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The more things change, the more they stay the same.
My apologies for the cliché, but when it comes to effective public affairs advocacy and grassroots organization in the digital age, that old saw applies.
Like any issues management professional who began his or her career in the days before e-mail, I’ve witnessed recent developments that have fundamentally altered the way we do business. Bloggers are breaking and shaping stories that shake the corridors of power and set the agenda for the mainstream media.
The search engines have largely replaced producers and assignment editors as the gatekeepers of information. Those influential kitchen table conversations aren’t happening over the kitchen table anymore; they’re taking place on Facebook, Twitter and a host of other social networks—and entire communities are taking part. The 24-hour news cycle? It’s gone. Today’s public affairs battles are being fought on a minute-by-minute basis.
Add the challenges that accompany the era of divided government, and it’s a daunting new world for public affairs pros. But at the same time, the fundamental building blocks of effective public affairs strategy remain the same. Legislators and regulators at every level of government still listen to their constituents, it’s just the means by which they communicate has evolved. Mobilization of those constituents requires messages that make an emotional impact. Perhaps most important, the proverbial wisdom that “all politics is local” still applies. As such, on-the-ground resources that cultivate allies and marshal intelligence remain essential to any successful grassroots effort.
Today’s ideal public affairs engagements blend tried-and-true efforts with the dizzying array of new digital tactics that are now available. They also pay close attention to the new political reality in which we now live. Simply put, campaigns that strike the right balance adapt to the new rules of the road while remaining true to those fundamental strictures that still apply. Among them:
• On-the-ground resources are essential. Whether they are parents, small business owners or community leaders, your partners on the ground remain your best source of intelligence and the access point by which you have the ability to reach larger audiences. Cultivate relationships with influential locals who can act as your eyes, ears and mouth.
• Work on a hyper-local level. Yesterday, campaigners handed out flyers at the supermarket or PTA meeting, for example. Today, they work with your on-the-ground partners to gain access to the blogs and other social networks that focus on local issues of concern. Through careful identification of the most effective means by which to engage these platforms, you can put your message before a captive audience that has “opted in” to hear it.
• Narrow your messages. A generic “It’s good for the economy” isn’t good enough anymore. Today, to effect changes in public policy, there is a direct need to demonstrate how yea or nay votes will specifically impact constituent populations. Grassroots is about reaching people on a personal and emotional level in lieu of generalities and platitudes.
• Inject SEM into your paid media strategy. Today’s audiences turn first to the search engines for information. search engine marketing (SEM) that ranks your messages above adversaries’ is imperative and can be applied immediately. What people read first creates a perception against which contradictory messages must swim upstream.
• Traditional media still matter. People still watch TV and they still listen to radio. Even better, as these media compete with the instant nature of the Internet, they are looking to fill scheduling holes—ones that you can fill.
• Remember the regulators. With Congress and statehouses increasingly mired in political gridlock, regulators’ influence and ability to take decisive action grows—and they are just as susceptible to grassroots advocacy as their legislative counterparts.
• There is still no substitute for a rally on the statehouse steps. While 1,000 e-mails in a legislator’s inbox certainly send a message, it pales in comparison to 1,000 constituents lined up outside his or her office. While we live in a digital world, digital outreach alone won’t get you across the finish line. Policy makers need to be shown, not just told, how their decisions impact constituents’ lives. A show of force accomplishes that goal, generating earned media in the process. PRN
CONTACT:
Michael W. Robinson is a senior VP at Levick Strategic Communications and chair of the firm’s Corporate & Public Affairs practice. He can be reached at [email protected].