Communication Tips from the Campaign Trail

When I left politics and transitioned into the public affairs work I do today, my new boss said he was going to treat my time on campaigns like dog years. Why? Because he knew human time was not an accurate measure of everything I’d seen—and a professional existence that dealt with a new crisis every single day.

As I got older and progressed in my current career, I would oftentimes look back on my early campaign years and think about how specific challenges or experiences shaped my view of advocacy and communications. With another election season now behind us, I wanted to share a few learnings from those campaign years and relate how they translate to the broader communications world inhabited by businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes.

And as a nice little bonus, good news: You won’t have to use these lessons while sleeping on an air mattress in a political candidate’s family room like I did.

All politics is local

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill was an outspoken voice of his time—and spent plenty of time preaching this adage to colleagues intent on being re-elected. Even though national political issues often dominate the discussion, it all comes back to the local impact made by each elected official.

The same can be said for communications. Companies and organizations should always seek ways to localize their message and amplify how their work directly impacts their audience. If you make it personal, you can create an energized cadre of supporters.

Stick to three key messages. If you have 10, they better be commandments.

When I was a fresh-out-of-college 22-year-old working on campaigns, I heard this campaign advice, popularized by famed political consultant James Carville. But after some quick Google searches over the years, I can’t confirm the originator of this advice—but it still rings true.

Narrowing your scope forces a spokesperson to focus on the big things that matter; and it makes it easier for an audience to remember what a spokesperson is trying to convey. When we develop key messages for clients at The Martin Group, we usually try to stick to three high-level, core messages. Sure, it’s okay to have supporting sub-messages for each, but by developing three distinct focus areas, we assert more control over the narrative and maintain message discipline.

Simply put, there is no way you can have a larger number of key messages and expect all of them to have equal importance—and it’s highly unlikely an audience can take them in and recite them back afterward.

Define your opponent before they define themselves—and vice versa

This tip applies more to the advocacy campaign world, where you frequently have an adversary either working against you or with competing interests.

But the point here is to know who you are and what you stand for—and make that clear as early as possible. It’s important to play offense instead of defense. Drive the narrative instead of having to fight back against the counter-messaging of your opponents. As former U.S. President Ronald Reagan once said, “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.”

Make your messages resonate

Sometimes, a client has been working on an issue so long, they can recite their key messages forward and backwards, with their eyes closed.

But sometimes, those messages can be stale.

Just because they make sense to the client doesn’t mean that they resonate with the public and influence the stakeholders that matter. Empirical data—from polls, surveys, and testimonials—can point a way forward. Each can provide direction on how target groups think and how each views a certain issue. It’s the most insightful way to assure your messages will help you advance toward your goals.

Without this data, you’re basically just guessing.

Know who you need to win over

When devising your messaging of choice, don’t waste your time trying to influence people who, ultimately, don’t matter.

In an election for a specific candidate, you’d never send mail to or knock on the door of someone who wasn’t already registered to vote. Instead, focus your time and energy on the key decision makers. In an advocacy campaign, it’s important to identify the committee chair, the elected official who represents a specific area, or someone with a constituency that has skin in the game. Typically, this is done in conjunction with a lobbying effort, allowing the public affairs and media relations to complement government affairs efforts—and ultimately, connect with your audience, whomever they may be.

Do you have advocacy communication needs for your business or organization? Learn more about The Martin Group’s work in public affairs here.