"Issues management" is something that a lot of organisations do. Most of them do this by reading the news, coming up with communication plans based on important issues and trends, and then sending their messages back through the media.
But there's more to good communication than just handling problems through the media. Companies and groups must also be aware of the people outside of them.
"Issues management" is something that a lot of organisations do. Most of them do this by reading the news, coming up with communication plans based on important issues and trends, and then sending their messages back through the media.
But there's more to good communication than just handling problems through the media. Companies and organisations must also be aware of their external publics. These are the people and groups outside of an organization's sphere who affect or are affected by what that organisation does.
This is called "managing relationships." It is the study of figuring out who the most important groups of people are and how to build and keep good relationships with those groups.
b>Determining External Audiences/b>
You probably already use media monitoring to keep track of issues that affect your organisation, just like most other organisations. This is basic communication.
You might even go a step further and do some kind of media analysis, such as giving news stories positive, negative, or neutral tones. And if you aren't, you ought to be. Your communications team isn't doing its job right if it doesn't do the right amount of analysis and evaluation.
But things get really interesting when you add another dimension to the monitoring and analysis you are already doing. One of the best ways to show this is by keeping track of and looking at quotes.
Tracking quotes helps you find your most important audiences. You can see exactly what they are thinking, saying, and doing.
And if you take a few more small steps, like comparing tone and quotes, you can easily figure out what kind of relationship your organisation has with its different key publics. You can see what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong, and if you need to, you can make a plan to fix the relationship.
Obviously, the more positive the quote or article, the more likely it is that the person quoted is on your side when it comes to issues that are good for your business. On the other hand, the more negative a quote or article is, the more likely it is that the person being quoted is against things that are good for your business.
Also, the more a person is quoted, the more likely it is that he or she is an Opinion Leader. This is a person who knows or doesn't know how to change people's minds. No matter what their opinion is, it's important for your organisation to try to talk to Opinion Leaders in a professional and open way.
How to Deal with Key Publics
A lot of people think that the media control public opinion in the end. They definitely have a lot of power, but they are only one part of the PR puzzle.
It's important for people who work in public relations to not just focus on the media. If you can, it's best to talk to the person who knows the most about something. Keep in mind that your main job as a professional communicator is to spread information, not necessarily to deal with the media or write news releases. It doesn't matter how you get information to your audience; what matters is that they get it. Using the media and writing press releases are just ways to get what you want.
Statistics Canada says that 61% of Canadians are part of a group or organisation. This includes unions, religious groups, professional associations, and other groups. Opinion Leaders are an essential part of these groups.
Once you've found the groups and their Opinion Leaders, it's important to come up with clear messages that show where your organisation stands on important issues. Without that consistency, you might look like you're lying or not being sincere. You don't want to be sending out different messages about the same thing.
Consistency is a must if you want people to trust you and your business. Getting to know Opinion Leaders and your key publics starts with building trust with them.
Being honest is always the best thing to do.
Remember that being honest is always the best policy when it comes to any kind of communication. Trying to get the media or the public to do what you want is a risky game. People might not always like what you have to say if you're honest, but at least they'll believe you and respect you more in the long run.
Monitoring the media helps make sure that truth wins out.
Organizations can make sure that everyone is on the same page by keeping an eye on the media. This helps to avoid misunderstandings caused by contradictions or an overly aggressive spokesperson. Also, proactive media analysis can show how well your organization's position on an issue is accepted by key publics and other influential groups, like the media.
Analysis of the media is a powerful tool, but...
Media analysis can help find miscommunication and figure out why it happened. It's also a good way to find out who the key publics and opinion leaders are, how they feel about an issue, and what they have to say.
But it's important to remember that "Relationship Management" means working directly with people. Media analysis is just a way to make sure that your organisation is communicating honestly and well, just like the media are just a way to get your message out there.
But even if you have a great media analysis programme, you should never stop talking to your key publics directly to find out where they stand on important issues and how they feel about your organisation. After all, PR and communications are all about being able to communicate well, and there's no better way to do that than to get your information straight from the source.
