The Lobbyist's Secret Weapon

Today's guest post was contributed by Edward Segal, CAE. He is CEO of the Marin Association of Realtors.

Of course, my association has used lobbying techniques to sway lawmakers (meeting with them, testifying at hearings, sending them position papers, and asking members to call their offices).

But when these tactics failed, we brought out our secret weapon: PR. 

Working like a powerful spotlight, PR helps you stand out from the crowd and focuses attention on your position. To use PR as a lobbying tool for your organization:

Turn advocacy into news. Position your lobbying activities as interesting and newsworthy.

Flex your muscle. In your news releases and other press materials, include boilerplate language about the size and scope of your organization, details about the economic impact of members, or other information that shows the influence of the association.  

Study the media. Pay attention to the stories covered by news organizations. The types of news they cover today provide powerful clues about the stories they may be interested in doing tomorrow.

Think like an editor. Identify as many news hooks and story angles about your lobbying campaigns as possible. Give the media as many reasons as you can to do stories about your advocacy activities.

Write like a journalist. Prepare news releases as the news stories you want them to be.

Keep your audience in mind. Provide your target audience with the information it needs to understand the reasons for your lobbying efforts, what you are trying to accomplish, and what the public can or should do to help ensure victory.

Create visuals. Excellent visuals and compelling stories are important to all news mediums. For example, a photo, chart or graph will literally make your story larger on a Website or newspaper page; good pictures can help attract the attention of online news outlets and television stations.

Be prepared. Make sure those who will talk to the press are properly trained, with special emphasis on answering pointed or negative questions from reporters.

To Sell More, Connect the Dots

How often do you receive, as I did this week, an unsolicited email like this?

Hi,

Hope you are doing well.

I am following up with the email I sent you regarding IT Decision Makers.

I’m curious if you had a chance to read my previous email and take this initiative further.

Please send over your data requirement and the criteria of your target market to process quality, counts, samples and pricing.

Please note that the database can be customized in exact line with your need.

Thanks and I look forward to your reply.

Warm regards,

Carlton

What's wrong with this email?

1. The sender didn't distinguish his product from the hundreds of competing ones.
    
2. The sender wants the reader to write down and send him specifications, but the instructions are vague and the task sounds daunting.

Want to sell more? Connect the dots for your prospect. 

1. Your prospect needs to know how your product's different. Spell out the difference and help her visualize success by using it.
   
   
2. Your prospect's busy. Make it easy for her to choose your product by leading her through the first step toward buying it.

Clicks Don't Tell the Whole Story

Facebook's advertising director says digital ads can't be proven to drive sales, according to Business Insider.

Although counting digital ad "clicks" today remains most advertisers' yardstick, Facebook's Gokul Rajaram told an audience at TechCrunch Disrupt, "there's really no correlation between clicks and whether people actually convert."

Rajaram suggested that digital ads should not be judged by today's measurement model, but by how they build brand awareness slowly over time.

"We need to move towards a more sophisticated, multi-touch model and figure out how to accrue value at each touch point," he said.

Plus ça change.

Greening Your Event: The Attendee Experience

Part 3 of of 3-part series

Today's guest post was contributed by Cara Unterkofler. She is Director of Sustainable Event Programs at Greenview.

While it’s true the majority of your event’s carbon footprint is generated by things your attendees will never see, there are many additional practices that will affect your attendees' experience—and how they evaluate your brand.

According to GreenBiz, more than 80 percent of a typical company’s market valuation today is intangible, up from only 18 percent in 1975. 

That means the cheesy give-aways, the absence of recycling bins, and the over-abundance of unnecessary printing are sending your attendees a message about your brand, and affecting your organization's worth.

Likewise, seeing that you printed all your materials on FSC-certified paper; that you planted a tree for every attendee (to offset emissions and rebuild ecosystems); and that you provided a menu of seasonal, healthy foods also sends attendees a message: your organization is progressive and mindful, and is leading the way toward a community worth being part of.

Greening Your Event: The Venue

Part 2 of of 3-part series

Today's guest post was contributed by Cara Unterkofler. She is Director of Sustainable Event Programs at Greenview.

If selecting your destination is the most important sustainability decision you'll make, the second most important sustainability decision concerns your hotel and venue partners, which in many cases are the same building. They comprise 70-90% of your event’s non-travel footprint.

To select an efficient and sustainable hotel or venue, you don’t need to brush up on energy efficiency and water conservation, or create a mile-long RFP no one has time to read. 

In the case of hotels, you can start by seeking out properties with reputable third-party ratings such as LEED or Green Key. Ask the hotel for a fact sheet on the its sustainability initiatives, so you can stay up-to-date on best practices. And ask what the property can offer your attendees. For example, Starwood Hotels can pre-enroll your room block in its “Make a Green Choice” program.