Top 3 Trends & Takeaways from the National PAC Conference

1. Crisis PR for the PAC Brand

The importance of building the PAC brand within an organization has never been more important. The anti-PAC movement is afoot – and employee and trade association PACs are under attack from members of Congress and presidential candidates alike.

PAC professionals are putting their crisis management hats on to build and maintain brand reputation among donors and prospects. Educating eligible audiences on the merits of a PAC has always been challenging, but this type of situation requires some crisis PR tactics.

To weather this storm, PACs should be thinking about incorporating crisis basics:

• Revise your Q&A. Are you addressing and answering all of the right questions? Have a good answer for even the toughest critics. Your end goal: no surprises.
• Address the crisis head on. Speed kills, but so does inaction. With crisis communications, keeping pace with an issue is fundamental. Not addressing these anti-PAC critiques with members and eligibles as they arise could have a negative impact down the road.
• Identify a spokesperson. Every crisis requires a strong, steady voice. Who among your members can effectively communicate why the PAC is so important? A friendly, reliable voice can be a huge asset for the brand during trying times.

2. One-Size Fits All Is Out

Audience targeting through data and analytics is in! PACs are experiencing communications fatigue like every other brand and organization. Sending the same messages to everyone at the same time is yielding fewer and fewer results.

More and more PAC directors are creating tailored, targeted messages to members and eligibles based on their job, geography and communication preferences. Here’s how you can get started:

• Pulse check. PAC surveys don’t have to be intensive. Do a quick pulse survey every few months to find out what your audience prefers. Do they find an infographic more helpful than a video? A podcast more than a paragraph? When do they like to receive communications?
• Track, measure, optimize & repeat. Measuring success starts with establishing good benchmarks. Before introducing new communication tactics, you need to understand your baseline and what you’re trying to achieve. What content resonates the most with your donors? When are your open rates highest? What subject lines spur engagement?

3. PACs Are Taking More Creative Risks

The biggest communications theme coming out of the National PAC Conference is that PACs are taking more creative risks. Heavy on compliance, it can feel like there isn’t much room for creativity in PAC fundraising. But more and more, PACs are integrating creative communications tactics to bring their PACs into the digital age.

Fundraising communications need to reflect modern consumption habits: socially savvy and visually appealing with a mobile-first mindset. Where do you start?

• Keep it “snackable.” We’re living in a 280-character world. Attention spans are short. Change up your communication style and send quick FYIs instead of long updates.
• Incorporate more visuals. Even just to break up text. If you don’t have a design budget, get a subscription to a stock photography site to incorporate more visuals.
• Video, video, video. Don’t know where to start? Read here.