Not Getting PR Results You Want?

The reason might be this simple: as a business, non-profit or association manager, you’re too focused on communi- cations tactics and not on a workable blueprint for dealing with those important outside audiences whose behaviors most affect your department, division or subsidiary.

If this sounds familiar, blueprint I refer to provides tools required to persuade those key external stakeholders to your way of thinking. Then, hopefully, move them to take actions that lead to your success.

A blueprint, say, like this one: 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.

And, by way, this is a blueprint that can produce behaviors such as more prospects interested in your services or products, more proposals for joint ventures and strategic alliances, more frequent repeat purchases, or fresh, new capital contributions and membership applications.

If this is something you wish to pursue, next move is yours. For example, take time to enlist those public relations people assigned to your unit in a brand-new push to find out once and for all what those outside audiences – those with behaviors that actually affect your organization – really think about you.

That’s where rubber meets road because target audience perceptions inevitably lead to behaviors that will either hinder or help you in reaching your objectives.

So, let’s assume you and your PR team decide to prioritize your outside audiences, then monitor perceptions of members of #1 target audience on your list.

Here’s first “fork in road.” You can use your PR professionals – who after all are in perception and behavior business – to interact with target audience members by asking a lot of questions. For instance, “What do you know about us? Have you ever had dealings with our organization? Was it, or they, satisfactory?”

Or, if you have access to an ample budget, you can engage services of a professional survey firm to handle perception monitoring chore for you. Keep in mind, however, that this activity is central to success of a public relations effort.

Either way, data assembled by this drill is raw material used to create your public relations goal. And that goal might call for clearing up a troublesome misconception, fixing a serious inaccuracy or killing that budding rumor dead as a doornail.

Managers: Are You PR-Fit?

Can you honestly say that your business, non-profit or association’s key outside audiences behave in ways that help lead to your success on-the-job?

Or, have you pretty much ignored reality that target audience behaviors can help or hinder you in achieving your department, division or subsidiary’s operating objectives?

Truth is, your unit’s public relations effort can never be truly fit until primary focus of PR people assigned to you is shifted from tactical concerns to a more comprehensive public relations action blueprint like this: 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.

What such a foundation gives you is ability to help persuade those important external stakeholders to your way of thinking. Which can cause them to take actions that lead to your success as a manager.

Any idea how to make that happen?

First, tell your public relations team that you’re serious about nailing down what those outside audiences with behaviors that affect your unit most, really think about your organization. After you list external stakeholders, prioritize them so we’re certain we’re working on one of your key target audiences.

Next, you and your PR team must interact with members of that audience by asking a number of questions aimed at finding out how you’re perceived. Look for inaccurate beliefs, troublesome misconceptions, potentially dangerous rumors, and any other negativities that might translate into target audience behaviors that could hurt you.