Following the recent election, the country is scrambling to figure out what the election results mean to various constituencies and issues. From Fortune 500 companies to nonprofit organizations and industry associations, the final weeks of the year offer an important window of time to take stock and identify the best way to align with the election outcomes and take advantage of the current news cycle on such hot topics as health care, energy and the environment.
Updating positioning statements and related key messages to reflect the outcomes of the election requires a delicate balance between opportunism and perseverance.
- Step One: Maintain an innate understanding of your brand and organizational goals. Doing so will ensure that tweaks to positioning and messaging will not stray too far from core objectives.
- Step Two: Understand the urgency of the moment. As new legislation is proposed and federal regulations implemented, the national conversation around key issues will become diluted. Therefore, the time is now to find a hook for your organization to capitalize on national attention around specific topics.
- Step Three: Be willing to push outside your comfort zone by thinking beyond your day-to-day operations to the bigger picture. To effectively tie your organization to national trends you need to communicate in the context and terms that the public is used to hearing; avoid industry jargon and inside information.
- Step Four: Find data. Are there metrics within your organization to support your updated position that more closely tie your business to the issues at hand? Review your assets and rethink ways of presenting information about your organization to make it specific to a particular issue.
- Step Five: Know the news and take the time to communicate a position that enhances rather than repeats current news coverage. If you do not have a unique position, don’t publicize information that will fall flat with the media and key stakeholders.
Left, right or center … our nation is currently at a crossroads on many issues, uncovering opportunities for new voices and thought leadership. Be smart about how your organization is involved and let the nation know!
