Belief = PR Success

"Please believe me."
"She really believes in me."
"I just don't believe he's telling the truth."
"We all believe they can pull it off."
"Do you believe what she said?"
"I believe you."
 
Belief.
 
It's one of the most important words in our lives.
 
Belief is "the condition or habit of placing trust or confidence in another," according to the American Heritage Dictionary. It's the "mental acceptance of and conviction in the truth, actuality or validity of something." It means "to accept as true or real."
 
Most people think public relations is focused on communication. But PR is really all about the existence of belief… or lack of it. When times are good … and especially when they are challenging like we are all experiencing today… a strategic focus on building credibility pays valuable dividends.
 
Communication vs. Public Relations
 
Communication by itself is a one-way initiative. Publicity programs are briskly put into motion when someone at the top utters "we need to get the word out about this." But what if the news release you are trying so hard to wordsmith doesn't make any difference? What if your press tour is viewed as little more than self-serving window dressing? What if key people still think your company isn't on the right path?

While prompt, aggressive action is the hallmark of public relations, it's important that we never lose sight of the big picture objective for every PR undertaking:
 
Always remember that the goal isn't to communicate, but rather to be understood, supported, trusted… and believed.
 
Writing thought leadership articles and making your executives more visible at public forums are worthwhile activities if – and only if – these programs ultimately change how key stakeholders think about your company. You don't just want important publics to notice, you want them to believe in your company.
 
Beaupre's Belief Creation^®
 
Every initiative for every Beaupre & Co. client is deeply rooted in this philosophical approach to public relations. In 1995 we coined a term for this practice methodology: Belief Creation. It is a strategic approach fundamentally centered around positive attitudinal transformation and rooted in the social sciences and communication theory.
 
Four key steps
 
A successful public relations program is rooted in four key steps:

• Taking the time to understand the mindset, perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of the individual people you need to positively influence…
• Creating measurable plans aligning your company's decisions, behaviors and attitudes with these key individuals and publics, creating "a common meeting ground…"
• Establishing a consistent pattern of communication that is two-way, not one-way…
• Continually proving what your company is saying and doing is indeed credible

 
When you take this approach, an amazing correlation occurs: positive buzz and momentum grows. The practice of public relations dramatically shifts from "getting the word out" (one way communication) to "getting people to believe that what you are saying and doing is meaningful and the right thing" (two way communication).
 
When this happens, your company, products and executives are cast in a far more commanding light. The people you are trying so hard to 'get to,' now believe you are worthy and deserving of their time, attention and coverage. You've broken down what our firm calls "the wall of disbelief." This is when real PR success starts to happen.
 
Here are 10 step-by-step tips to create belief:

1. Think macro - Create a list of all the macro publics that impact your company. Go beyond the obvious (employees, customers, investment bankers, resellers, industry analysts, media, technology partners). Others include: local communities from which you draw your labor pool; prospective customers; state officials; low profile buzz builders; high profile buzz builders; luminaries; "co-opetition", etc.
2. Get specific - Take your macro lists and make a list of specific individuals within each with whom you need to build and sustain belief. Then rank them by importance using a three tiered system (critical; important; noteworthy).
3. Develop questions - Make a list of "what I'd like to know & understand" questions for each individual. Two key questions are: "what is your current view of our company?" and "what do we have to do to be more credible?"
4. Meet them - Reach out to targeted individuals and meet in person to establish a baseline audit of their particular viewpoints, attitudes and beliefs. Approach the get-together as a learning experience for your company… you will soon learn that people really like to express their opinions and are seldom asked!
5. Create measurable plans - Armed with your custom insight, create public relations plans for each macro and individual public. Listen to what people told you and address their issues directly with action plans. Include "end result" objectives and timeframes and remember the more specific the objectives, the more measurable. Your ultimate objective? Shift negative and neutral attitudes/ beliefs to positive over a specific period of time.
6. Think psychology - Remember that people generally fall into two camps from a psychological makeup perspective: (A) those who use behavioral "shortcuts" to evaluate people, messages and actions and (B) those who rely on "powers of reason" to assess people and their messages. Organize each individual by these A or B rankings and never confuse the two. Analytical people will not be persuaded by emotive approaches. Conversely, "gut feel" people won't take the time to be analytical.
7. Create "belief builders" - Invest the majority of your time uncovering and creating "belief builders" that will be influential in shifting negative or neutral viewpoints to positive. Key belief builders for technology companies include proving products really work and customers who speak positively on your company's behalf. Continue reaching out to your key individuals on an ongoing basis using these – and other – belief builders to earn their trust.
8. Write a positioning statement - Take a fresh look at your company's position in the competitive marketplace. Create a positioning statement that articulates in simple language how your company is differentiated from others. Don't be myopic, don't use cliché statements or technical gobbledygook. Make sure your differentiation is defensible in a public setting. Use this to guide and focus your belief building efforts.
9. Update your messaging - Invest the time to create messages that will resonate with the macro publics you are trying to persuade. Use language that is simple and instantly memorable. Develop analogies and metaphors. Speak colorfully. Use sound bites people will remember. Make your company more personal. Make sure your key spokesperson can "get it across" consistently using the right language in a very brief timeframe.
10. Measure impact - Measure the Belief Creation progress you are making with specific individuals. Track how perceptions, attitudes and belief systems are evolving over time. Keep in touch on a very regular basis. Use a variety of outreach approaches to keep your contact fresh (as long as they work). Go back to Step 4 minimally once a year to evaluate how you are doing in the mind of targeted individuals. Make adjustments to your PR programs, fine tune your messages and constantly add new "belief builders" to your arsenal.