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 840 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Don’t Put Up With “Junk PR”
In public relations, “junk” is more about attitude and lack of understanding than a measure of quality.
Hopefully, if your public relations mission is yet to be accomplished, you agree that its primary thrust MUST be to take advantage of
fact that people act on their own perception of facts before them leading to predictable behaviors. Then create, change or reinforce that perception/opinion by reaching, persuading and moving to actions YOU desire, those people whose behaviors most affect your organization.
If you buy that idea, you might also agree that a preoccupation with things like brochures versus press releases versus newsletters could be seen as a “junky” approach to public relations. Particularly when you compare it to a comprehensive plan that targets kind of stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your objectives.
And those objectives may include customers who make repeat purchases, prospects converted to customers, beneficial joint ventures and strategic alliances, unions more frequently bargaining in good faith or your suppliers doing everything they can to expand relationship.
How do you find such a plan? Please keep reading.
First, have you ever sat down and listed every outside audience whose behaviors impact your business in any significant way? Well, list them now, then rank them according to how serious each impact is, and let’s work on external audience at top of your list.
How frequently do you interact with members of that target audience? Probably not frequently enough to be really aware of how they feel about your organization. You must interact regularly and ask a lot of questions like “What do you think of our business? Have you had experience with our services or our products?” All while remaining alert to any negativities, especially damaging rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and like.
Best part of this drill is that data you gather while monitoring target audience perception leads directly to your public relations goal. In other words, specific perception alteration and, thus, behavior change you want. But to get there, you must alter those perceptions in such a way that misconceptions are cleared up, rumors are neutralized and inaccuracies are fixed.
