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Special events also will be high on “reach” action list: newsworthy events like trade shows, open houses, awards ceremonies, contests, VIP receptions, financial roadshows, and even media-attracting stunts. At same time, marketing counsel will want to develop sales-oriented communications to help build brand franchise, win consumer acceptance and gain competitive advantage.
Persuade
Persuading your key audiences, third leg of opinion troika, is yet another challenge because bringing these important groups of stakeholders around to your way of thinking depends heavily on quality of message you prepare for each target audience.
It’s hard work. You must understand and identify what is really at issue at 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 actions you desire.
By way, those incentives could include very strength of your position on issues, a new plant expansion holding promise of more jobs and taxes for City, or even your organization’s efforts to attract low and middle income housing to area.
Implementation
Equally important to moving into action with highly effective communications tactics will be selection and perceived credibility of actual spokespeople who will deliver your messages. They must be seen as people of stature, and they must speak with authority, personal confidence and conviction if meaningful media coverage is to be achieved.
Now, Let’s Gain and Hold
By this time, your action program should begin to gain and hold kind of public understanding and acceptance that will lead to desired shift in public behavior.
And The End-Game? Modify Behavior, Achieve your Goal
When changes in behaviors become truly apparent through media reports, thought-leader comment, employee and community chatter and a variety of other feedback -- at same time clearly meeting your original behavior modification goal -- I’ll say again that your public relations program can be deemed a success.
Obviously, your piece of action in business recovery ahead will come at a price. And that will be your cost to efficiently modify behaviors of your target audiences. But, payoff makes it all worthwhile -- nothing less than achievement of your business objectives and, at slight risk of overstatement, a real contribution to survival of your organization.
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Bob Kelly, public relations counselor, 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 Website: http://www.prcommentary.com