Tell your story without asking for something (first).
We all have “that guy” tucked somewhere in our lives; brother in law, cousin, maybe even a “friend” – or worse, one of your kids. They only pop up now and again – and it’s because they need something. Sure, they might tell you that you look great and how awesome your social media posts have been lately. But the truth remains: they’re coming with their hand out and to be honest, they haven’t worked very hard to maintain a relationship that would make that strategy seem smart, let alone successful. Think Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon’s Vacation. Do we really want to be “that guy?” Lean more about how S360 can help.
Now, put that in context of how you go to your community to ask them to support a bond or levy. When was the last time you talked to them? What did you say? How often are you talking with them? Not just your parent community – remember that while critical to your success, they are a small percentage of the overall electorate. Was the last they heard about you related to graffiti removal or god forbid a lockdown? You want and need them to see your students, schools and teachers as essential parts of the community. To be inspired by them. To want to support their success. How to do that in an ever splintering media marketplace? It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Start at the end. Who among us hasn’t skipped to the end of book? I see you, you walking spoiler alert. You can put your hand down. Seriously – where do you want your story to end up? With a hugely successful effort to bring more resources to kids and families? With a community that can’t wait to show it’s support and yes, love for those kids and their schools? How do we get to that happy ending? It happens in three parts;
Targeting: When you envision what that success looks like, who’s in the picture? Who are these loving and supportive community members? Where do they live? How do they get their news and information? Who do they trust? Once you power map your voters, make sure you talk to them in ways they understand and support.
Testing your message: You’re talking to the right people, they need to be able to hear you. And to resonate with what you’re saying. There are lots of ways to hone in on your messages and themes. A bit of quick research can help shed light on what to say and – importantly – what not to say. We can trial balloon this – but viral video of you saying the wrong thing isn’t the look we’re after here.
Telling your story: Now that we know what to say and we are locked in on who to say it to, get out there and tell your story.
We’ll tell you more about these three T’s in our next post, for now, everybody loves good news. Start telling some!
To learn more about how we can help, reach out to us at: edteam@strategies360.com