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Is Your Public Relations Investment Paying Off?
You’ll never know unless you set the right kind of goal at
the beginning – a goal against which progress can be measured,
and a goal that flows directly from public relations
strategies and tactics like those discussed below.
In my opinion, you must keep your eye on the end-game
because the reason we do public relations in the first place
is to change the behaviors of certain groups of people
important to the success of our organization.
Another way of saying that? What we REALLY care about is
modifying the behavior of those we wish to influence.
Ask yourself this question: do we employ public relations
for the sheer pleasure of writing news releases, running
special events, doing surveys or booking speeches? Some
folks may actually think so, but I believe the answer to
that question is no. We employ public relations so that, at
the end of the day, somebody’s behavior gets modified.
o you may wish to influence people to begin thinking more
positively about your organization, thus strengthening
its reputation.
o or encourage them to begin buying your soft drink
brand by communicating its great taste and refreshing
flavor.
o it could be as simple as communicating a company’s
strengths to a target audience leading them to invest in
the company’s shares.
o or even providing environmental activists with the facts
about the company’s full compliance with Federal
regulations, in the hope they will bring their plant-site
demonstrations to an end.
But remember: until you have a solid indication that target
behaviors have, in fact, changed in ways that meet your
primary behavior modification goal, you DON’T know if your
investment has paid off.
So, let’s look at ways to increase one’s comfort level about
that public relations investment. Here are five steps, that
can help you hit the public relations bullseye – desired
behavior modification -- on your next public relations venture.
Step 1 Accept the Fact That People Act on their
Perception of the Facts
Many behavioral experts agree that people really do act on
THEIR perception of the facts, and that how they react to
those facts actually does affect their behaviors. It follows
that individual understanding of those facts must be contin-
ually informed if those behaviors are to help achieve the
organization’s goal and objectives.
A simple, but effective illustration of this dynamic at work,
is the investor considering the purchase of company shares.
With the facts available to him or her at the moment, he/she
forms a perception of the company. Unsupported though they
may be, should those facts cast doubt on the company’s
future, it’s safe to say that the investor’s negative perception of
the company will lead to a certain behavior, namely, no
shares are purchased.
Public relations counsel, alerted to the negative perception
about the company through continuous media monitoring,
opinion sampling and thoughtleader contact, moves rapidly
to communicate accurate sales and financial data to the
investment community. In due course, this leads to perception
and behavioral changes on the part of many investors –
namely, towards a decision to buy the company’s shares.
Step 2 Create, Change or Reinforce Opinion
Here, after assessing opinion among your target audiences
through media monitoring, opinion sampling and thought-leader
contact, you must decide whether you will create or change
or reinforce public opinion within each target audience.
Choosing the correct mode – 1) reinforcing existing opinion,
2) creating new opinion from scratch or 3) changing current
and possibly long-held views -- is obviously central to your
message preparation strategy and its copy approach. Each
must be written to carefully reflect the timing of the action
being taken.
Step 3
Reach, Persuade and Move-to-Action
Now, you must reach, persuade and move-to-action those
people whose behaviors will affect your organization. That
includes, among others, a variety of stakeholders including
customers, employees, prospects, retirees, media, legislators and
regulators, and both financial and plant communities.
Reaching these target groups means applying the most effective communications tools available to you. Among others, these
will include such tactics as media relations and publicity-
generating news conferences and press releases, newsletters and
e-mails, high-profile speeches, charitable contributions,
investor relations and informal opinion surveys.
Special events will be high on the action list: newsworthy
events like trade shows, open houses, awards ceremonies,
contests, VIP receptions, financial roadshows, and even
media-attracting stunts. On the marketing side, you will
want to target your sales-oriented communications to help
build brand franchise, win consumer acceptance and gain
competitive advantage.
Persuading these important groups of stakeholders to your
way of thinking depends heavily on the message you prepare
for each target audience. You must understand and identify
what is really at issue at the moment; impart a sense of
credibility to your comments; perform regular assessments
of how opinion is currently running among that group,
constantly adjusting your message; as well as highlighting
those key issue points most likely to engage their attention
and involvement; and finally, identify and build into your
messages pre-tested, action-producing incentives for
individuals to take the actions you desire.
Moving your target group to action, hopefully with a mix
of activity such as the above, can be accelerated, even
amplified by careful selection of the media to reach your
target audience. This applies whether, among others, it’s
print or broadcast media, key podium presentations or a series
of top level personal contacts, and they all must communicate
clearly and directly to your target audiences.
Of equal importance to the success of your program
will be the selection and perceived credibility of the actual
spokespeople who will deliver your messages. They must
have stature in their industries, and speak with authority,
personal confidence and conviction if meaningful media
coverage is to be achieved.
Step 4 Gain and Hold Understanding and Acceptance
By this time, your action program should begin to gain and
hold the kind of public understanding and acceptance that
leads to the desired shift in public behavior.
Signs that your messages are turning some opinion in your
direction should appear. A chance comment in a business
meeting, a popular columnist’s observations, e-mails from
interested parties or co-worker alerts that this political
figure or that local celebrity made public references to
your topic, should begin to build. Many of these indicators,
each reflecting the state of individual perception, will
gradually begin to reflect the modified behaviors you have
in mind.
Step 5 Modify the Behavior, Achieve your Goal
When the changes in behaviors become truly apparent through
media reports, thought-leader comment, employee and community
chatter and other feedback, at the same time clearly meeting
your original behavior modification goal, your public
relations program can be deemed a success.
end
About the Author
Bob Kelly, public relations consultant, was director of public
relations for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-Public Relations, Texaco Inc.;
VP-Public Relations, Olin Corp.; VP-Public Relations, Newport
News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications,
U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press
secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net
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