PR Is Just Smart Business

The name of game is doing our part to achieve manage- ment’s objectives. And public relations best practice – properly applied – does just that.

How? The driving force is public relations’ fundamental premise which promises to harness your most important external audiences in a way that actually helps reach those very same business objectives.

Just look at that premise: “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.”

It strongly suggests that without understanding of who and what your organization is all about, behaviors of those important external audiences may hinder your efforts and, left unattended, tie your organization in knots.

This sentence sums up bottom line. When public relations alters key audience perceptions, then reaches, persuades and moves them to an action you desire, it clearly helps achieve management’s objectives.

Do you enjoy that kind of support? You can if you employ a program along these lines.

Decide at start which outside audiences display behaviors that most impact your organization, and list them. We’ll concentrate here on that #1 external audience you believe has greatest effect on your operations. Of course, other audiences may need your attention as well.

The obvious first step is to find out how members of that “public,” as we call them, actually perceive your organization. The best and quickest way to do this is to interact with those people and ask questions that probe their perceptions. Listen carefully for negative observations and remain alert to factual errors, inaccuracies, misperceptions and even rumors.

PR Failure Defined

I define public relations failure this way:

0 key audience perceptions are not monitored 0 a realistic, corrective goal is not set 0 an improper, or no real strategy is selected 0 a persuasive, compelling message is not prepared 0 communications tactics are selected mostly by hunch 0 and no follow-through perception monitoring is done to determine progress.

Failure insured! Similar, in fact, to artillery commander who tells his gunners to point their cannons in any direction and fire them when they feel like it!

No plan, no results!

Why not deal this way with those external target audiences whose behaviors really have an impact on your organization?

Who are they? List them in order of their impact on your operation. And let’s concentrate here on #1.

What do you really know about how they perceive your operation? This is vital, of course, because perceptions almost always lead to predictable behaviors. That’s why it’s so important that you get this step right.

Fact is, you must interact with members of this target audience and question them carefully. What do they think of you and your organization? Do you detect negative undercurrents? Are you surprised by certain inaccuracies or misconceptions? Has a rumor crept in to their consciousness to do its dirty work?

The answers prepare you for establishing corrective public relations goal. For example, straighten out that wrong impression. Or fix that misconception. Or correct that unfortunate inaccuracy. Rumors, of course, need immediate attention to neutralize them in minds of target audience members.