Are we who we are?Fanatical and exaggerated disciples of a miserable obsession?
Well, maybe not bigoted, or even miserable or obsessive, but definitely SOLD on the reality that people act on their perception of the facts before them, leading to predictable behavior. And also sold in the next step, creating, changing or reinforcing that perception/opinion by reaching, persuading and moving people whose behaviors influence the organization into action of desire.
Why am I sold on what is a PR prerequisite? Because it’s the best way to ensure you, as a manager, get the key external audience behaviors you need to achieve your unit goals.
This also makes the proper execution of the public relations program very important for other managers like you in any business, non-profit organization or association.
Here’s an approach that can work just fine.
Note the most important audience in your unit or department, then prioritize them based on their impact on your business. Let’s take a look at number 1 on the list because clearly any organization, including yours, needs to stay in touch with its most important external audience to find out how it is perceived, remembering of course that behaviors generally follow perceptions.
Now you need to interact with your target audience members, monitor what they think of you, and ask lots of questions. “What do you know of us? You have had contact with us.Was it satisfactory? “And so on. Beware of a potentially harmful lie, inaccuracy, or rumor.
Your opinion tracking responses form the basis of your public relations objective.
Obviously the target will seek corrective action. That is, clarifying a misconception, finding a rumor, or correcting an inaccuracy.
But a goal without a strategy is like a hot dog without a sandwich.
We’re lucky we only have three choices when it comes to strategies for dealing with issues of opinion: we can create perception where there is none, alter existing perception, or reinforce it. But make sure the strategy you choose naturally follows your new
lens Now that’s where the art comes in.You must write the corrective message to get to the target audience members.Just make sure that the communication tactics you choose have a good track record for reaching people like your target audience.
The day will come when someone will ask, “Are we making progress in this public relations effort?” A good and correct question, the answer to which is available among members of your target audience. Assuming your budget can’t accommodate expensive professional opinion polls, you and your colleagues can track perceptions among members of the public asking the same questions as before.
The difference this time is that you will see perceptions changed in your direction – perceptions have changed as a result of your corrective message and some aggressive communication tactics.
You can always pick up the pace by adding a few more communication tactics and increasing their frequency. And be sure to review the post itself for clarity and real impact.
The benefit is clear: you get the key external audience behaviors you need to achieve your mission goals.