MAL48:22 | Page 17

Success in persuasion is not really about the effort and number of approaches used , persuasion is all about understanding the people you want to speak to , crafting the right messages and using the right approaches to generate buy-in .
can be anchored on one overarching mantra and the key messages changed as informed by the insights . A strong voter persona can provide guidance on how to shape the personality of a party or individual , all those can change depending on the reactions of the target voters . Just like brand communication which changes at every pivot from launch , political communication should also be updated often and improved with every PR effort . Granted not all approaches will work , but those that work should be improved further and carried forward to create more strategic and defined campaigns .
The role of public relations in this scenario therefore becomes to create social proof . Social proof is a psychological tactic that inspires decision based on an individual ’ s aspirations . There are seven principles of persuasion according to Robert Cialdini - Reciprocity , commitment , authority , liking , scarcity , unity and social proof .
Social proof is the manner in which people tend to look for and mirror others behavior , especially if they are uncertain about how to behave . That is the aspect that makes democratic politics very interesting . Competitors tend to mirror each other in what usually ends up in a he said-she said campaign strategy that causes strife and creates misunderstanding among voters , developing a sycophantic approach to politics among voters who most often will vote along tribal lines or past experiences instead of ideologies . There is also safety in numbers so people will tend to huddle around the induvial or party they are most attracted to for one reason or another .
For political communication however , there are different approaches to social proof . Testimonials are always a good start . People tend to trust other people ’ s experiences and reviews . Experience is the best teacher and shared experiences can easily influence family and friends . Getting people to speak about the impact that a politician has had on their life , community or social setting is one powerful PR tactic that can elevate the status of any individual . These can then form content for social media and online messages instead of having the individuals speak from their perspective at all times .
Affiliations are also powerful forms of social proof in getting other people to do the talking . In marketing , you can get your products to appear on other people ’ s pages and websites and any sales made generate a commission for the affiliate . The same approach can be applied in political

Success in persuasion is not really about the effort and number of approaches used , persuasion is all about understanding the people you want to speak to , crafting the right messages and using the right approaches to generate buy-in .
communication by associating the brand with relevant affiliates who can increase the views and impressions of the messages of the political candidate or individual .
Affiliations can be supported by influencers . Social influence can increase the sentiment about an individual just as it can for a brand . The higher the profile of the influencer , the better the believability of the messages and the higher the social approval . Influencers will also benefit from handling a reputable political aspirant or working with a reputable party and therefore the benefit is two-way .
Experts are also a valuable addition to political communication as would be the advice of experts in any field of business . Experts command a high level of credence and having one as part of the political communications or campaign team is always value addition to any political campaign .
Crowd wisdom is the purest form of social proof . Scarcity creates demand and political campaigns can take care of this by having different approaches to their on-ground tactics . In marketing , you would ideally target different people with different approaches . High value customers would not have the same experience as the middle to bottom tier of customers and the benefits of high value customers would then make it desirable for others to upgrade and join the top tier .
Different benefits can be accorded to different types of voters in political communications - such as the business community , religious and socio-cultural groups , youth groups , women groups and persons living with disabilities . It is important to get this approach right the first time as it has invaluable benefits and can be a good way to create social media conversation and user-generated content .
An individuals or party ’ s successes and credentials are always good conversation drivers . These affirmations build belief in the messaging sent to voters as they build social proof by telling what others think about a politician or party . Credentials also create affiliations and can boost believability and conversion rates .
In any political period , voters want to be sure that they are making the right decision . Nothing gives confidence in a brand like seeing others support it . Social proof is a powerful communication tactic that public relations professionals can harness to move the hearts of voters . It allows third party messengers to drive the messages . Word of mouth is often acknowledged as one of the fastest ways to seed messages across a group of people and social proof takes advantage of that knowledge .
In political communication social proof is the strongest form of persuasion over reciprocity , commitment , authority , liking and unity . PR professionals can elevate the levels of political communication by using some of these strategic approaches to communication .
Success in persuasion is not really about the effort and number of approaches used , persuasion is all about understanding the people you want to speak to , crafting the right messages and using the right approaches to generate buy-in .
Marketing communication , of which political communications is a part , is a strategic approach and just like with brands , those that put out the best show will always win !
Diana Obath is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications Specialist . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on : ObathD @ gmail . com .