Earlier this week, I enjoyed a great presentation on Advocacy Communications by Mary Alice Holley, Communications and Marketing Director for Conservation Trust for North Carolina. The event, held at 18 Seaboard, was coordinated by the Raleigh Public Relations Society. Mary Alice emphasized the effectiveness of repurposing a single clear and authentic message across multiple channels: website/blog, plain text emails, HTML email action alerts, social media, op-eds, letters to the editor, phone banking, printed materials, events and group presentations, and one-on-one engagement. The content for this top-level, positive messaging can be appropriately tweaked for each platform.
What is “top-level” or “high-level” messaging? These are definitive and easily-understood statements about your organization’s vision and recommended actions on specific issues. High-level messages ideally have broad appeal and resonate and engage even in the absence of detailed context. Your messaging should tell your audience who, what, when, where, why, how, and what actions to take.
Remember that messaging is never finished. It’s an ongoing process of keeping people informed about and engaged in your organization’s activities. Well-crafted messages are the underpinning of every successful public outreach campaign. In general, keep messages short and jargon-free for greatest impact.
Upcoming RPRS Lunch & Learns will address maximizing the effectiveness of video and market research in your communications efforts.
