Specialized Network for Non-Profit Advocacy and Public Relations

Followers of this blog may be aware of Action Strategies' special social network for those interested in learning best practices in the sector.  As some may be aware, Ning (where this network is hosted) has changed the service agreement for hosting groups such as this.  As a result, the location of this network has now been changed to http://actionstrategies.spruz.com.  I wish to thank everyone for joining us here at this location and sincerely hope you will visit our new location and join up with new and even better features available.

A new direction for Action Strategies

Well, it has been a while since I've published an entry in this blog but there has been a reason. I've taken this time to seriously evaluate how I as a Public Relations and Lobbying consultant can make a difference in advancing the profession. With that, I have given serious thoughts to where in my mind, the value of Action Strategies' services lie in public relations and government relations. I came to an important conclusion.

Reviewing our case studies and the comments we have received from those clients who have been our biggest fans, it became clear that there is a definite need for a combined communications and government relations agency that specializes in the association and non-profit sector. As a sector that arguably calls upon GR and PR strategies more than any other sector (government or private sector), I was amazed to learn of the challenges they face. Interestingly enough, there seem to be few who specialize in non-profits or truly understand the complexities they face.

In fact, in my estimation I do not believe there are any Canadian firms (although I welcome being corrected on this!) that serve exclusively the non-profit and association market. There are undoubtedly many who service them. However, in all instances, they approach the situation as a PR or Government Relations generalist - serving all sectors with a sprinkle of non-profits to fill in the mix.

My feeling however is that non-profits and associations have indeed particular aspects that do require a specialist as opposed to a generalist. While private sector PR serves the valuable role of maintaining a corporate image and assisting marketing efforts, non-profit directors and executives face a series of challenges:

-With the pressing demands of running an organization, how does an Executive Director keep their organization's members and supporters engaged and informed of the good work that's happening? If they are unsuccessful in communicating this, how long will it be before they run the risk of a disconnect?

-In terms of lobbying, associations face the challenge of building consensus and ensuring their message is inline with their members' concerns all the while ensuring that government understands that their association is indeed the voice of a given industry.

-Many non-profits run fundraising initiatives. How effective though can a fundraising campaign be if the community is unaware of the organization or of the problem the non-profit is aiming to resolve?

-Unlike the private sector, most non-profit and association executives must contend with a Board of Directors (most often from across the country and/ or from varying backgrounds and diverging interests). These board members are volunteers and as such, need to be communicated with in a means that will motivate and engage. Not to mention, many associations face the challenge of recruiting board members.

While these are just a sampling of the issues at hand, they were enough to inspire me to demonstrate how effective and specialized GR and PR for non-profits are so required in Canada. With the experience I've gained with organizations such as the Canadian Hydropower Association, the Canadian Construction Association, the Canadian paralympic Committee and many others, I believe there are some clear solutions that can be provided to the non-profit sector. The nuances each of these have faced along with the many other associations I have helped have in my mind made it very clear that the non-profit world is different than other sectors.

What are your thoughts?
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

A Great Example of Video Used in a News Release

In my recent issue of the Magnifier Newsletter on Public Relations, I touched on the subject of using and leveraging video clips for effective public relations. In doing some research on the internet, I found this great example of how an organization looking to promote a recent medical study in the media incorporated great video TV stations can use and a ready made interview clipping.

If your organization has the resources, I highly recommend developing promotional pieces like this one here:



Developing good and ready to use video the media can find valuable involves important considerations. In October, I developed a podcast episode that touched on this

Check it out by following my October 17, 2007 episode on the subject The Importance of Providing Good Audio & Video Clippings in Public Relations.

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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign or integrating audio & video in your marketing communications. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Oh ya...Special Olympics and the Truck Convoy

Two weeks ago, I made mention of how Action Strategies has been offering its media relations and public relations services to the Special Olympics Committee of Ontario. While I wasn't able to report on how the event went off during that same weekend, I am happy to report that it all went off with a huge success. Over 114 trucks took part, over $58,000 was raised and with the help of Action Strategies; some very notable media covered the event including CTV television (Southwestern Ontario) and CFRB, Toronto's largest talk radio station!

Special thanks go out to Tammy Blackwell, organizer of the event and to Lynn Miller of Special Olympics Ontario for allowing Action Strategies to be associated with such a great cause and great event. This photo here was taken by the editor of Truck N'Roll Magazine just after the press conference.

Mark
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Action Strategies helping Ontario Special Olympics

Hey all.  As an added note, I thought I would give a heads up.  I've long spoke about the importance of using charitable events as a good leveraging point for publicity.  Action Strategies is now working with Special Olympics Ontario to coordinate the media relations of the World's Longest Truck Convoy!

Stay tuned, and I will try to give further details as we approach next Saturday, the day of the event!

Mark

Understanding Regulations

The practice of government relations is often simplified down to what is believed to be relationship building with politicians. What is less known are the years of expertise government relations practitioners develop in specific subject matters. Most often, the value of this specialization comes from years of focusing on changing those aspects of policy that do not require new legislation.

Regulations are often that lesser understood part of the process.

Who is involved in making and reviewing regulations?

The following are the main participants in the regulatory process:

* the delegate of the regulation-making powers (usually the Governor General acting on the advice of the Cabinet, but sometimes a particular Cabinet minister or an administrative agency)
* the officials in the department or agency responsible for the regulations
* the Regulations Section of the Department of Justice
* the Regulatory Affairs Directorate of the Treasury Board Secretariat
* the Standing Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons for the Scrutiny of Regulations.


Who should be consulted?

Regulations Section

When legislative proposals involve the delegation of regulation-making powers, consideration should be given to consulting the Regulations Section. It can provide advice about which sorts of provisions are appropriate to include in regulations and which should be contained in the enabling Act. It can also provide advice about drafting enabling provisions. (See Chapter 4 - The Regulatory Process)

There is a close connection between Acts and regulations. Decisions about the drafting of an Act can have a considerable impact on the regulations that will be made under it. It is often desirable for departmental legal advisers, drafters and regulations specialists to meet to discuss these issues when preparing the Memorandum to Cabinet or drafting the bill.

The General Public

Public consultation should be viewed as an integral part of the legislative process, particularly where a bill will have a significant impact on members of the public.

Public consultation should normally occur after internal consultation within the Government and consultation with other governments have taken place.

The fundamental elements for meaningful consultation that apply to both the Government and members of the public are:

a shared understanding of the purpose of the consultation;
mutual respect;
clear communication;
an appreciation of the need to agree on workable approaches, often entailing a compromise;
meaningful input into the policy formulation process; and the recognition that consultation will not always lead to consensus.

Public consultation are guided by the following principles:

The need for public consultation will be determined early in the planning process, followed by the identification of the individuals and groups interested in the bill. Public consultation processes will be carried out in an objective and open manner, within reasonable time frames and with consideration of the cost to both the public and the Government.

The manner and extent of public input will be determined by such factors as:
how the bill will affect the public, particularly those who may have special rights or interests; the nature or extent of consultation (for example, issue-specific or ongoing); feasibility (for example, resource implication and time constraints);
national and regional interests; and the objectives and scope of consultation, including the method of consulting and the time frame for doing so, will be clearly defined at the outset in order to facilitate a clear, mutual understanding of the purpose of the consultation.


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Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a Government Relations consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly public affairs newsletter by visiting the newsletter section of his website.

Think Strategically...PR is MORE than just Press Releases!

Building "exclusive credibility" is one of the best ways to describe the benefit of thinking strategically when it comes to Public Relations. It is about establishing a corner where your organization is the reputable representative to speak with authority on a given subject. This is no easy task to undertake, is it?

When the time has come to review how you reach your customers, audience, prospects, investors, members, or the community; an overall strategy that encompasses addressing your audience and how to reach them is essential. For example, if you are preparing a product launch aimed at youth for this Christmas, it is a known fact that their preferred media is the internet. Developing a public relations strategy with a challenge going out to youth on a MySpace account would be an advisable strategy. The thought process of being strategic produces a more effective and measurable campaign than if you were to rely on guess work.

The process of being strategic in your Public Relations thinking starts with identifying your objectives. While in my view, your most important objective should be to establish "exclusive credibility", other objectives could include building relationships, protecting reputations, and supporting marketing efforts.

From there, being "strategic" means laying your ducks in line. Where do your audiences get their information? Are they middle aged men concerned mostly with what's on the news? If so, lining your PR strategy up with a media relations campaign driven by creating a story board of stories would be the best direction to focus creative thinking. It may even be advisable to back such media relations with well-placed advertizing in these same arenas. Is your audience comprised mostly of "soccer moms"? Community outreach campaigns may be the obvious venue. Linking your organization with sponsoring junior sport or breast cancer research for example, builds a reputation of corporate social responsibility. Strategically speaking, a corporation with a reputation of helping the community will undoubtedly receive more positive feedback from its marketing efforts. The other options to public relations strategy can vary from stakeholder relations, product demonstrations in public areas, and internet PR.

After choosing the strategy, it is also crucial to develop what will measure success. Again, strategic thinking is essential. As an example, measuring a gain in positive reputation is a laudable goal. However, how is that measured? Planning ahead allows organization executives to identify milestones and benchmarks. Because no two campaigns are alike, it is essential to profoundly reflect upon expectations. Are they reasonable? Can PR alone achieve these objectives? While measuring the success of Public Relations based on the number of sales an organization achieves is a dubious endeavour, Public Relations Strategists can work with your marketing department or marketing plan to identify points where increased exposure have delivered clear and sustainable results.

Deciding which strategy to undertake requires an ability for creative and out-of-the-box thinking. Planning is your key. Public Relations strategists are experienced in creative thinking and planning. The value of PR planning becomes obvious from their experience and input.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Best Practices in Selling to Government

Action Strategies' newest affiliate and Magnifier, Derrek Konrad provides a brief insight into how organizations looking to sell to government can get ahead of the curve.

This month we will deal with influencing the buying decision.

When you or your business plan to do business with the government, you enter into a highly competitive environment. The Government of Canada’s top 10 clients purchase almost 13 billion dollars worth of commodities and services annually and many suppliers and potential suppliers are competing for a piece of the action. How can you influence the decision in your favour? If you limiting your chances of success to simply responding to a Request For Proposal (RFP) you are not taking advantage of all of the tools at your disposal.

There are many factors that go into successfully competing and one of them is having an effective voice in the decision-making arena detailing the benefits of awarding a contract to your firm or organization. Your business will have unique characteristics that bring added value to the market that cannot be written into a proposal. This is where a government relations professional can help influence the decision to award a contract.

A government relations specialist will get to know the materiel managers in the target departments of interest to the client and develop an understanding of exactly what their requirements are. This will allow a client to respond more appropriately to an RFP. After a bid has been issued all contact with the department ceases and all communications must be directed to Public Works and Government Services.

Having your firm become known to a department before bids are issued can pay other dividends as well. When a department sends PWGSC a requisition for goods or services they may list suggested sources so doing a good job of promoting your business could get it named as a suggested source. Departments also have authority to do their own contracting for non-mandatory services consequently you could be short-listed for work that falls below the mandatory limit for PWGSC involvement.

Finally, a bit of advice on payment for GR services. While the use of government relations practitioners by prospective contractors is permitted, Treasury Board guidelines prohibit payment on a contingency basis. They must be compensated on a retainer or fee for service basis. If lobbyists are to be used a clause prohibiting contingency fees must be inserted in the contract.


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Derrek Konrad is a former Member of Parliament living in Ottawa and practices government relations. He is the principal of Konrad Group and can be contacted by e-mail at: Derrek.konradgroup@rogers.com or by phone at 613-822-9846
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Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a Government Relations consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly public affairs newsletter by visiting the newsletter section of his website.

What Can PR do for Me???

I've received a number of questions over the past 3 weeks dealing specifically with the kinds of returns PR can deliver. As the discussion progresses, it is interesting to find that the real motivation seems to be a need to understand what PR does and what Action Strategies can do. In my view, there are six areas where PR helps and how I've been able to make a difference for clients and former employers:

The six general categories of Public Relations Services

Developing media and press coverage for your organization:
Many organizations and professionals value and in fact, seek out press coverage. Getting into the media and becoming their ''darling'' when it comes to recognized value of one's expertise can deliver long lasting publicity, credibility, and notoriety. Constant contact with the media and identifying appropriate press contacts for one's expertise is one of the biggest responsibilities I undertake for clients in search of my services. It's about relationship building.

If I am able to introduce my clients to journalists with specific 'beats' or areas they report on regularly, the potential relationship becomes a 'win-win' situation. My client gets the opportunity for being quoted and over time, the journalist gets a dependable source of information.

Effective publicity events:
Getting quoted in the media is not the only means of building brand recognition, building credibility, and setting one's name apart from the pack. For businesses opening a new location, inviting a targeted group of one's key clients and prospects can be a means of going directly to the source. Public Relations consultants such as Action Strategies have the contacts, expertise and time required to fill a room of targeted publics that can get the word out for an organization. The value of this comes about when those who might not have been able to attend an activity hear about an organization through those who did attend. In other words, referrals are built.

PR Consultants know how to pack a hall. They know the value of getting the word out on a coming event. They also know how to leverage the good publicity long after an event has taken place.

Strategic Communications planning:
While any organization or professional can benefit, larger organizations particularly seem to be interested in strategic plans. Like any involved effort, public relations or communications need to be an integral part of an organizational business plan. One of the flagship product services of Action Strategies is its communications plans and communication planning work books.

Any PR Consultant worth his or her salt takes the time required to plan. Strategic Communications planning is about identifying the opportunities to get out the messages that are in tune with an organization. They are also about defending or defining reputations. Timing in planning when messages are delivered is also critical. Finally, planning defines the vehicles through which messages are delivered.

Sponsorship development and charity linkages:
Why is it that large corporations sponsor charitable events and festivals? The reason is simple. Investing in a good cause reflects well on the reputation of an organization. Repeated over the years, people will associate a brand name with a cause. If Public Relations is about giving 'good vibes' about what a company does, then associating an organization with a cause it the perfect vehicle for that.

Picking the right cause however, should not be done on a whim. For example, Action Strategies' charitable and sponsorship strategy is geared towards assisting the Ontario Special Olympics. By associating our pro-bona work towards sport and community, we were later able to use that good publicity towards securing paid work with the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Companies can therefore direct their sponsorship strategies towards business development and brand reinforcement.

Organizations have also been known to link their brand towards charities in integrating themselves into the community. I recently interviewed Lesa Crowe of Itancan for an upcoming podcast. From the heart of oil and gas country in Oklahoma, Lesa revealed to me that while people are paying more than ever at the pump and tempers are simmering, local oil and gas providers are ingratiating themselves into well-known local charities to assist with keeping their reputations in tact. In essence, they are showing that 'not all oil companies are bad'.

The relationship isn't all one-sided. Charities benefit from the obvious influx of cash but they also benefit from the knowledge and experience the corporate world can bring.

Reputation and credibility building/ protection:
It's often said that it can it can take as many as 7 different touch points of reputation building exposure before one can say they recognize a brand and say they have a favourable opinion. In reverse, it can take only one negative comment in the media, a complaint process on blogs or a simple corporate fumble to tear down a good reputation.

Public Relations works to build and protect an organization's credibility and reputation. There are a number of cases wherein otherwise profitable companies have been brought to their knees because of a crisis that seriously broke the line of trust held with customers. Public Relations Consultants understand the basics of crisis communications and how to get a client back on the road to reputation stability.

Internet Public Relations:
The internet has exploded in its use over the past 10 years. It remains one of the key sources from which people attain their information. Web 2.0 is the new term for internet communications that allow PR practitioners to diffuse information out to targets directly and seek engaged feedback in return. This blog is one example. After reading what you see in this article, the opportunity to leave your own questions and comments or exchange comments with other commentators is possible. Public Relations Consultants have the where-with-all to reach out to bloggers and encourage coverage that has the potential to increase website traffic.

Action Strategies Magnifier Series of Podcasts are also an example of internet PR. People are no longer limited to getting their video and audio information from television and radio. Podcasts offer select groups and publics the opportunity to subscribe to specialized video and audio content. If one's PR efforts need to be to a very small select group of people who are internet savvy, offering a podcast feed is the way to go.

Many PR consultancies such as Action Strategies have the technical ability to produce podcasts and other social media strategies.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Why is Market Research Important?

This month, I've come across a number of organization heads throughout Ontario and Quebec. One of the common themes we seemed to have touched on was research and how that applies to marketing.

On that note, I came across an interesting article by Martin Day that touches on this important point.

Enjoy!

Market research will help you better communicate - Your current customers experiences are a valuable information source, not only will they allow you to gauge how well you currently meet their expectations they can also tell you where you are getting things right and more importantly where you are getting things wrong.

By asking the customer you not only show them that you care but you also take the guess work out of customer services.

Market research helps you identify opportunities – If you are planning to operate a new service and want to know the preconceived attitudes people have then market research can help, not only in evaluating the potential for a new idea, but also by identify the areas where a marketing message needs to honed.

Market research will minimise risk - Market research can help shape a new product or service, identifying what is needed and ensure that the development of a product is highly focused towards demand.

Market research creates benchmarks and helps you measure your progress - Unless you measure you may not be able to gage how well your business is performing. Early research may highlight glaring holes in your service or short falls in your product, regular market research will show if improvements are being made and, if positive, will help motivate a team.

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com.

I couldn't agree more with Martin on these points. If you are looking for advice on where to target your marketing efforts, Action Strategies develops solid marketing plans that are based on research.

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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy. Make sure to contact him for advise on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a marketing campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

The Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Lobbyist...and why they're not the ''Boogeyman''.

Shirley E. Greenberg from Ottawa's Women's Health Centre said it so clearly last April when in reference to a lobbyist initiative on health care, that lobbying has its place in Canadian public policy. Click here for the background information relating to this story from the Toronto Star.

I could go on forever on how unfair I believe the criticism government relations recieves from media commentators and the public alike. In itself, this issue could form the basis of a thesis! What I will say is that the stereotypes need to be addressed. To do that, what's needed is a clear understanding of when the practice of government relations is most effective. These conditions need to be communicated more vocally. Specifically, lobbying isn't right in every circumstance, nor is hiring a GR consultant.

To be clear with my clients and prospective clients, I lay out at least five conditions and/or circumstances that warrant a lobbying campaign:

1. A municipality or non-profit needing funding: Some may be aware that I've succeeded in the past with gaining previously refused infrastructure funding for a municipal client I once had. In fact, for the Municipality of Allumette Island, I secured over $30,000. Often, I'm approached by other non-profits and municipalities seeking funding.

The conditions for success here usually depend on a number of factors. First, a GR consultant will need to review if any existing sources of funding are out there. There is little sense in trying to re-invent the wheel. I've found the benefit of good government relations in this aspect promotes an application one step further. It also helps to ensure a file doesn't remain buried at the bottom of the pile of the thousands others received. If the funding programmes don't already exist, organizations should not expect immediate results. Time will be necessary to build awareness and the case for WHY funding would be needed.

The next condition for success deals with whether or not an organization has the funding to hire a consultant. Contrary to the beliefs of some, government relations consultants cannot charge based on commissions received from the total amount acquired. In fact, recent legislation at the federal level has even made this illegal! The same is the case with several other provinces. This means that the clients we take on understand that like everybody else, we have mortgages to pay as well:)

The final condition for this subset is the general purpose for which the subsidy or funding is being sought. Long gone are the days wherein governments would finance every demand under the sun. For a request to made, there needs to be a rock solid case that every Canadian will benefit from the transaction. In addition, it certainly would not hurt if it can be proven that the cause promoted backs the agenda of the government or would assist in improving their popularity.

2. Assistance in seeking procurement advice: Government relations people can also help companies acquire new business! Acquiring contracts through the RFP process can be challenging to say the least. It's about understanding and getting to the heart of what government purchases are really seeking. One of the most common areas GR consultants are called upon in this field is with the Department of National Defence (DND).

3. Ongoing monitoring and advice of political developments and how those can impact an industry or company: There is enormous value in having the input and insight of an ''insider'' with connections in the corridors of power. Contrary to popular belief, the connections lobbyists have are not used to gain special favours for themselves or clients. Instead, the connections they have become useful when the particular direction of a government is uncertain. When a client needs to know if a Minister or bureaucrat's inclination is leaning one way or if consideration is being given to study or review a regulation, upfront notice is invaluable. During my time with the Canadian Construction Association, my connections within the Finance Department and the continual contact I had there meant I was able to warn the association executive of pending review and study of bankruptcy regulations. Without having the benefit of ongoing monitoring, CCA could have been ''surprised'' with a decision unfavourable to the industry.

4. Coalition building amongst associations and varying stakeholders: Lobbyists are team builders for causes not always understood by policy makers or all Canadians. Sometimes it becomes necessary to gather different interests together on a common point. While at the Canadian Construction Association, I coordinated 7 different associations together to form a united front on the need for more investment in infrastructure. Each of the respective associations (including the Canadian Construction Association) had valid points but had we all gone to government on the same issue with varying points and at varying times, the risk of a dilluted message was very plausible. By combining our efforts into a single event on a message with which all could be comfortable, our message was heard more loudly and more clearly.

Needless to say, coordinating such an effort takes finesse, time and skill. Government Relations Consultants possess the know-how and abilities to make these campaigns and events possible.

5. Building awareness of unfair legislation or regulations that could hurt a segment of Canadian industry or the population: In reality, Government Relations is an offshoot or cousin of Public Relations. The difference of course comes from whom the message is targeted. Effective Government Relations builds awareness with policy makers. By the nature of the amount of decisions Parliament must make every day and the varying interests with which it must contend, it is inevitable that every day decisions may overlook the concerns of affected parties. Engaging a good lobbyist would be similar to engaging the services of a good lawyer. It means that a cause will get its fair say before those who ''judge'' what will be the acceptable policy course of action.


What GR IS NOT ABOUT:

After dealing with what good lobbying practices are about, I think it is pertinent to briefly deal with what the government relations business is not about. Unfortunately, our business has some work ahead of itself in educating the public about perceived ideas of what it is we in GR do.

1. Influence peddling: As I touched on before, lobbyists generally do have contacts. However, these contacts are not used in the sense of a ''wink, wink...do my client a favour please.'' The laws in Canada regarding influence peddling are quite strict. While contacts help, they are not the be all and end all of success in the lobbying world. Contacts help break the ice in initial discussions but they will never replace good and solid understanding of the policy environment.

2. Setting up single meetings: The contacts I have developed over the years are precious. They have been built on a solid basis of a give and take relationship. On occasion, I will be asked if it is possible to set up a meeting or two as the sole basis for a contract. The trouble with this approach is that it neglects the whole purpose of WHY a meeting should take place. Before a meeting happens, there has to have been a solid case built to present to those targeted in government. If the basis of the government relations business was solely on setting up meetings, you could imagine how quickly our contacts would be burned out if lobbyists sent repeated client interests on different subjects there way every other day. To be honest, if setting up a meeting is your sole objective, you don't need a lobbyist! Pick up the phone yourself!

3. Contracts that take commissions or success fees: In the first paragraph of this article, I touched on the misconception of government relations consultants accepting success fees or commissions based on the amounts of funding a cause would receive or on contracts awarded to clients. Briefly said, this is illegal!!!

But legalities set aside, there is an aspect of this that unknowing clients fail to consider when suggesting such a fee schedule. In real terms, government moves slowly. As a result, rarely does it occur when a lobbyist is able to achieve a contract mandate in under a year or more. If payment were based solely on the final outcome without consideration of all the work that lead up to the success, a consultant could not reasonably expect payment for services rendered for more than a year or two! Needless to say, payment schedules based on commissions or success fees are hardly practical. Unfortunately, they remain the perceived form of payment lobbyists accept.
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Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a public affairs & marketing communications consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly public affairs newsletter by visiting the newsletter section of his website.

New podcast & updates to Action Strategies' website!

Hey all! For regular readers of this blog, you know that Action Strategies produces a regular blog...well, almost regular! Admittedly, I've been in remiss in terms of producing new content. That's changed! Check my new podcast on my website. The subject is my favorite in PR: Communications Plans and the Essential Elements.

Also, check out the news section of the website. New developments have been added as well.

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Mark

Huge opportunities for lobbying

Since my last communication with you, many things have unfolded. Quebec has a minority government for the first time in 130 years and a federal budget has produced a number of opportunities and challenges for organizations looking to sell to government or simply influence it.

For organizations looking to sell to government, my advise to them would be to
move NOW in their initiatives if the services they provide fit into an environmental
initiative or in the field of Defence. The environment continues to be a hot initiative.

Support for nuclear energy from the federal government seems to be on the rise. Those who believe they can offer intelligent research or alternatives need to kick up
their efforts. The Prime Minister knows he needs to look as ''green'' as possible to
turn his minority government into a majority. On the Defence front, Canada's Afghanistan mission means that contractors have an opportunity to press the advantage of their products to DND (Department of National Defence) procurement. The Minister of Defence's recent purchase of 100 new tanks could signal the chance for suppliers to see a new niche.

Provincially, Action Strategies is monitoring Ontario as it prepares for an election in October. The parties are preparing their platforms and associations would be wise to to begin promoting their cause to the platform developers. In Quebec, Mario
Dumont's ADQ has opened the door for new constitutional talks at the federal level and the environment is also front and centre provincially. Action Strategies may be
taking the lead in assisting a number of organizations in lobbying the provincial
Energy Efficiency Agency in public consultations scheduled this Spring.

All of these points lead to the need to timing. Now is the time to start your GR
efforts. In this edition, I will point out the conditions to watch that make a campaign most likely to succeed. Email me now for a free assessment of the opportunities available to your organization.

Is there a right or wrong time to launch a GR campaign?

Recent discussions I held with a client of mine helped me put this question into perspective. As for many association executives, resources are limited and any effort put forward needs to be assured a reasonable chance of success. As a result, I began thinking of the five criteria an executive should consider as indicators of true opportunities for change in government policy:

1. The most obvious to identify is where a sitting government has established its priorities. For example, what has the most recent budget or Speech from the Throne stated? Listing through the government priorities provides an organization the chance to do some very positive introspection.

2. Where does public opinion stand? When the tories came to power last year, few expected the environment to be as hot a subject as it is now. Their platform addressed the subject but it was clear that they had other priorities. Now that the environment has become a bigger priority for Canadians, government funding initiatives for the environment have taken a much bigger priority. In turn, the issues and concerns of the environmental lobby have also been heeded.

3.Honestly, are your expectations reasonable? Given what you know of your issue and the possible complexities involved, it's important to understand whether your position will fit with the government or carry any weight with complementary stake holders. For example, in an age where subsidies to public advocacy groups are on the decline, is it reasonable to set your benchmarks of success at $1 million of funding when the likelihood of receiving several thousand dollars will be challenging enough?

4. Who currently has the ear of policy makers? This is where the importance of a government relations audit is so crucial. Have opposing pressures or groups made gains ahead of yours, producing a situation wherein they are better positioned to have the ear of parliamentarians, legislators, and bureaucrats? If they have, are there alternative routes your organization can take? If not, when will the next best opportunity come?

5. Timing, timing, timing! Many factors can play into the success of a government relations campaign. Few however, have such a prominent role as timing. Examples of knowing when to launch a campaign include:
-The announcement of a coming commission or consultation process
-In advance of any budget, provincial or federal, committee hearings take place. Make sure to pay attention and participate. In last month's entry, I touched on the how-to's of presenting to committees.
-Opinion polls and media attention. If trends seem to be taking a direction different from the current government's, offering your solution to bridge the gap dramatically increases your chances.

Take these points to heart. They provide a unique opportunity for you to audit your government relations chances. Investing in an audit with an experienced GR consultant can save your organization time, effort and money down the road. Let me know if I can help,

Mark
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Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a public affairs & marketing communications consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly public affairs newsletter by visiting www.actionstrategies.ca and dropping down the newsletter menu.

The How-to's of Commissions, Consultations, & Committees

The challenge of presenting before a commission or committee is ensuring that your message stands a reasonable chance of being adopted. Witnesses must make the best of their testimony. They must get an edge over other groups which compete for the ear of the member. Expert witnesses are not necessarily expert communicators. While many preliminary steps are required to get ready, the following “last minute checklist”, conducted just prior to appearing, might help you take your message to the Hill.

Whether it is to present a case on a fact-finding enquiry or to be embroiled in debate on the merits or costs of clauses in a bill, committees enable Canadians to intersect the policy and legislative process. Parliamentary committees are also the place where members truly roll-up their sleeves to delve into the issues.

Of course, all public policy advisors would agree on one key point: that to influence the policy-making process its best to get in at the earliest stages. This confirms the importance of the constant flurry of departmental consultations, caucus briefings and private one-on-one meetings between parliamentarians and groups. Still, parliamentary committees are unmatched in channelling Canadians’ views to government.

There are other compelling reasons for witnesses to enhance their committee performance. A committee visit may involve managing media relations; testimony may be of interest to ministers or regulators; what is raised at committee could become an issue in Question Period (which is particularly significant for public servants). If CPAC is covering the hearing, a witness is also communicating to a national TV-audience. In short, a committee appearance can be a linchpin for broader communication efforts. (This explains why groups may use committees to table fresh research or announce new initiatives.)

Effective testimonies can also hinge on whether a relationship has been developed with members or those in the bureaucracy who may have organized the consultation process. Witnesses that just blow into town for one meeting, drop their testimony and leave risk being marginalized. Seasoned witnesses rarely air their solutions with members for the first time at the committee table. Working at the constituency level, for instance, helps familiarize members to the issues. The rule of thumb for witnesses appearing before committees is tailor your strategy.

Also crucial is finding additional partners with whom which you could partner, double up, or reciprocally further back a position. As mentioned in Corridors, Action Strategies' Government Relations Newsletter, we've been working with a national trade association looking to present before Quebec's Energy Efficiency Agency. Crucial to this process has been identifying partners and determining the relevance of the message we have to offer.

In future postings, I'll get more into detail on the make ups of committee hearings and how they can be best leveraged.
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Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a public affairs & marketing communications consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly public affairs newsletter by visiting www.actionstrategies.ca and dropping down the newsletter menu.

How I go after link strategies to market clients

Wikipedia defines Link exchanges as a practice of exchanging links with other websites. There are many different ways to arrange a link exchange with webmasters. The simplest way of doing it is to email another website owner and ask to do a link exchange. Also visiting webmaster discussion boards which offer a dedicated link exchange forum where webmasters can request a link exchange be it of a certain category or open to anybody.

Link exchange has been a long time practice by website owners since the beginning of the web. In the last few years (after year 2000), this practice has gained more popularity as search engines such as Google started favoring sites that had more links in the rankings. This system was very accurate at gauging the importance of a website when it first started, leading to the popularity of Google.

Personally, one of my favorite means is monitoring blogs, newsgroups and a clients' linked-in sites via Alexa.com. Additionally, there are more and more resources out there for PR professionals such that Action Strategies can hit a broad range of numerous websites in a fast period. To clarify, the need for PR practioners in the internet age has never been clearer.

Just as in traditional PR, I pride myself on building a rapport with the webmasters of websites I know would benefit a client should a link be placed on their site. The message has to be clear to them, nonetheless. There needs to be a real interest placed in the mind of the webmaster as to why a link to your site is beneficial.

If there's to be any doubt as to the value of reciprocal linking, check out Alexa.com's report on EQAO. Impressive to say the least! Nearly 120 sites linking in and Action Strategies will be increasing that number!

Be forwarned, this strategy is not for the faint of heart. It takes time and consistent monitoring. For advice on implementing your own link exchange strategy, consult a PR consultant. Action Strategies can advise you on the best methods available in building a ''buzz''on the internet and raising your link-ins.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultantcy. Make sure to contact him for advise on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications campaigns. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

The key to Magnfied PR? Identifiy Your Targets!

My most recent assignment with the EQAO (Education Quality Accountability Office) has re-enforced what I have long believed about targeting the right message to the right audience. In fact, this experience has helped me prove a long held point that understanding, identifying, and analyzing groups of people you wish to motivate or influence is so critical.

With EQAO, we're learning that our target audience, teachers, receive their professional development information in different formats. Additionally, they don't always receive all government information via their own professional associations and unions.

So, what's been needed? Working on a thorough marketing plan, I have advised EQAO to break it's communications efforts into three sub groups (more detail will be following as I can't get much further in detail right now). Each of these groups has similar yet varied interests. Equally, they receive their information from and place greater credibility with varying sources of information.

By communicating with these groups on a one-to-one basis and laying out an analyzed calendar of events, we are well on our way to saving EQAO enormous amounts of time and money in advertizing efforts. Moreover, we're continually growing their subscriber lists to an upcoming newsletter targeted to teachers.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultantcy. Make sure to contact him for advise on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications campaigns. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Scheduled podcast - Relationship building and Government Relations in Canada

For those who weren't already aware, Action Strategies has launched a new series in podcasts. Please stay tuned as this week, I'll be interviewing Fred Sherman of Fred Sherman Communications. Fred was a long time assistant in various Ministerial offices during the Chretien and Martin years.

Together, we'll be talking about the challenges and techniques Government Relations professionals face in dealing with a Conservative government as opposed to nowadays under the Conservative government's accountability act.
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Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a public affairs & marketing communications consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly public affairs newsletter by visiting www.actionstrategies.ca and dropping down the newsletter menu.

Using bloggers to leverage marketing and build a buzz

Ok, so we've all heard about blogs and their power to influence opinion. Hopefully, if you're reading this blog, you've got an interest in how to commercially apply this new social medium...one that allows readers, publics, targets, prospects, etc. to give you instantaneous feedback.

So yada yada yada! What does this really mean? What this means is that with the ability to have comments posted by interested publics, your web content has the capacity to remain constantly fresh. By extension, this means the potential to increase the visibility of your online PR and presence also goes up.

On a wider scale, PR practitioners are cluing in on this possibility. For example, as a publicist, I can research a vast array of blogs that exist in the ''blogosphere'' and with a carefully coordinated campaign of emailing the blog authors or posting message responses to their posts, the possibility of initiating a viral marketing campaign really becomes impressive. There are tools out there that allow individual entrepreneurs and association executives the option of doing this work themselves. In reading a post recently from another PR professional well known in the US, it was suggested that one should subscribe to google news via blog posts for leads of where to respond.

While this offers one option, I can't help but think that the process is overly burdensome for the average person in terms of the time commitment required to reach every single blogger who could have enough impact.

At the risk of sounding self-serving, I would venture that this task would be better pawned off to a professional. On numerous occasions, I've used blogs and bloggers as an avenue to promote clients or a cause. Most often rather than not, blog posts are more likely to first appear in media-monitoring search engines. Moreover, a good publicist takes the time necessary to build appropriate lists of bloggers with which a dialogue and relationship can be established.

Imagine if you will, a buzz being developed on another site that talks about your services or what's going on with your website. Pretty exciting, no? What's best is that blogging public relations can often be monitored in close to real time.

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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultantcy. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Podcasts...What are they & why do I need them?

In my view, Podcasting offers professionals the opportunity to literally skyrocket their credibility and reputation with their clientele and prospects. As said in the Magnifier newsletter, imagine if you will the creation of your own downloadable radio show. With the properly attracted crowd, the quality of the information you provide in a more easily followed form than written form is very powerful.

But concretely, how can professionals, organizations, and associateions leverage this newest tool on the internet block? In terms of Public Relations efforts, podcasting is truly incredible.

My favorite example is one that I have been using most frequently: trade shows or conventions. Imagine if you will, the trouble most go through in making their presentation and booth a success. Months can go into the details and building of momentum only to have an anti-climatic deflation of buzz the day after the convention.

Not following me? Take for example, the work that goes into building the appropriate marketing material, booth and driving media attention to your offer. A good publicist can drive up awareness and develop good public relations because there is something big forthcoming. However, once the event is done, what left is there to report?

Podcasting allows organizations the opportunity not only to report via audio OR video the happenings of the trade floor show, but also leverage all that buzz AFTER the event. For example, by encouraging prospective members and/or media who could not attend to subscribe to the podcast, one allows them to experience the event for themselves and at their convenience. The podcast allows you one more kick at the can in terms of driving awareness and credibility.

One other example

Let's say you run a business with a very long sales cycle. Most often, consultants or businesses with very specialized and more expesive lines of services fall into this category.

Credibility and reputations are everything! Trust can only be built up over a long period of time.

With podcasting, you are afforded the opportunity to provide a very select form of information to a niche and build regular communication to it. With such a direct channel going to such a select audience, your public relations efforts a bound to pay off.

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Mark Buzan is the Principal and Chief Magnifier of Action Strategies, a full service Marketing Communications, Public Relations, and Public Affairs consultancy. You can visit his new website at www.actionstrategies.ca