Beekeeper Group was a proud Platinum Level Sponsor of the Public Affairs Council’s Advocacy Conference this year, which was our tenth year sponsoring this conference. Time sure flies when you’re having fun!
To close out the conference, our team gathered to discuss our key takeaways, and through the process, found three main themes that emerged from this year’s sessions:
Storytelling is not only more important, but easier than ever before.
Who would have guessed that in 2020 grainy webcam video would be the breakthrough technology that connects everyone? This change in behavior and attitude towards webcams gives those of us working in grassroots and issue advocacy new opportunities to capture voices and stories that would have otherwise gone unheard. Download more tips and tricks to capture your advocates’ stories here.
The visualization of your issue impact – through data, mapping, or an updated visual brand – is essential to breaking through the clutter of our increasingly digital world.
With further restrictions on issue-based ads, it’s back to the basics of outreach for us.
With social media platforms restricting not just political ads, but issue-based advocacy ads as well, it’s not just viability of in-person events we need to keep an eye on. The days of easy social media outreach and targeting via paid advertising for issue awareness are over (for now anyway) and the most powerful pieces of data you can collect on your advocates is still a phone number and email address!
As much as things changed this year, core advocacy strategies remain the same.
There are mixed feelings around virtual lobby days, but they are certainly here to stay and have proven to be a boon to patient advocacy groups. Also, showing their value during this past year? Coalitions. These can be a powerful way to make meaningful changes in the time of COVID-19.
If you have questions about advocacy programs and events in this virtual environment, click the orange contact us button above to schedule a time to chat.
While we missed the face-to-face interaction and unofficial evening gatherings, we commend the Public Affairs Council on their high-quality programming and seamless transition to a top-notch virtual conference.
