Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, advocacy strategies and tactics were changing.
As the world went online, advocacy was slow to follow.
Organizations clung to their relevancy using lobbying connections and massive scattershot ad campaigns, spending huge sums of money to see little or no gain.
In the past few years, this divide in omni-channel capabilities has come to light.
Firms and non-profits that have reworked their communications strategies with efficient, targeted campaigns have seen the benefits in the fields of advocacy, brand awareness, and issue awareness.
Before the pandemic, audiences were increasingly moving online. Mobile devices and tablets have replaced desktops as the go-to devices for news, online shopping, and seeking information. Social ad impressions were up 20% from Q2 of 2018 going into 2020, and the average cost of placing ads continued to go down year-over-year.
Those trends have undoubtedly continued with everyone stuck at home and will continue as we all adapt to the new normal.
With the possibility of prolonged social distancing and limited gatherings, expanding advocacy efforts to different mediums is no longer just a competitive advantage, it’s a necessity.
Trade associations cannot continue to rely on conferences and fly-ins for growing connections and connecting members with lawmakers. Non-profits dependent on events and organization to push issues will need to find ways to reach their community at home and ask them to get involved.
The only way is to adapt their presence online and to target individuals who matter, those who will take up their cause and fight for their issue.
People are hungry for information. They are looking for ways to engage and feel connected; to be a part of a community at a time when we are socially distant.
Now is the perfect time to find an audience that supports your issue and engage them.
Ask them what they think about your issue. A continuous stream of engagement now will lead to activation later.
If you are selling ideas, this is a great time to engage because people are eager to hear from you.
Ready to get started? Reach out to Marcie today.
Marcie Kinzel is Sr. National Communications Strategist and head of the Washington, DC, office. Marcie provides communications counsel and strategies to clients by combining her 20 years of professional expertise with Majority Strategies’ innovative solutions in data, digital and print advertising.
