How to Build a Winning Social Media Strategy for Advocacy

Connect With Policymakers on Social Media

Social media gives easy access to policymakers, politicians, and government officials. There’s a better chance of getting a response or interaction with a policymaker as social platforms can be a more unfiltered, informal way they communicate with constituents. 

Advocates can contact their lawmakers directly on social media using VoterVoice, connecting them with local, state, and federal lawmakers, ensuring your message is heard by those with the power to enact change. 

“Members of Congress love to use social media and it can be an incredibly powerful and engaging tool,” shared Lincoln Clapper, chief sales officer at Advocacy Associates. “We recommend social media strategies to all of our clients as part of their overall advocacy initiative.” 

Connecting with policymakers on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram can be a creative way to get their attention and be noticed by a wider audience. Nearly all policymakers are on Twitter, and a simple retweet or reply to their content can get your organization noticed. 

If all the noise on social media is overwhelming, consider employing the help of social media monitoring tools specific for government affairs. FiscalNote allows teams to quickly drill down and find the tweets of more than 4,000 legislators. You’ll have the ability to search for tweets by person, handle, hashtag, keyword, government branch, jurisdiction, or political party, and even what others are saying about them, to find the data you need to follow. 

Develop a Strategy for Posting Content

Before you start posting on social media, take time to develop a thoughtful content strategy. Plan how often you will post and set goals for engagement and growth so you’ll know how your strategy is working. Organizational tools like a content calendar are essential. A social media content calendar allows you to plan how often you will post, on which platforms, and what type of content you will share daily. A content calendar is key to keeping track of your social media posts to ensure you’re posting a wide variety of content, including videos, polls, live streaming, and graphics to engage your audience.

Expect your strategy to evolve as you learn about your audience and as your organization grows — but starting with an organized strategy will help manage all the moving parts of social media advocacy.