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12.27.05
PR
When Managers Take Control
By Robert A. Kelly
Things can change fast! Tactics will probably no longer dominate the public relations
plan. Instead, when needed, they'll hopefully assume their properly limited role
as the primary means for moving a publicity message from one point to another.
But in their place, at the top of an organization's public relations effort, professional
business, non-profit, government agency and association managers will instead
marshall the resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception
leading to changed behaviors among their most important outside audiences. And
then follow up by persuading those key folks to his or her way of thinking, moving
them to take actions that allow their department, group, division or subsidiary
to succeed.
What a difference that's going to make as managerial public relations is at last
applied. The reason why is really 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.
Implicit in that premise is yet another reality: public relations planning really
CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside
audiences. But you'll only get there when your PR demands more than special events,
news releases, brochures and talk show tactics. Only then will you receive the
quality public relations results you deserve.
What kind of results? Community leaders begin to seek you out; welcome bounces
in show room visits occur; capital givers or specifying sources begin to look
your way; membership applications start to rise; new proposals for strategic alliances
and joint ventures start showing up; customers begin to make repeat purchases;
new prospects actually start to do business with you, and politicians and legislators
begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association
communities.
Look first to your public relations professionals for your new opinion monitoring
project because they're already in the perception and behavior business. But be
certain that the PR staff really accepts 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.
Take the time 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?
Of course using professional survey firms to do the opinion gathering work will
cost considerably 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.
With that work under your belt, you must establish a goal calling for action on
the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception
monitoring. You might decide to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Or
correct that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially painful rumor cold.
No one sets their PR goal and forgets to link it with an equally specific strategy
that tells you how to get there. You have just three strategic options available
to you when it comes to doing something about perception and opinion. Change existing
perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong
strategy pick will taste like sauteed mushrooms on your pumpkin pie. So be sure
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.
Read
the rest of the article.
About the Author:
Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association
managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations 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 communi-
cations, 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. bobkelly@TNI.net
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