I say public relations can be a matter of survival for yourorganization.
So, to me, making your business a success is a lot overwhich to raise much ado!
Especially when the very people who hold your future intheir hands - your key, target audiences - may harbornegative perceptions likely to hurt you by turning intonegative behaviors.
Needn't happen.
In the first place, you should already be monitoring thosepotentially damaging perceptions by regularly interactingwith those important publics. Why let them stew until theyboil over?
By letting that kind of personal opinion monitoring identify what's on the minds of those important people, you candecide on a specific behavior you wish to see come about,one that flows from a specific perception.
Progress!! You've just set your public relations goal - createa specific behavior from an equally specific perception.
Let's try it out! To do so, you need a strategy to implementthat goal. Fortunately, we have just three strategies fromwhich to choose: create opinion (perceptions) if none alreadyexist, change existing opinion, or reinforce it.
Let's decide to "create opinion." First step: we need toprepare a persuasive message. It will be designed to createawareness of your products and services among your key,target audience. Or it might explain your position on a con- tentious issue with which some members of your targetaudience disagree.
Now make sure the message is focused on their perceptions;that it carefully explains the facts as you see them; and thatthe message is believable. Read it to a colleague to checkthat it meets these persuasion tests.
Now, how do you get this persuasive message over whichyou have worked so hard, into the consciousness of thosefolks who make up your key, target audience?
You use our tried and tested "beasts of burden," communicationstactics designed to carry messages to the right ears and eyeballs.Luckily you have a basketful at your disposal. Speeches,emailings, news releases, personal meetings, editorial boardinterviews, special events and scores of others.
Are we succeeding in moving opinion among our targetaudience in our direction?
We'll never know if the effort is succeeding unless weregularly monitor the changing perceptions and behaviorsof that #1 target audience. First, we want to know if ourmessage was received, then how many remember seeing orhearing it, and then how many can recall its content, ourmessage!
Finally, what we need to see is the perceptions and behaviors- i.e., opinions - of the target public moving in our direction.When we do, we can say with assurance that our publicrelations program is succeeding.
Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in yourezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy wouldbe appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.
Robert A. Kelly © 2003.
Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit andassociation managers about using the fundamental premise of publicrelations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR,Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR,Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.
Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net |
