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 1090 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004. PR: Am I Getting a Good Deal?
You are getting a good deal when you accept
fact that right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors you need.
Especially when you recognize that people really DO act upon their perceptions of facts they hear about your operations, and about you as a manager. Meaning you have little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by reaching and moving those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.
Thus, you are certainly getting a good deal when your business, non-profit or association PR investment creates behavior change among those important outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. However, you’ll be able to accomplish this only after persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.
Obviously, these managers are doing something positive about behaviors of those important outside audiences of theirs that MOST affect their operations.
Underlying such efforts is fundamental premise of public relations: 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.
Public relations helps business, non-profit and association managers achieve their managerial objectives with outcomes like these. New proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; customers making repeat purchases; stronger relationships with educational, labor, financial and healthcare interests; enhanced activist group relations; new membership applications; capital givers and specifying sources looking their way, as well as improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; new thoughtleader and special event contacts; and expanded feedback channels.
Like most managers, you want your most important outside audiences to view your operations, products or services in most positive light. So, you need to be certain that your PR staff accepts fact that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.
Discuss with your PR folks how you will gather and monitor perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with how things went? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?
Yes, if necessary, perception monitoring phases of your program can be assigned to professional survey people to handle, IF budget is available. If that’s not case, you can depend on your own PR people who are also in perception and behavior business and can pursue same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
