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LIZ
LOOMIS PUBLIC
AFFAIRS
Communicating to Win Ballot Measures Oregon Fire Service Conference
November 7, 2015
PUBLIC
AFFAIRS
LIZ LOOMIS
Outline
• Introduction
• Lay of the Land
• Assets and Liabilities - Exercise
• Survey Research
• Effective Messaging - Exercise
• Developing a Communications Plan
• Conclusion – Q&A
PUBLIC
AFFAIRS
LIZ LOOMIS
Introduction
• Liz Loomis Public Affairs • 20+ years in strategic communications, government and elections
• Cities, public hospital, school and fire districts
• Bond and levy measures
• Communicate better to secure needed revenue
• Offsite communication services
• Public relations and messaging • Mergers, RFAs, contract renewals
• Crisis communications
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Lay of the Land
• Cynical electorate
• Recovering economy
• Fire districts need to prove that personnel, facilities and services are needed
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• Lowest approval rating for Congress in decades • Fire/EMS is better, but that doesn’t
always mean more $$
• Taxpayers are cautious when it comes to spending • “It’s all just taxes.”
• Few know how much they pay
• Believe taxes increase on a regular basis
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• Economy is recovering • Rising Gross Domestic Product
and Consumer Confidence levels
• Decreasing unemployment rate
• Home values edging higher • Urban v. rural divide
• Increase in personal savings/consumer spending
• Voters are feeling more confident
• Use this time to lay the foundation for your project
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LIZ LOOMIS
• Thinking about going to ballot? 1. Update Capital Facilities and/or Strategic Plan
• Inform community of the process and your findings
2. Identify organizational assets and liabilities
3. Conduct survey research
4. Determine election timing, taxing option, amount
5. Develop a strategic communications plan • Start communicating 8-12 months before the election
6. Maintain communication with voters after the election
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LIZ LOOMIS
Assets and Liabilities
• “Is our project feasible right now?”
• Identify assets and liabilities • What do you bring to the table?
• What could prevent you from winning?
• Make it a public process • Board, personnel, community
members, and a critic
• Inclusion generates support for a project
• Items or issues internal and external to your organization
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Example: Fire District Assets
Internal External
Web Site Recovering economy
Facebook Page Outreach to state legislators to discuss priorities
Newsletter (2/year) Presence at community events and in schools
Media releases (monthly) Regular visits to community groups to discuss priorities
Positive working relationship between labor and management
Campaign committee ready to form
Personnel motivated to participate Community Advisory Group – Strong support for fire district
New fire chief New fire chief
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Example: Fire District Liabilities
• Do we go to ballot or not? If so, what issues do we try to resolve ahead of time?
Internal External
Communicating with taxpayers, but no focused message
Recovering economy
Web site information not current Conservative voters
Disagreement by Board about need for bond
Hostile local paper
Conflict between career and volunteer firefighters
People confused about who provides them with fire service
No one to do the communications work
Embezzlement issue seven years ago
School district built a “Taj Mahal.”
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Your Turn: Assets
Internal External
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Your Turn: Liabilities
Internal/External Resolution?
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Potential Pitfalls
• Labor-management relations or Labor negotiations
• Board relationships
• Hostile press
• Organized opposition
• Too little time between public education effort and election
• Asking for too much money
• Unresolved public relations issues
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Survey Research
• Research is your foundation • Measures public opinion
• Identifies possible pitfalls
• Identifies target audiences
• Helps with messaging
• Improves election results
• Cost-effective for budgeting
• Survey voters every 3-5 years
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• Research options • Telephone survey – Interviews
• Most effective
• 96% of Americans have a telephone
• Provides a valid sample
• Fastest way to collect and process data
• Two to four weeks
• Telephone survey – Prompted response
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• Printing and postage costs
• Eight weeks for results
• Web-based
• Cost-effective
• Gaining in popularity
• Four to eight weeks for results
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• Issues with prompted response, mail and web-based surveys
• Difficult to control sample
• Low response rate
• Critical data needed from non-responders
• Combination of phone, mail and/or internet depending on sample size
• Always use a professional survey instrument
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• A word on focus groups…
• Good for specific demographic groups or issues
• Can help fine tune message
• Sample too small to represent public opinion
• Public meetings, Citizen Advisory Committees, etc.
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Effective Messaging
• Communication without a message is expensive noise
• A lot competes for voter attention
• Make your message compelling
• Educate for future revenue needs
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• Key Messages • Drive your agenda
• Control the discussion
• Proactive vs. reactive
• Focus audience attention
• Help people understand your position
• Keep you organized
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• Brief and specific
• Easy to understand
• Memorable
• Persuasive
• Truthful
• Jargon or acronyms
• Spin
• Lies
• Overly dramatic
• Negativity
• Condescend
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• Messages should include: • Who you are, what you do and why you
are deserving
• Challenges facing your organization
• The solution and impacts to taxpayers
• Contingency plan and consequences
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Example: Messaging for a Bond
1. Thank you for supporting your local fire department. • XXX provides fire fighting, prevention and emergency medical
service (EMS) to 31,000 people over 1,200 square miles. We are debt free, operate under a balanced budget and have passed all accountability audits by the state. More than 100 full-time firefighters, paramedics, and volunteer firefighter/EMTs appreciate the opportunity to serve our community.
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2. The timing is right to build our own fire station. • We currently lease space for a fire station, and the city needs the
room to expand its police department. Our lease runs out at the end of 2016, and responding from this facility takes longer to reach a majority of our emergency calls. The fire district has purchased land for a station in a better location, and a grant is paying for the environmental cleanup of the site. Bond financing rates to fund construction are at historic lows, as well.
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3.We’ve reduced the cost of the station as you requested. • Some people voiced concerns that the original proposal of $12.6
million was too much – and we listened. Now the district is asking voters to approve a $6.7 million bond during the XXX election to build the station. The bond will last for 20 years and cost property owners 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation (approximately $40.08 per year or $3.34 per month for the owner of a $200,000 home).
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4. A station at this location will improve response times. • If we are unsuccessful with a bond, we will continue to provide
the highest level of service possible with whatever facilities are available to us. Because we must vacate the city property at the end of 2016, this could include multiple temporary locations until one facility can be found. This could disrupt emergency service levels if personnel, equipment and apparatus are working from several different locations.
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Your Turn: Effective Messaging
1. Who are you? What services do you provide? Why is your organization deserving of this tax increase?
2. What challenges are facing your fire agency?
3. What solution have you devised, and what will it cost taxpayers?
4. What are the consequences of your ballot measure failing?
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Developing a Communications Plan
• Strategies and tactics for message delivery
1. Paid Communications
2. Earned Media
3. Owned and Social Media
4. Public Outreach
• Include all four areas to reach multiple audiences
• Educate, don’t advocate
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Paid Communications
• Newsletter • Direct mail
• Information brochure
• On hold message system
• Signage and banners
• Advertising/paid sponsorships • Does it build a strategic alliance
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• Pros • Control of message,
timing and delivery
• Less invasive than email
• Cons • Costs money
• Budget for it
• Penetration rate
• Declining response rate
• Election day starts when ballots are mailed
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• Newsletter • 2-3 times per year
• Branded and memorable
• Two pages
• Two color (or explain four)
• Brief articles
• Pictures or graphics that connect with people
• Too expensive? Get creative. • Insert in local paper
• Monthly or quarterly column
• Email distribution list
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Earned Media
• Media releases
• Opinion-Editorials
• Public Service Announcements
• Letters to the Editor
• Community Blogs
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• Pros • Cost-effective • Third party credibility • Builds relationships
• Cons • Limited control over message, timing
and delivery
• Labor intensive to monitor responses
• Knowing when to respond
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• Media releases most effective • 1-2 per month
• Communicate strategically – not just incident reporting
• Develops regular communication with audience
• Builds relationships with local news media
• Editorial board visits 1-2x year
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Owned and Social Media
• Web site
• Signage
• Tumblr & Instagram
• YouTube
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• Pros • Cost-effective and time-wise
• Control message, timing and delivery
• Reach target audiences, key influencers
• Creates a sense of community
• Sharing and collaborative
• Cons • Can lose control of message
• “Going viral”
• Labor intensive to monitor
• Must be maintained
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• Facebook • Dominates
• Twitter • Immediate news delivery
• YouTube • Video platform
• Tumblr & Instagram • Good for youth – but do they vote?
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• Facebook • 1x per week
• Provide brief updates • Drive traffic to your web site for
more detail
• Ask people to “Like” your page
• Encourage friends to “Share” your information to make new friends
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• Web site • Passive form of communication
• Think “reference manual”
• Use to provide greater detail
• Choose images that make personal connections
• Eliminate pages that aren’t used
• Keep it updated
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Public Outreach
• Open houses • Does attendance matter?
• Public presentations • Short and often
• Community events • Do they vote?
• Citizen advisory groups
• Schools • Send students home with
information for parents
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• Pros • Cost-effective
• Control over message, timing and delivery
• Reach target audiences
• Make personal connections
• Identify key influencers
• Transparent/accountable
• Cons • Can lose control of message
• Labor intensive for low turnout
• Audience response
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• Public meetings • Develop brief PowerPoint
• 15 minutes/1x year to all community groups
• Invite public to your house if on ballot
• Leave behind materials
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Sample Communications Plan
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Conclusion – Q&A
• Any ballot measures that you want to discuss?
• Now’s the time
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LIZ LOOMIS
Thank you!
For more information, please contact Liz Loomis:
425-308-6236
www.llpa.biz
PO Box 2451
Snohomish, WA 98291
