Creating a press release can be one of the best ways for an indie artist, or band, to gain some instant media exposure for themselves. And you know, as well as I, that exposure is the name of the game these days. Even though the world-wide web has opened up many new possibilites for the independent artist, the competition can be fearsome. So, if you have any news item worthy of print (i.e. a new CD for sale, or a concert coming up, etc.) then a press release might be just the ticket to give you an edge. It will provide the publicity necessary for people to know who you are, so that your music will get heard.

In order to make the best first impression on your readers, your press release should be well written, informative, and to the point. Be careful not to lose your reader’s attention by adding too many unneccesary details. Stick to the facts by explaining who you are and what you have to offer.

I generally prefer to write in a third person narrative when I have to create my own press release (see an example). By asking myself the questions a reporter might ask me, I am able to think more freely and objectively.

[Reporter] - Who are you- what is the name of your band?

[Band] - We have decided to call our band "Tangerine Sunshine".

[R] - What kind of music do you play?

[B] - It’s somewhat eclectic and hard to define; kind of a mixture between alternative and rap.

[R] - I’ve heard that you have just finished recording a new CD. When will it be availabe to the public?

[B] - Yeah, it’s called "Mixed Emotions" and we’re really happy with the way it turned out. It will be available next week.

[R] - Where can a person get a copy of the CD?

[B] - It will be offered on our website (url) and through various other retail outlets (identify them).

[R] Great! How many tracks are on your album?

[B] Twelve.

[R] - Why did you pick "Tangerine Sunshine" for a name?

[B] - We like the colorful and positive image that it represents.

Of course, all the names mentioned above are fictitious and the illustration is only meant to show how you might organize the information you want to put in your press release. It can be modified any number of ways to suit your own particular needs. Once your make-believe reporter has gathered up all the facts, you’re ready to write.

THE HEADLINE

One of the most important things is to begin your press release with a catchy headline. You want to make sure that it will grab the attention of your reader right from the start.

FIRST PARAGRAPH

Get the information about who you are (the name of your band, etc.) and what you have to offer within the very first paragraph. Keeping the who, what, when, where, why and how questions before you as you write will help to stimulate the creative process.

SECOND PARAGRAPH

In the second paragragh of your press release you can go into a little more detail. Perhaps you’ll want to describe the style of your music, or tell something more about your upcoming event. If so, this is the place to do it.

THIRD PARAGRAGH

In this third and final paragragh you can briefly tell something about the other people who were involved with your project or event. Whatever you haven’t covered in your press release yet, but feel is important, you can add here. Be sure to include any contact information you have, especially a website or email address.

When your press release is ready, after you’ve spell-checked it for typos and grammar, go ahead and post it on your website and/or in your blog. Then send it to as many free PR sites as you can find. Mi2n.com is a good one for musicians and indie artists to start with.

You should also send your press release, along with a cover letter, to all the local newspapers in your area. Put "Attention: Editor" above the address on the envelope and if possible include a photo.

Don’t forget to send an email to all your friends, relatives, and neighbors as well. This is your time to shine, so reach for the stars!

FREE Reprint Rights - You may publish this article in your e-zine or on your web site as long as you include the following information:

Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on buying a guitar, songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: http://www.abclearnguitar.com

OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a profit for your business unit, or meet certain expectations of your association membership, or achieve your non-profit’s operating objective. In each case, you’ll need public relations activity that creates behavior change among your key outside audiences. Behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Here’s how you can make it happen. Accept the fact that the right PR really can alter individual perception and lead to those changed behaviors you need.

Then resolve to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your operation.

In particular, create the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. You’ll be able to pull this off when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, and then move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Here’s the blueprint showing you how to manage this kind of public relations. 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.

But you’ll find that you will need a lot more than news releases, brochures and special events to get a satisfactory return on your PR investment.

Here are some of the results business, non-profit and association managers can expect from this kind of public relations. New proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; community service and sponsorship opportunities; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels, and even new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Before long, you should see customers making repeat purchases; prospects reappearing; stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies, and perhaps even capital givers or specifying sources looking your way.

A word of caution here because you certainly want your most important outside audiences to really perceive your operations, products or services in a positive light. Be sure that your PR staff is really on board for the whole effort. Reassure yourself that they accept the basic truth that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Sit down and review the PR blueprint carefully with your staff, especially regarding how you will gather and monitor perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the how things went? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Clearly, IF the budget is available, you can depend on professional survey people to handle the perception monitoring phases of your program. But fortunately, 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.

When you set your public relations goal, remember that you need one that addresses the problems that appeared during your key audience perception monitoring. Probably, your new goal will call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that awful rumor.

As day follows night, goals need strategies to show you how to get there. But you have just three strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, selecting a bad strategy will taste like anchovy paste on your scones, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

How you structure your corrective message is crucial because persuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfully hard work. Especially when you’re looking for words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND clear and factual. Hard work, but a must if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors. Review your message with your communications specialists for its impact and persuasiveness.

Sounds obvious, but in order to carry your words to the attention of your target audience, you need to select the precise communications tactics most likely to reach them. Fortunately, you can pick from dozens of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Be darn certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

When you think about it, the credibility of your message can depend on how you deliver it. So, try introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show appearances.

Before long, you’ll need to produce a progress report, which means it’s probably time for you and your PR folks to get back out in the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You can use the same questions used in the first benchmark session, but now you must stay alert for signs that your communications tactics have worked and that the negative perception is being altered in your direction.

If things aren’t moving fast enough for you, matters can always be accelerated with a broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

Because people act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation, you really need a public relations blueprint like this. Reason being you have little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.

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 © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

Do you know who your ideal client is? Most business owners don’t really know. They guess!

And because they guess, they’re working way to hard, marketing too much, spending too much money. I know I’ve been there, done that.

Now, my bottom line definition of an ideal client would include a client who:

–Easily pays you top dollar, and on time, for your services.

–Comes to you already understanding what you services can help them accomplish.

–Refers you to others without you even asking.

–Comes back for more of your services, whenever they’re ready for another "shot" of what you offer.

–Gives you "energy" - emotionally and financially!

I made two big mistakes when I started my business. I didn’t create two of the most important "business keys" upfront - a business plan and an ideal client profile. The result? Well,I ended up broke, used the money from the sale of my home to live. Of course, since then, I’ve made some hefty changes!

One of those changes was getting over my "fear" about narrowing my client base. You see, I thought that if I created such a small base to get clients, I’d be broke and bored - a place I found myself in anyway, because I was doing thing "my way".

Here’s what I learned:

Niching does not mean that I can’t accept clients outside my niche. Niching is done to make MY life - and YOUR life - easier. It’s another one of those business tools that is created to help save money and time. For marketing purposes, for the sake of clarity, for a business owner’s health and well being, so you’re not all over the place "chasing" marketing - spending dollar after dollar after dollar. Heck, isn’t there more than enough "stuff" for us to do as business owners?

I remember the first time I went into a networking meeting and introduced myself simply as a "Business Consultant and Coach" who helped "women who own service business and service professionals." I left the "life" off in front of "Coach." I left the word "career" out of the sentence about who I helped.

I was so nervous! And what happened? Well, I survived the meeting, obviously. And, after the meeting, someone asked if I could coach their husband who was in transition between CAREERS! Boy, did that teach me a valuable lesson. If you are clear and confident (or seem that way) people will provide you with wonderful business opportunities that you can say yes to… or no to.

Do I ever go out of my niche for meetings or to speak? Yes, although rarely these days. There are 5 or 6 life topics that I speak on - usually at recovery conferences or for stressed out business owners who are just tired of the same old speakers speaking about business

Even after you define your niche, that doesn’t mean that you can’t choose to take on clients outside that niche - if that’s what you want to do.

And even after you choose a niche, that doesn’t mean that you can’t change it. I did just this year. I’m big on monitoring my efforts and I noticed that 40% of my best - ideal clients - clients are men, while 60% are women. That’s a big change over 2 years ago, when most of my clients were women. So I decided to "drop" the women service business part of my niche. And that allows me to change who I market to; for example, I no longer look for organizations that have the word "women" in their name. I’m actually more interested in knowing how many business owners are in their membership who have been in business at least 2 years.

What else happens when you niche and really monitor your business? You have time to start notice patterns in what your clients are doing. Here’s two examples I’ve noticed recently: 1) 95% of my new clients want to create multiple streams of business income from their knowledge and expertise - ebooks, CDs, audios, etc., 2) All the solo-preneurs who hire me are ready to hire consultants or employees. Now, what am I going to do with that information? Use it in the way I market. Use it to create programs that will attract my niche.

Niching is also about knowing what makes you special - or what’s known as your USP - unique selling proposition. Knowing what makes me special in the large world of business consulting, coaching and training, has led folks to know me as "that NY Coach" (I currently live in Washington State, so my accent and attitude stick out just a teensy bit). I’ve taken another part of what I’m known for - as the person service business go to for resources and to get organized by creating systems and plans - and become The Resource Queen. I’m known as the business consultant who can speak "geek" but does it in plain English. Heck, to be remembered - for some wonderful worthwhile things - that’s part of what counts!

So…. take a risk - and niche!

©2005 Maria Marsala, former Wall Street Trader. We help women CEOs and Presidents run more effective and efficient businesses while positioning themselves to achieve financial/personal success. Join "SIMPLE Solutions Ezine" to receive an audio and 2 reports. http://www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com

Quite a bit, actually. Public relations helps business, non- profit and association managers achieve their managerial objectives with results like these. New proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; customers making repeat purchases; stronger relationships with educational, labor, financial and healthcare interests; enhanced activist group relations; new membership applications; capital givers and specifying sources looking their way, as well as improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; both new thoughtleader and special event contacts; and expanded feedback channels.

Here are some of the public relations strategies they use.

They accept the fact that the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to the very changed behaviors they need. And they recognize that, because people DO act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about these managers and their operations, they have little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move those key external audiences of theirs to actions they desire.

What these business, non-profit and association managers are doing is taking steps to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of theirs that MOST affect their operations.

So they create the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving their managerial objectives. Interestingly, they’ll be able to accomplish this when they persuade those key outside folks to their way of thinking, and then move them to take actions that allow their department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Undergirding the whole effort is the fundamental premise of public relations: 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.

There is no doubt that you want your most important outside audiences to perceive your operations, products or services in a positive light. So, reassure yourself that your PR staff accepts the basic truth that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Talk to your PR people regarding how you will gather and monitor perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the how things went? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Clearly, the perception monitoring phases of your program can be assigned to professional survey people to handle, IF the budget is available. If not, you are fortunate that you can depend on your own PR people who 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.

Problems that appeared during your key audience perception monitoring will be the basis for your public relations goal. No doubt it will shoot to straighten out that dangerous misconception, or correct that gross inaccuracy, or do something about that wretched rumor.

You can’t avoid the fact that every goal must have a strategy to show you how to get there. But you have just three strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. As luck would have it, selecting the wrong strategy will taste like sauteed bologna ends, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Here you’ll be looking for words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND clear and factual. Structuring your corrective message is crucial because persuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfully hard work. But a must if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the behaviors you desire. Take the time to go over your message with your PR folks for its impact and persuasiveness.

Time to select the precise communications tactics most likely to attract the attention of your target audience. Happily, you can pick from dozens of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be very sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

It’s a fact that your message credibility can depend on the way you deliver it. Try introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show appearances.

Because a progress report will be unavoidable, you can expect you and your PR folks to move back to the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Same questions used in the first benchmark session, will do the trick again. But you must stay alert for signs that your communications tactics have worked and that the negative perception is being altered the way you want it to be altered.

By the way, you can always speed things up with a broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

Public relation’s single most important contribution to a business, non-profit or association manager is building the resolve to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences that most affect their operations.

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 © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

Corporate gift giving ideas are best discussed within the company level. Gift giving can be a touchy issue and it will be great to have another colleague(s) to brain storm it. The benefits of corporate gift giving can never be underestimated and its time to put on your thinking cap. Very often that customer is also shared by another colleague in the company. Your colleague might have sent the customer a gift before and by now have some knowledge about the customer personal tastes or interests.

Once your colleague has agreed to your suggestion to send the customer a gift, with the combined budget, the choice of gift is probably limited by ones’ imagination. Isn’t a better choice to present a uniquely memorable gift than to present 2 ordinary gifts from the same company?

Corporate gift giving ideas should adhere the following concerns:

1) Timing of gift
That well sought customer of yours is probably an Anchor customer to another rival company. Everybody budget for gift can never be the same and it is best not to send your gift within that same working week. Worst, if your gift is heaven and earth apart in comparison! Although this is a very difficult question to answer but with some efforts through getting to know your customer better daily, subtle hints can generate a wealth of knowledge about your customer for your benefits.

2) Gift policy
It is better to be safe than sorry in checking out the gift policy of your own company and the customer. You might be new in this company and what is being practiced in your previous company might not be applicable to the present company. Incurring personal expense and yet against your company policy can be detrimental for career advancement.

Most companies have some sort of gift policy for the recipient. It is probably set on the number or the value of the gift. Others can be vague and define it as a "token" gift. In some extreme, no gift is allowed !

3) Desired gift
The effort of getting a desired gift out-weights a less desirable gift for the relationship building. Since the intention is clear, might as well make it a superb corporate gift giving idea to the delight of the customer! How, you will wonder? Well, can you still remember that perfect timing of the gift for the customer birthday through constant conversations and subtle information gathering questions? Am glad this suggestion brings a smile to your face!

Basically the above are just some of the corporate gift giving ideas which you knew but just didn’t find time to polish it to perfection to bring your relationship with your customers to the highest degree.

For more great ideas on corporate gift giving solutions, visit Corporate Gift Ideas Guide

You want to sell your products or services, and that means good money management, top quality products or services, and hard work on your part. But, for REAL success, the icing on the cake is public relations.

Here’s why. People act on their perception of the facts about you; those perceptions lead to certain, predictable behaviors; and, best of all, something can be done about both that will lead to achieving your objectives.

First, public relations creates, changes or reinforces public opinion — you know, all those perceptions we just talked about.

Then it reaches, persuades and moves-to-actions-you-desire those very people whose behaviors affect your business. We’re talking about actions like new customer development, retention of long-time patrons and increased product purchases.

Now, when you can actually see those behaviors you want so badly (hopefully matching the behaviors you said upfront you wanted), the public relations effort is complete, and a success.

How do you pull this off?

If you follow a game plan like this one, you should rank in order-of-importance those audiences with an interest in your organization, often referred to as stakeholders or "publics." They would include customers, prospects, media, the business community and local thought-leaders as well as a number of other interested groups.

What Do They Think of You?

You should interact with those audiences and gather their impressions of your organization, in particular, areas where problems may be brewing. Ask questions. Notice any negativity? Misconceptions? Inaccuracies? Rumors?

This is information gathering, opinion sampling, informal polling, if you will, but essential to any public relations effort. If resources are available, a modest opinion poll of the #1 priority audience also would be helpful.

How Much Behavioral Change is Needed?

Well, with opinion sampling of one kind or another underway, it’s a good time to focus on any negative perceptions you discovered. Once they’re identified and understood, a marker can be set down setting the degree of behavioral change you would like and that realistically can be expected and monitored in an agreed-upon time frame..

This becomes the goal against which the public relations program will finally be measured.

Create, Change or Reinforce Opinion?

Now, should those key audience perceptions be created from scratch, nudged in one direction or another, or simply reinforced? An important decision, because it will influence the direction, content and tone of all of your communications. Make it carefully.

The Persuasive Message

Once that decision is made, it’s time to prepare messages tailored to each audience that, while providing details about your products and services, indirectly address those problem areas that came up during the information gathering meetings. Then, while you do the persuasive messages needed to bring those folks around, be guided by your behavior modification goal as well as the perception changes needed to achieve it.

Reaching Your Audience

How will you communicate each message to its audience? How will you reach these people? Your choices include face-to-face meetings, briefings, speeches, news releases, news announcement luncheons, emailings, media interviews, facility tours, special promotional events, a brochure, and a variety of other communications tactics.

And don’t forget special event exposures as a means for reaching those target audiences with your messages. They usually make news and include activities such as open houses, roadshows, awards ceremonies, trade shows and contests.

Media That Target Your Audience

It sounds elementary, but selecting the right media to carry your messages demands that you be certain that each communications tool zeros in directly on the target audience. Example: little sense in using ride-time (rush hour) radio appearances if you’re trying to reach retirees.

Signs of Improvement

So, how will you know whether your efforts are actually changing perceptions (and behaviors) for the better? As time passes, experience tells us that you will begin to notice increased awareness of your business and its role in the marketplace; a growing receptiveness to your messages by customers; increased public perception of the role your organization plays in its industry and in the community, as well as increasing numbers of prospects.

Achieving The Goal

To track actual results, you must speak once again - and on a regular basis — with people among each of your key audiences. And also by monitoring print and broadcast media for mentions of your messages or viewpoints.

Each of these indicators will reflect how local feelings about your organization are changing. In turn, this will allow you to adjust your communications tactics in pursuit of the perceptions and behaviors you seek

The effort is worth it. Done correctly, when public relations results in altered perceptions and modified behaviors among groups of people important to your organization, you’re talking about nothing less than its survival.

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 © 2003.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

O.K., you manage something like human resources, distribution, special projects or finance for a business, non- profit, government agency or association. And, oh yes, you’re pretty darn good at what you do.

Trouble is, you may know very little about the public relations someone else is doing on your behalf.

And that could cost you dearly.

Why? If your PR is focused on simple tactics like press releases, broadcast plugs or brochures, you’re not getting the best public relations has to offer a manager like you.

Instead of just tactics, consider using a strategic public relations plan that alters the individual perception of members of your key outside audiences, thus beginning the process of changing their behaviors.

Then, your new PR plan will lead you to actually persuade many of those key outside folks to your managerial way of thinking, helping to move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

So, what are you REALLY doing at this point?

You are using public relations to do something positive about the behaviors of the very outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your operation. Especially welcome when PR creates the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your most important managerial objectives.

Which is why I believe you need a clearcut public relations blueprint designed to get all your team members and organizational colleagues working towards the same external stakeholder behaviors.

A blueprint, say, like this one: 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.

This approach to public relations will ring true when results like these appear: capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; a rebound in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; fresh community service and sponsorship opportunities; new thoughtleader and special event contacts; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; prospects starting to work with you; customers making repeat purchases; and even stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

Who, would you guess, is going to do the work? Regular public relations staff? Folks assigned to you by those above? Or could it be a PR agency crew? Nevertheless, they must be committed to you as the senior project manager, and to the PR blueprint starting with key audience perception monitoring.

A word of advice. Be certain that your team members really believe deeply why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be certain they buy the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit. Take the time to review your PR blueprint with your team members, 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 organization? 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?

Of course you can always use professional survey counsel for the perception monitoring phases of your program. But 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.

At this juncture, you have to set down your public relations goal. Here, you can do something about the most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring.Your new public relations goal might call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor.

It seems obvious, but it bears repeating. To achieve success, you need a solid strategy, one that clearly shows you how to proceed. To keep things simple, note 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. Of course, the wrong strategy pick will taste like Braunschweiger on your bread pudding, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. Naturally, you don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

In this business, inevitably, you must do some writing. And now’s the time to share a powerful corrective message with members of your target audience. But persuading an audience to your way of thinking is no easy task. Which is why your PR folks must come up with words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual. Only in this way will you be able to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

At a meeting of your communications specialists, decide if your message’s impact and persuasiveness measure up. 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.

Another word of advice. You might want to unveil the message before smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases. Reason is, the credibility of a message can depend on the credibility of its delivery method.

When the topic of progress reports is suggested, you and your PR team should stand alerted to return to the field and start work on a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. In all probability, you’ll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. Only this time, you will be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

On the chance that momentum may slow, try speeding up matters with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

Here is the central reality of public relations: the right PR can alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors which, in turn, lead directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Only in this way will you move beyond PR tactics like special events, brochures, broadcast plugs and press releases to achieve the very best public relations has to offer.

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

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over 200 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.PRCommentary.com

And show it for what it is - a humdinger of a strategy machine using cutting-edge communications tactics that lead directly to program success. And all because perceptions were altered, behaviors modified and the employer/client satisfied with the end result.

When everybody benefits like that, blowing the lid off public relations is not only justified, it’s necessary!

Do you take the core strengths of public relations into account as you manage those communications tactics?

Because if you don’t, you’re missing the sweet-spot of public relations. The communications tactics you use must work together to create the behavioral change you want in certain groups of people important to the success of your business.

But NO organization - business, non-profit, association or public sector - can succeed today unless the behaviors of its most important audiences are in-sync with the organization’s objectives.

For your operation, that means public relations professionals must modify somebody’s behavior if they are to help hit your objective - all else are means to that end.

Which is why, when public relations goes on to successfully create, change or reinforce public opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, it accomplishes its mission.

How can we be so certain? Question: how can you measure the results of an activity more accurately than when you clearly achieve the goal you set at the beginning of that activity? You can’t. It defines success.

Public relations is no different. The client/employer wants our help in altering counterproductive perceptions among key audiences which almost always change behaviors in a way that helps him or her get to where they want to be.

Now, to achieve that goal, public relations practitioners must be skilled in many tactical disciplines. Everything from media relations, public speaking and a dozen kinds of writing to financial communications, special events, issue tracking and crisis management, to name just a few.

But too often, the employer/client’s tendency is to see little beyond a tactic’s immediate impact. For example, a speech and how it was received, a news release and how it was picked up and presented in a newspaper or on TV, or a special event and the audience’s reaction.

Of course those concerns are understandable and shouldn’t be lightly dismissed. But the question also must be asked, to what end are we applying those tactics?

Well, WHY do we employ public relations tactics anyway? Could it be for the pure pleasure of doing surveys, making speeches or editing company magazines? Not likely. We employ public relations so that, at the end of the day, somebody’s behavior gets modified.

That leads us directly to the core strength of public relations: people act on their perception of the facts; those perceptions lead to certain behaviors; and something can be done about those perceptions and behaviors that leads to achieving an organization’s objectives.

To assess those behavior changes and, thus, the degree of success the core public relations program has achieved, look for evidence that your tactics have actually changed behavior. Signs should begin showing up via Internet chatter, in print and broadcast news coverage, reports from the field, letters-to- the-editor, consumer and customer reactions, shareholder letters and comments from community leaders.

Consider doing informal polls of employees, retirees, industrial neighbors and local businesses as well as collecting feedback from suppliers, elected officials, union leaders and government agencies.

The point of this article is that the core strength of public relations places a special burden on each tactic selected to carry the message to a target audience: does it/will it make a tangible, action-producing contribution towards altering target audience perceptions and behaviors? If not, it should be dropped and replaced with a tactic that does.

That way, only the strongest tactics will be used allowing public relations to apply its core strength to the challenge at hand: create, change or reinforce public opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization.

What do I believe the employer/client wants from us? I believe s/he wants us to use our expertise in a way that helps achieve his or her business objectives. But regardless of what strategic plan we create to solve a problem, regardless of what tactical program we put in place, when all is said and done, we must modify somebody’s behavior if we are to earn our keep.

So, not one, not two, but three benefits result when the behavioral changes become apparent, and meet the program’s original behavior modification goal: First and most important, the public relations effort is a success.

Second, by achieving the behavioral goal you set at the beginning, you are taking advantage of a dependable and accurate public relations performance measurement.

Finally, when the "reach, persuade and move-to-desired-action" efforts produce a visible, and desired modification in the behaviors of those people you wish to influence, you are using public relations’ core strength to its full benefit.

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.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

Businesses can boost their organization by getting media coverage. Below is some information about some key media you may want to contact.

US News & World Report, 202-955-2000, says it is changing focus to deliver more analysis and investigative pieces and less story chasing. It is consolidating print and online staff, so there should be some opportunities here. Media staff reductions always help the aggressive media relations person. We’ll probably be seeing more list type pieces, like "Best of…" features.

New publications like Your Health Now, also offer good editorial opportunities. The bi-monthly book’s focus is in empowering people to have productive conversations with their health care providers. It is published by Merck.

Meredith has bought Fitness and is trying to expand its female audience beyond the hard-core workout crowd. They are planning to boost nutrition, psychology and beauty coverage in the publication. Kate Moodie, 212-4999-2000, has been named executive style editor there.

Closer to my Carolina home, Sherry B. Melton has been named business editor of North Carolina Magazine, the publication put out since 1943 by the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry. Also, Mike Stobbe, formerly health reporter at the Charlotte Observer now covering that beat for Associated Press.

Welcome to the broadcast Gordon Deal, 609-520-4000, who slides behind the mike at Wall Street Journal’s radio shows This Morning and This Weekend.

Inc. has a new editor, Jane Berentson, 212-499-200.

By the way, Yahoo! has upgraded its media lists with a new regional subdirectory. This makes it easier to find publications on a state-by-state, metro and city basis. For example, here’s the North Carolina subdirectory.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, Verbatim and Wicked Choppers.

Sure, as tactics usually presented to business, non-profit and association managers, special events, brochures and news releases are fine.

But they’re not the high-octane PR firepower you need to deliver growth results like new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; accelerating prospect contacts; rising membership applications; customers making repeat purchases; rebounds in showroom visits, or capital givers and specifying sources looking your way.

As you add such firepower, you should see stronger relationships with educational, labor, financial and healthcare interests; new community service and sponsorship opportunities; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels, not to mention new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

And here’s the key that can unlock such a bonanza, the underlying premise of public relations: 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.

There seems little doubt that you as a manager work hard to insure that your most important outside audiences see your operations, products or services in the best possible light. Which is why you need to assure yourself that your PR people are totally on board this effort. Be especially careful that they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Because you will need to monitor perception by questioning members of your most important outside audiences, take some time to review the PR blueprint in detail with your staff. Consider questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

You have a choice as to who handles the perception monitoring phases of your program. Of course professional survey people can do the job, IF the budget is available. But fortunately, 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.

Now, let’s talk about your public relations goal. You need one that speaks to the "problematics" that showed up during your key audience perception monitoring. In all probability, it will call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that damaging rumor.

Yes, your strategy now will show you how to get there. But remember that you have only three strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. As luck would have it, a bad strategy pick will taste like sauteed prunes, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Here you must persuade an audience to your way of thinking by creating just the right, corrective language. Which is why we’re looking for words that are compelling, persuasive and believable AND clear and factual. This is a must if you are to straighten out a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, thus leading to the behaviors you desire.

Now we pick out the communications tactics most likely to carry your words to the attention of your target audience. Get input from your communications specialists and review your message for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of available tactics ranging from speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Unfortunate but true, the credibility of a message can depend on how it’s delivered. So you might think about introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show appearances.

When the topic of a progress report is suggested, you know it’s time for you and your PR folks to return to the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. The same questions you used in the first benchmark session will do nicely once again. But this time, you’ll be watching carefully for signs that your communications tactics have worked and that the negative perception is being altered in your direction.

If patience seems in short supply, things can always be gunned with a broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

High-octane PR firepower makes all the difference once you decide to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that most affect your operation.

You’ll do it by creating external stakeholder behavior change leading directly to achieving your managerial objectives. And by persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking, thus moving them to take actions that allow your business, non-profit or association to succeed.

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 © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net