advocacy

Is Your Advocacy Campaign Ready?

As state legislatures across the nation prepare to resume early next year, some as soon as early January, now is the time to begin your advocacy campaign.

As state legislatures across the nation prepare to resume early next year, some as soon as early January, now is the time to begin your advocacy campaign …

  • To raise awareness of or build interest in an issue
  • To help pass or kill a bill
  • To inspire supporters to take action, like calling or emailing legislators

… but where? Where do you start?

Define your goals first.
First, determine the issues and potential legislation that may come before the state legislature (or Congress or City Council) in the upcoming session that affect your organization and/or the needs of your organization in terms of growing your membership. Defined goals ensure your advocacy campaign is not only aimed at that audience but also delivers the right message at the right time on the right medium.

Then determine your audience.
Finding the constituents who are likely to support your organization’s values and ideals begins with data and analytics. Additional potential audience members include influencers and donors of those elected officials who need to be persuaded during the public policy debate.

What does your advocacy campaign look like?
That depends on your goal.

If your goal is awareness, your message is informative, defining the issue, the positive or negative effects, and what it means for the individuals within your targeted audience.

If your goal is persuasion, your message is an emotional one, targeting the root of the issue and engaging your targeted audience to email or phone an elected official who may have been identified as a swing voter or one who can be persuaded to support your organization’s position before a vote takes place.

If your goal is activation, your message is one of urgency, driving your targeted audience to email or phone an elected official whose vote may be the one that passes or kills the legislation affecting your organization.

What mediums will be most effective?
Again, that depends on your goal. Each advocacy campaign will be custom, but most will include a combination of the following:

  • Search ads, targeting those who are looking online for keywords associated with the issue or your organization
  • Video advertising, introducing the issue or
  • Direct mail, raising awareness, encouraging people to learn more on a website, recruiting members, and compelling the reader to take action on the issue
  • Display and/or social media ads, directing traffic to the custom website and pushing them to take an action
  • Mobile ads, targeting a geofence and/or influencer list
  • Website or landing page, focusing on encouraging and providing visitors with the vehicle (email) with which to take action and contact legislators

Learn more about the Majority Strategies solutions proven to solve problems of awareness, persuasion, or activation. Reach out to our team of state and national strategists today.