In its simplest form, advocacy or activism is the choice to take action in order to generate positive change.
We see advocacy in our lives every day. It looks like an individual in the bus station, marketplace, etc. handing out flier brochures in support of a cause, to emails in our inboxes gathering signatures for a virtual petition, to hundreds and thousands of people marching in support of—or against—a cause. Regardless of the definition, or how many people participate, activism has played and will always play an important role in a healthy democratic society.
Advocacy campaigns must be innovative, nimble and constantly rethinking and reevaluating whether their tactics are successful in not only reaching voters but persuading those voters to mobilize and engage on behalf of a cause.
Social media has played a powerful role—and will continue to do so—in helping candidates and causes amplify their message. In addition, the advent of fake news, a 24-hour news cycle, bots and fake profiles, have created social media echo chambers—politically polarized groups where individuals only follow others with the same viewpoints. To combat this, advocacy campaigns must be innovative in reaching voters by utilizing tactics such as peer-to-peer outreach and personalized messaging.
Organizations should take a deeper look at the depth of their advocacy campaigns, evaluating the reach of their supporter base and ensuring they are present at all levels of government. In addition, they should evaluate their resources and organize and identify advocates in areas where they are not currently present but may need them in the future.
We are seeing a greater level of employee engagement and activation. Employees are not only an organization’s greatest asset, but an organization’s best messengers. Companies must place a greater emphasis on engaging their employees and educating them on company values, initiatives, external messages, etc.
Social media will continue to play a role in advocacy, but local news will play an even greater role. Advocacy campaigns should place a strong focus on engaging state and localreporters and work to place both positive, earned media stories as well as opinion pieces in local outlets—alongside utilizing social media.
Lastly, message personalization and peer-to-peer campaigning will become the crux of organizing. A message that speaks to a potential advocate in the east may need to look very different to persuade a potential advocate in the west, north. Advocacy campaigns must not only tailor their messaging appropriately, but also ensure that the right messenger is doing the outreach on their behalf.