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Today, everyone has a mouthpiece or megaphone. With social media, the 24-hour news cycle, and targeted content, we’re constantly bombarded with opinions. But some of the messengers get it right and some get it way wrong. While your CEO or executive director is an obvious spokesperson for your cause, she or he is not always the best person to persuade your audiences to take action. You also need the right external messengers – those influencers who are aligned with your core values and can speak passionately and eloquently about your cause.
You may already have at least one strong external messenger – an influential board member, an affiliated issue expert, a family whose lives were changed thanks to your services. But to be truly effective in your communications takes more. It takes finding the right mix of influencers: the leaders, media personalities, bloggers, and celebrities your stakeholders follow, listen to, read, and share. The people who can motivate them to act.
These influencers are often very different for each audience and even each campaign. To identify the right external messengers for your cause, you must take time to really understand your audience(s), determine what motivates them, and identify the influencers whose opinions matter to them. Then, if these opinion makers are not already on board, find a way to recruit them to your cause.
Need help finding the right messenger? Our Bite-Size Course, How to Choose a Messenger, presents a three-step process to help you identify the people who can inspire and engage your audiences. Watch the video and download the free worksheet to get started.
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