Our previous article explored the fundamentals of government relations. The second half of our blog is dedicated to three key points to remember for your future public relations campaign.
Establish legislative priorities
Though establishing legislative priorities seems an obvious first step in a government relations campaign, it can be complicated.
Companies must identify which district, provincial or national regulations affect their day-to-day operation and what roles the companies can play in these policies.
Stay up-to-date with legislative development
Business leaders must know the most significant and relevant government policy issues before taking any strategic action. Your government relations team should always keep abreast of regulatory progress so any campaign doesn’t target a law already repealed.
Given the volatile political landscape, communicators should have constant access to the latest legislative materials or policy monitoring technology to make sound campaign judgement.
Campaigns should also be avoided during election periods. During an election, companies are well advised to closely monitor the pledges and policies proposed by each party so they can evaluate the impacts of the election outcome on their businesses.
Explore grassroots engagement tactics
Your efforts to influence key lawmakers don’t have to take a direct approach. The general public, whose interests and concerns political leaders often take into account, is willing to lend you their powerful voices and raise your campaign momentum if appropriately engaged.
A grassroots engagement strategy is an outreach programme aiming to promote the awareness of citizens’ perspectives or concerns regarding an issue related to your business among your target government officials. After all, what better way to surface an issue and persuade lawmakers to take a stance and action than to seek public advocacy?
Email and social media are effective communication channels to keep your supporters updated about the progress and outcome of your advocacy.
However, outreach strategy isn’t necessarily applicable to all issues; government relations practitioners must gauge whether particular matter advocacy could benefit from public push.
Government relations is a nuanced way of building relationships with the public sector that requires in-depth local understanding and patience. Though challenging, it is indispensable for the success and survival of businesses in every industry.
At Midas PR, we have strong connections with various public institutions in Thailand and a flair for community-building initiatives.
If you want a campaign that helps create top-of-mind awareness of your key issue or commitment among target policymakers and builds rapport with them, contact us or by email.