By Jane Carroll Andrade
Arkansas Representative James Sturch (R) defines a citizen legislator as “one who always keeps a focus on people, before politics.” That’s why the 24-year-old, elected in 2014 and the youngest legislator currently serving in the Arkansas Legislature, showed up at the Legislative Summit session, “Marketing the Citizen Legislator.”
Sturch and other citizen legislators at the session, sponsored by the Legislative Effectiveness Committee and Young & New Professionals Network, serve with little or no staff.
(Pictured from left, moderators Senator Aaron Ford of Nevada and Representative Matt Hudson of Florida.)
They often are responsible for handling their own communications, which can be particularly challenging in what speaker Kim Ervin of Pyramid Communications described as our “on-demand culture.” Ervin said people now spend more than 12 hours a day consuming media--up from three hours in 2009. Not surprisingly, more than half of that consumption takes place online.
Since communicating with constituents in today’s fast-paced, digital environment can be overwhelming, Ervin advised participants to think of communications not as a firehose (being everywhere all the time) or an eye dropper (being in just one place), but as a watering can: a steady flow. With hundreds of options—from printed newsletters to a host of social media tools--she offered the following advice:
- Build a marketing plan and stick to it.
- Be clear about your goals.
- Decide which communications tools you’ll use and how often you’ll use them.
- Know your audience and meet them where they are. Are your constituents young and tech-savvy? More established and traditional? Choose tools accordingly.
- Use data to paint a picture of your audience and their habits.
- Schedule most of your social media posts in advance.
- Cross-promote if using multiple tools; e.g., put your Twitter handle on your Facebook page, and vice versa.
Ervin said once you marry your goals with your plan, the message that comes out “is the real you.” Being authentic is crucial because people are savvy about being “marketed at” and tend to reject impersonal, “tone-deaf” messages.
Panelists Senator Aaron Ford of Nevada and Representative Matt Hudson of Florida shared their experiences and expertise using social media.
Ford said his grandfather pressed the importance of education and that his mother said it’s not just what you know that matters, it’s who you know. Ford takes it one generation and one step further, arguing that it’s who knows you. “Social media helps people get to know who you are,” he said.
Hudson emphasized the importance of having a plan and using data. “It might make you feel good to send a newsletter to 4,000 people but if 3,950 people delete it, you’ve just wasted a huge amount of time.”
His parting advice for communicating with constituents: “Be consistent. Be respectful. At the end of the day, you’re their voice. Be mindful of that.”
Jane Carroll Andrade is communications program director at NCSL. Email Jane.