Are You Making These PR Mistakes? by:Robert A. Kelly
As a business, non-profit, government agency or
association manager, are you overly preoccupied with
communications tactics like special events, broadcast
plugs, press releases and brochures?
Yes? Well then, you're probably not getting the best
public relations has to offer, and you're missing the
core PR mission you need to pull together the
resources and action-planning required to alter individual
perception leading to changed behaviors among your
most important outside audiences. The plan helps
a manager persuade those key folks to his or her way
of thinking, then moves them to take actions that allow
their department, group, division or subsidiary to
succeed.
How did you get into this pickle? In all probability,
you ignored the underlying premise of public relations:
People act on their own perception of the 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 the very people whose
behaviors affect the organization the most, the public
relations mission is usually accomplished.
This is what such a premise can end up meaning to you:
the right public relations planning really CAN alter
individual perception and lead to changed behaviors
among your key outside audiences. But your PR effort
must demand more than special events, news releases
and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality
public relations results you believe you deserve.
When you take this approach, the desired end-products
will soon appear. And they won't be long in coming,
especially when capital givers or specifying sources
begin to look your way; customers begin to make
repeat purchases; membership applications start to rise;
new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures
start showing up; politicians and legislators begin
looking at you as a key member of the business, non-
profit or association communities; welcome bounces
in show room visits occur; community leaders begin
to seek you out; and prospects actually start to do
business with you.
Keep in touch with the public relations people
assigned to you. They can be of real use for your new
opinion monitoring project because they are already
in the perception and behavior business. But be
certain those PR folks really accept why it's SO
important to know how your most important outside
audiences perceive your operations, products or services.
Above all, be sure they believe that perceptions almost
always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your
operation.
Invest the time needed to review with them your plans
for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning
members of your most important outside audiences. Ask
questions like these: how much do you know about our
organization? Have you had prior contact with us and
were you pleased with the interchange? Are you familiar
with our services or products and employees? Have you
experienced problems with our people or procedures?
On the other hand, introducing professional survey firms
to do the opinion gathering work can cost a lot more than
using those PR folks of yours in that monitoring capacity.
But whether it's your people or a survey firm asking the
questions, the objective remains the same: identify
untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors,
inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative
perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
As with the balance of your programming, you'll need
to establish an action goal here for the most serious
problem areas you uncovered during your key audience
perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out that
dangerous misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy?
Or, stop that potentially painful rumor before it does
more damage?
Of course few goals are achieved without a strategy to
show you how to reach it. However, just three strategic
options are available to you when it comes to solving
perception and opinion problems. Change existing
perception, create perception where there may be none,
or reinforce it. But the wrong strategy pick will taste like
Ceasar salad dressing on your popcorn. So be certain
your new strategy fits well with your new public relations
goal. You certainly don't want to select "change" when
the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.
This is the point where some good writing is needed, and
where you must prepare a persuasive message that will help
move your key audience to your way of thinking. It should
be a carefully-written message aimed directly at your key
external audience. Ask your very best writer to accept the
assignment because s/he must come up with language that
is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but
clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion
towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you
have in mind.
And this is also the moment to identify the communications
tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention
of your target audience. There are many waiting for you.
>From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to
consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal
meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics
you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience
members.
I'm certain you'll agree that the method by which you
communicate your message can be a concern because
the credibility of any message is always fragile. Which is
why you may wish to unveil your corrective message
before smaller meetings and presentations rather than
using higher-profile news releases.
Talk of progress reports should spur you to commence
a second perception monitoring session among members
of your external audience in order to measure headway.
You can use many of the same questions used in your
benchmark session. But this time, you will be on guard
for signs that the bad news perception is being altered
in your direction.
A slowing in your PR program's forward movement will
alert you to the need to speed things up by either adding
more communications tactics and/or increasing their
frequencies, or both.
Thus, avoid making the worst PR mistakes by moving
beyond tactics. Then you are free to use the right public
relations to alter the perceptions of your most important
outside audiences, leading directly to achieving your
managerial objectives.
end
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 1155 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly 2006.
About the author
Robert A. Kelly
Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and
association managers about using the fundamental premise of public
relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over
200 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click
Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. 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.
mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net
Visit: www.PRCommentary.com
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