Gaining public and political support for positive laws, rules and regulations can be one of the toughest jobs of trade associations and businesses. What is usually even tougher is securing public and political opposition against laws, rules and regulations that sound good on the surface, but are damaging at their core.

The problem is that the public often identifies with the messages they hear the first and most often. In the world of advocacy, trade organizations those who oppose businesses and professionals are increasingly the ones that control the timing, content and emotions for new public policy initiatives. This means that trade organizations often find themselves playing catch up.

Those who oppose and seek to damage businesses, whether with good intentions or not, always seem to be better funded, organized and yes, let’s admit it, more effective. While there isn’t a silver bullet or magical formula to overcome these challenges, there are actions trade associations can take starting today and every day to be more effective.

Social media, motivated and organized supporters, clear messaging and taking the initiative on public policy agendas doesn’t need to be left only to your opposition. A well-developed outreach and advocacy strategy can help you define what you want to accomplish and lay the groundwork for more effective activities that make building support a daily activity of your organization.

There are simply too many well-funded and highly organized opponents to the mission of most trade associations and their members to wait for the next campaign to start your outreach and advocacy efforts. You need a strategy and a system to secure success.  Are you ready to explore how you can develop a clear strategy to guide your organization?  If so, click on the link below to request a free consultation.