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 900 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004. Move Key Audiences to Actions You Want
How?
Try a 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.
It seems worth effort when you get results like fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; prospects starting to do business with you; welcome bounces in show room visits; membership applications on rise; customers starting to make repeat purchases; community leaders beginning to seek you out; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way, and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities.
But winners don’t pull it off by themselves. First, they find out who among their important outside audiences is behaving in ways that help or hinder achievement of their objectives. Then they list them according to how severely their behaviors affect their organization.
Next they take steps to learn exactly how most members of their key outside audience think about their organization. And by way, they make certain their entire PR team buys into crucial importance of knowing for sure how their outside audiences perceive their operations, products or services. And they dig deep to ensure they REALLY accept reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your operation.
When it’s time to activate PR blueprint, monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audience. Ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? 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?
Not so incidentally, your PR folks are already in perception and behavior business, so they can be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. Professional survey firms can be brought in to handle opinion monitoring chore, but that can be a costly undertaking. But whether it’s your people or a survey firm who asks questions, your objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions .
