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 1170 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004. Right PR Focus A Powerful Advantage
Powerful is a strong word. But it fits here. As a business, non-profit or association manager, you create powerful advantage for yourself when you do something positive about
behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your department, division or subsidiary.
That’s because you are using fundamental premise of public relations to deliver kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.
And perhaps most powerfully, you do so by persuading many of those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then by moving them to take actions that help your unit succeed.
Yes, that’s powerful! Especially when it leads to advantages like these: membership applications on rise; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures in inbox; community leaders seeking you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way, and even politicians and legislators beginning to view you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities.
You need two lucky breaks here: first, a PR blueprint you can rely on, 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 second, PR team members who understand that blueprint and commit themselves to its implementation, starting with key audience perception monitoring. Let’s face it, your PR people ARE in perception and behavior business to begin with, so they should be of real use for this initial opinion monitoring project.
But remember that just because someone describes him/herself as a public relations person doesn’t guarantee they’ve bought whole loaf. Make certain public relations people assigned to your unit really believe – deep down -- why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Make sure they accept reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.
Discuss with them your plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?
While, as noted, your PR people are in perception and behavior business to begin with, professional survey firms are always available, but they can be very expensive. Nevertheless, whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking questions, objective remains same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
