PR: Ouch! Tells Tale

Ever get feeling that your public relations program isn’t doing much about behaviors of your important outside audiences? Those audiences whose actions have greatest impacts on your business?

Chances are your PR effort is focused primarily on communi- cations tactics and not on process needed to really move those key audience perceptions, and thus behaviors in your direction.

Which means you’ve missed out on sweet spot of public relations.

Ouch!

That sweet spot can be summed up in just two sentences:

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.

Now there’s nothing wrong with communications tactics. They are necessary “beasts of burden” that fit in nicely at proper time, as you will shortly note.

So, if you believe it finally may be time to utilize that PR sweet spot, you could start this way.

Just who are your most important outside audiences? Customers and prospects, of course. But what about employees, minorities, residents, political and labor union leaders, trade and business communities, among others?

Rank them in order of importance to your operation and let’s work on your #1 external target audience.

Nothing can happen until you know what members of that audience think about your organization. And that means interacting with them while asking lots of probing questions and monitoring their perceptions. Have they heard about your company, its products or services? What do they think about them? Do you detect negativity, inaccuracies, misconceptions or even disturbing rumors?

A Mission Statement is description of your business.

It is present and future task that your business plan on accomplishing. In about a paragraph or more, up to one page. You should mention reason your business is in existence.

There are 8 key components that you can include in your Mission Statement. Note: you do not have to put them all in your Mission Statement. You can include only ones that you feel are important to mission of your business.

The Main Parts Of Your Business Plan

Your Business Plan should include;

Cover Sheet

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Mission Statement

Marketing Plan

Product Or Service

Operations

Information On Your Business

Financial Plan

The Main Parts Of Your Mission Statement

The Mission Statement is forth part of your Business Plan. It is heart of your business. It helps you keep pumping through until you have obtained your mission.

Your Mission Statement should include these components;

Customer/Marketing

Product or Service

Geographic Domain

Technology

Concern For Survival

Company Philosophy

Self (Business) Concept

Public Image

Lets look at an example of each component to see how that component can be incorporated into your Mission statement.

Customer/Marketing

We believe our first responsibility is to provide best help to men and woman that are considering starting their own business.

Product/ Service

Our products and services are intended to help people to grow their businesses. Our products include business self help and motivation.

Geographic Domain

We are an Internet based business. You may obtain our products by downloading them off of our web site.

Technology

We use most up to date technology. It is just a matter of a few clicks with your mouse, and you can find, pay for and download our products in no time flat.

Concern For Survival

We have targeted a specific market of people. At this point our marketing efforts are starting to do very well. We are also adding other marketing efforts to keep us aware of changes in our marketing environment.

Company Philosophy

We work hard, so that you don't have to.

Self (Business) Concept

We love what we do, therefore we work at making sure you visit us again and again.

Public Image

We believe and treat people way we want to be treated. We pride ourselves with daily emails we receive from our customers and clients about all of great information and services we offer them.

Putting The Mission Statement Together

Lets put together all of components of Mission Statement that we talked about above. You can actually use just a few of components or you can use them all. It is up to you. All of them may or may not be needed in your Mission Statement.

Sample Mission Statement ( With All Components)

We believe our first responsibility is to provide best help to men and woman that are considering starting their own business.

Our products and services are intended to help people to grow their businesses. Our products include business self help and motivation.

We are an Internet based business. You may obtain our products by downloading them off of our web site.

We use most up to date technology. It is just a matter of a few clicks with your mouse, and you can find, pay for and download our products in no time flat.