send you a check or money order. They have to write out check or get a money order, and time passes - in other words you have lost immediacy of moment.

Many people buy on impulse, and if you provide a convenient way for them to pay for purchase, you have a better chance of making sale. This can take several forms on web, and let's talk about just two.

Many online business barely make expenses when starting out. As you get known, it will increase, but after awhile will level out. You are losing impulse purchases. Once you install online checks, your business should immediately increase.

Obviously online check submission has an effect. But, you can then expect your business to level off again, even though it will be at a higher level than before. Realize that people will not submit a check online if they are tight on funds.

Some people will write a check or submit one online, knowing they don't have sufficient funds to cover it. Yes this is illegal, but there are those who will do it hoping to get merchandise. Those that do are fairly comfortable in fact that it is usually not worth merchants time and effort to prosecute, and they will simply write it off as a bad debt. While number of bad checks you get will be low, you should take next step.