Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Answer Upon - Public Relations Success Starts Here
The American system of business management is admired and emulated around the world. The American system is characteristic of two positive traits in the American psyche: (1) enthusiasm for making things better for the future and (2) openness and willingness to change in order to achieve that end.No society in the world is more prolific at creating new businesses than the United States capitalistic system. Often, however, as small businesses owners and managers, we are so busy starting new ventures and fighting daily fires that we don’t take the time to learn basic, successful management principles. These principles have been tested and proven by our larger companies over years of trial and error. They are readily available as a resource to the small business owner.Many entrepreneurs are technical experts in the product or service they offer. The entrepreneur, however, o
You can be pretty sure that you will prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Actually, your new PR goal will probably require straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor cold.
You also really need the right strategy. One that lays out how to proceed. Do not forget that there are just 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. Th
In 2003, I moved to Little Rock, AR, and I was amazed with how helpful my new property manager was. If you haven't moved recently, you may have forgotten all the joy associated with having to arrange to shut off your utilities, phone, cable, etc. and arrange to have them hooked up at your new location. Then, you have to deal with mail forwarding, finding new service providers for all aspects of your life, and then deal with the move itself. When I made a cross-country move in 1998 from MA to TX, I had the luxury of being able to quit my job and focus solely on the move and on selling unwanted items. Now, as a solo business owner, I no longer have that luxury, and the processed caused a meltdown or two.However, my saving grace was my property manager.. The information and resources that she had available has greatly decreased the amount of time I'd need to find this info on
Period.
If, however, as a manager you choose to view public relations as simply a collection of tactics, you might see PR success through the lens of press release pickups, successful special events, or newspaper columns mentioning your chief executive.
I don’t believe the underlying premise of public relations allows such a limited interpretation. See for yourself: 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.
I believe that premise implies that the work that precedes such tactics will determine the success of your public relations effort.
It also implies that you might want to broaden your view of public relations requiring that you do something meaningful about your key external audiences instead of concentrating on a brochure versus a DVD versus a broadcast interview.
There’s really no end to the benefits that may come your way. Prospects starting to do business with you; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; and 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.
Will an outside PR agency team do all this work for you? Or folks assigned to your operation? Or, ideally, your own public relations people? No matter where they come from, they need to thoroughly understand this approach to public relations, AND, be really committed to the program beginning with key audience perception monitoring.
Nothing beats sitting down and having (as the Brits say) a good chin wag with your people in order to be sure that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.
Go over the details as to how you plan to proceed, especially when and where you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, 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?
Don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program if your budget can stand it. If the money isn’t there, remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
You can be pretty sure that you will prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Actually, your new PR goal will probably require straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor cold.
You also really need the right strategy. One that lays out how to proceed. Do not forget that there are just 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. The
Over the last month, I have come to hate emails and answerphones; not because I get 100 emails every day but because emails and answerphones are fast becoming the tool of the coward. At Beyond Philosophy we worked with a client a while ago whose account managers and sales teams never used to speak to anyone! They just used to send emails. If the customer called in they were greeted by answerphones which were kept on all day. You see the sales teams were all busy doing “real” work. The customers were just interrupting them. Surely this must be the height of “inside out” behaviour.But why do people do this?Primarily, it is because we all feel we can say things in emails that we would never say face to face. In my experience this never works how people would expect. No matter how hard you try, you think you have written one thing and the person reads something else. Before
I believe that premise implies that the work that precedes such tactics will determine the success of your public relations effort.
It also implies that you might want to broaden your view of public relations requiring that you do something meaningful about your key external audiences instead of concentrating on a brochure versus a DVD versus a broadcast interview.
There’s really no end to the benefits that may come your way. Prospects starting to do business with you; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; customers making repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; and 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.
Will an outside PR agency team do all this work for you? Or folks assigned to your operation? Or, ideally, your own public relations people? No matter where they come from, they need to thoroughly understand this approach to public relations, AND, be really committed to the program beginning with key audience perception monitoring.
Nothing beats sitting down and having (as the Brits say) a good chin wag with your people in order to be sure that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.
Go over the details as to how you plan to proceed, especially when and where you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, 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?
Don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program if your budget can stand it. If the money isn’t there, remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
You can be pretty sure that you will prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Actually, your new PR goal will probably require straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor cold.
You also really need the right strategy. One that lays out how to proceed. Do not forget that there are just 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. Th
By now, most people have strayed far from their New Year's Resolutions. Why? It's easier to stay the same than to change. It's uncomfortable. Instant results aren't seen. Been to the bookstore lately? There are more diet books than you can imagine. Guess what? Most of them actually work but are only short-term fixes. Are you out there looking for short-term fixes in your operation?Just like diets, the only real solution is commitment to the basics of the business. For a dieter, it all boils down to eating less and exercising. Joining a health club doesn’t cause you to lose weight --- actually going and working hard is the key. In restaurants it’s no different. Yelling, lowering standards, talking about an issue or buying a self-help video doesn’t mean you’ll achieve long-term success. They may provide the spark or the idea, but until you change, the staff won’t.
Will an outside PR agency team do all this work for you? Or folks assigned to your operation? Or, ideally, your own public relations people? No matter where they come from, they need to thoroughly understand this approach to public relations, AND, be really committed to the program beginning with key audience perception monitoring.
Nothing beats sitting down and having (as the Brits say) a good chin wag with your people in order to be sure that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.
Go over the details as to how you plan to proceed, especially when and where you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, 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?
Don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program if your budget can stand it. If the money isn’t there, remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
You can be pretty sure that you will prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Actually, your new PR goal will probably require straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor cold.
You also really need the right strategy. One that lays out how to proceed. Do not forget that there are just 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. Th
In part one of this topic I described some of the basic concepts of affiliate marketing. I hope you’ve had a chance to research some of the topics presented as I’m going to explain a few of the more “advanced” concepts associated with affiliate marketing.At this point you should have already selected a topic of interest, pursued the market opportunities available, and begun thinking about products that you can market. As I mentioned in part one affiliate marketing is a great home business to begin because it requires such a small initial investment. You’ve probably not spent any money whatsoever and you’re already well on your way to opening your own business.My suggestion is to next begin researching available web hosting sites. Along with this you might also begin thinking about a suitable domain name where your business will reside. When you’re just starting out
Go over the details as to how you plan to proceed, especially when and where you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, 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?
Don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program if your budget can stand it. If the money isn’t there, remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
You can be pretty sure that you will prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Actually, your new PR goal will probably require straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor cold.
You also really need the right strategy. One that lays out how to proceed. Do not forget that there are just 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. Th
The United States of America is the best country in the world as far as health care is concerned. Public and private health care is extremely advanced and no other system in the world can actually touch it in terms of innovation, effectiveness and general care. It is no wonder then that medical professionals get paid more here than elsewhere. However, that is not to say that there are no temporary nursing jobs available.The demand for nursing is extremely high and there are never enough nurses to fulfil the demand. The immigration service has allowed for this and nurses arrive in the United States from all over the world on the strength of their profession. That is still not fulfilling demand though. More doctors, nurses and health care assistants are needed and the numbers are increasing every year. This leaves the door well and truly open to those trying to get a temporary n
You can be pretty sure that you will prevail over the worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Actually, your new PR goal will probably require straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor cold.
You also really need the right strategy. One that lays out how to proceed. Do not forget that there are just 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. The wrong strategy pick will taste like rice vinegar on your scones, so 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.
What’s needed now is a strong message aimed squarely at members of your target audience. Admittedly, crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking is not an easy job. That’s why you will need a heavy-hitter 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.
At last, one of the more entertaining chores -- selecting the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You might do this after you run a final draft by your PR people for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Only caveat: be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.
As a message’s believability has been known to rely on the credibility of the means used to deliver it, you may think about unveiling it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.
Someone, somewhere will ask when a progress report will be available. Your smartest reaction is to take yourself and your PR team back to the field and begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session will fit perfectly the second time around. But now, you will be on keen alert for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction.
As we know, any program can slow down for one reason or another. Tuck this away for future use: if program momentum peters out, you can always speed things up by adding more communications tactics, and increasing their frequencies.
The reason we say up front that public relations success CAN start right here with this article, is that, in our view, managers must pursue their managerial objectives by concentrating on the work outlined here that precedes their use of tactics.
That will determine the success of their public relations effort.
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.
Robert A. Kelly © 2005.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.hubyou.info/article/33979/hubyou-Public-Relations-Success-Starts-Here.html">Public Relations Success Starts Here</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.hubyou.info/article/33979/hubyou-Public-Relations-Success-Starts-Here.html]Public Relations Success Starts Here[/url]
Related Articles:
Change Challenge and Innovation: Implementing Change
Venture Capital Alternative for Technology Entrepreneurs
Productivity and the Need for Better Questioning Skills
Bookmark it:
|