Here’s why. In public relations, a bullseye can mean survival when it successfully changes perceptions and, hence, behaviors of certain groups of people important to success of organization. In other words, when those changes clearly meet original behavior modification goal set at beginning of program, public relations effort is successful and scores bullseye.

But, is public relations really equipped to do that? Yes, because its roots are planted deeply in principle that people act on their own perceptions of facts. When public relations successfully creates, changes or reinforces public opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-action those people whose behaviors affect organization, it accomplishes its mission – a bullseye!

How it works.

1) The public relations effort should be focused on three realities alluded to above: 0 People act on their perception of facts; 0 Perceptions lead to behaviors; 0 Something can be done about those perceptions and behaviors that leads to achieving organization’s operating objectives.

2) Identify key operating problem to be addressed.

One example could be a national marketer of furniture imported from Far East. News reports and other input, amplified by competitive trouble-making out in trade, suggest there are quality problems in company’s factories in Southeast Asia.

3) Verify truth or falsity of allegations.

Because company’s sales have leveled off and are starting to decline, public relations counsel and staff, working closely with company’s manufacturing people here and abroad, establish conclusively that reports and rumors of declining quality are without foundation, and simply untrue.

4) Verify status of both consumer and trade perceptions of company’s product quality.

Probing consumer opinion through personal contact and informal polling out in market place, counsel and staff determine that, in fact, there IS a disturbing perception that company’s furniture line is “of low quality and not worth prices asked.”

It is useful to recall here that public relations problems are often defined by what people think about a set of facts, as opposed to actual truth of matter. Here, it is clear that negative trade and consumer perceptions about company’s products, however inaccurate they may be, account for decline in showroom traffic and sales, and must be confronted.

5) Establish public relations goal.

The goal is to begin process of changing public perception of company’s furniture quality from negative to positive, leading to consumer behavioral changes, in turn attracting furniture buyers to company showrooms once again.

6) Determine public relations strategy

Will it be to CREATE opinion where none exists, CHANGE existing opinion, or REINFORCE that existing opinion? In this case, it is clear that considerable existing opinion has turned negative on quality of company’s furniture, so public relations strategy will be to CHANGE that opinion from negative to positive.

7) Establish perception and modification goals.

Goals here will be measured in terms of customers returning to showrooms, along with increasing sales, in first three to six months following program’s kickoff, which obviously will require considerable communications firepower to achieve. Once negative perceptions are truly understood, such a marker can be set down, and agreed upon, establishing degree of behavioral change that realistically can be expected.

8) Identify key audiences

The payoff? When those audiences do what you want them to do, achieving your organizational objectives gets a lot easier. That’s why this article is all about how to make welcome, key-audience behavior a regular occurrence.

We learned long ago that people act on their own perceptions of facts, leading to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. We call their cumulative perceptions opinion…public opinion.

Public relations tries to create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-action very people whose behaviors affect your organization.

That’s why it’s quality planning, and degree of perception and behavioral change it produces, that defines success or failure of a public relations program.

Those Painful Behaviors

Let’s look at some of those crucial perceptions (usually leading to crucial behaviors) among target audiences that can make you nervous. If you labor for an association, it might be strong feedback that members perceive your communications organs as devoid of informative material. Or, for regional manager with a motel chain, growing email traffic suggesting that guests perceive rooms as dirty would be unsettling. And for a brand manager, field reports that fast food taste tests result in less than complimentary consumer reactions might ruin his day.

Those kind of perceptions almost always lead to unhappy behaviors such as loud complaints about association communicators, cancelled reservations due to a motel chain’s housekeeping mismanagement, or to falling sales because of a fast food product’s poor taste.

What to do About Them

How can any organization prepare itself to prevent and deal effectively with such key-audience opinion challenges?

Let’s start by walking through a perception challenge facing a typical organization. Because public relations problems are usually defined by what people THINK about a set of facts, as opposed to actual truth of matter, one would be well-advised to focus on three public relations realities:

1. People act on their perception of facts; 2. Those perceptions lead to certain behaviors; 3. Something can be done about those perceptions and behaviors that leads to achieving organization’s objectives.

Awareness is Key

Those responsible for public relations in any organization – let’s say it’s you for purposes of this article -- must be constantly aware of counterproductive behaviors among organization’s key audiences – customers, prospects, community activists, union leaders, competitors and others.

Remaining alert to these potentially damaging perceptions and behaviors requires special vigilance. Among intelligence gathering techniques are regular monitoring of headquarters and field location media, staff activity reports, employee and community feedback, regulatory and other local, state and federal government activities involving your organization and, especially these days, Internet with its emails, ezines, chatrooms and search engines.

What’s Problem?

First, identify key operating problem. Is it declining sales in a specific product line or location? Is it an allegation of wrongdoing? Is it a quality or performance issue? Has an elected official spoken negatively about your industry? Have you learned that a national activist group may target a unit of your organization? Or, is there clear evidence of negative behaviors among your key audiences?

Verify, Verify, Verify

Yes, determine through field staff, key customers, media monitoring and, if resources allow, even opinion sampling, just how serious problem is. If an allegation, is it true or false? If a drop-off in sales, gather and carefully evaluate possible causes. If a quality issue, probe deeply for its probable or likely cause.

How Bad is it? After an exhaustive review of all evidence surrounding behavioral problem you have identified, establish conclusively size and shape of problem rating its damage potential on a scale between an irritation and an immediate emergency. Does it threaten employee or public safety, financial stability, reputation, organization’s mission, or sales? The answers to such assessments help determine resources to be marshalled.

Worst Case?

Let’s assume that probing opinion through personal contact and informal polling out in market place, you determine that, in fact, there IS a negative perception among a key audience that company’s largest customer is about to switch suppliers which would seriously damage your company’s operations. (In a non-profit, an equivalent perception and behavioral problem might involve allegations that its

administrative costs far exceed normally accepted level, or that executive compensation is excessive).

Is it True?

Management quickly determines that, in fact, there is no truth whatsoever to rumor of a loss of company’s largest customer.

The Public Relations Goal

Therefore, because PERCEPTION of a key customer loss is now causing hiring problems (behavioral) within company, and, outside via concerns among suppliers and greater community and its leaders, you establish public relations goal as follows:

Change negative public perception of company’s largest account longevity from negative to positive, thus correcting hiring and retention problems and calming supplier and community concerns.