"Moving
Key Audiences to Take Action."
By Robert A. Kelly
You know, those really important outside groups
of people whose behaviors can help or hinder any business, non-profit
or association manager in achieving his or her objectives? Are
you persuading those key stakeholders – especially those
whose behaviors affect your unit the MOST – to your way
of thinking, then moving them to take actions that help your department,
division or subsidiary succeed?
Oh, as a manager, you say you’re covered
in that regard – your public relations team is racking up
some juicy print and broadcast placements, and you say those kinds
of exposures are what your PR program is all about?
At the risk of becoming a skunk at this picnic,
I suggest you consider broadening your public relations field-of-fire
to where it best belongs, on your unit’s key external stakeholder
behaviors rather than the occasional publicity placement.
Here’s why. The people you deal with behave
like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of
the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you
little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those
perceptions (and their follow on behaviors) by doing what is necessary
to reach and move those key external audiences to action.
And that means using a workable PR blueprint
to do the job. For example, 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 accomplished.
Consider for a moment what the results of this
approach to PR could be. Customers starting to make repeat purchases,
and even prospects starting to do business with you; fresh proposals
for strategic alliances and joint ventures; welcome bounces in
show room visits; rising membership applications, and community
leaders beginning to seek you out; new approaches by capital givers
and specifying sources not to mention politicians and legislators
viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association
communities.
So who’s going to do the work? Your own
full-time public relations staff? A few folks assigned by Corporate
to your unit? An outside PR agency team? Regardless where they
come from, they need to be committed to you, to the PR blueprint
and to its implementation, starting with key audience perception
monitoring.
A word of caution. Just because someone describes
him/herself as a public relations person doesn’t guarantee
they’ve bought the whole meatloaf. Make certain the public
relations people assigned to your unit really believe –
deep down -- why it’s SO important to know how your most
important outside audiences perceive your operations, products
or services. Make sure they accept the reality that perceptions
almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.
Layout the PR blueprint for them, especially
your plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning
members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like
these: how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you
had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange?
How much do you know about our services or products and employees?
Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?
If your budget will bear the considerable expense
of professional survey firms, by all means use them in the perception
monitoring phases of your program. However, keep in mind that
your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business
and can pursue the same objective supported by survey counsel
input: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors,
inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception
that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
Time to set your PR goal, one that stands a good
chance of doing something about the most serious distortions you
discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. It
could be to straighten out that dangerous misconception, or correct
that gross inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal rumor dead
in its tracks.
Next step is the right strategy, one that tells
you how to proceed. And keep in mind that there are only three
strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a
perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception,
create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since
the wrong strategy pick will taste like marinara sauce on your
key lime pie, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with
your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select
“change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce”
strategy.
Time for some hard work. Write a moving message
and aim it at members of your target audience. As always, crafting
action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of
thinking is tough work. Which is why you need your first-string
varsity writer because s/he must create some very special, corrective
language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable,
but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift
perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors
you are targeting.
I’d try it out on my PR colleagues for
impact and persuasiveness. Then, select the communications tactics
most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target
audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches,
facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media
interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But
be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just
like your audience members.
Because the credibility of a message is often
dependent on the means used to deliver it, you may decide to unveil
it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using
higher- profile news releases.
Calls for progress reports will soon be heard,
which signals to you and your PR team to get busy on a second
perception monitoring session with members of your external audience.
You’ll want to use many of the same questions used in the
first benchmark session. Difference this time is that you will
be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception
is being altered in your direction.
By the way, aren’t we fortunate that, if
things ever slow down, we can simply accelerate matters by adding
more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies?
So, what you really want the new PR plan to accomplish
is to persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your
way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads
to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.
Yes, powerful is a strong word but certainly
not too strong when the people you deal with do, in fact, behave
like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of
the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you
little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those
perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move your
key external audiences to actions you desire.
|
