My dad thanked me yesterday. He told me I’d trained him well. You see, he’s a member of the local library board. For some reason, the town (which is in a well-to-do area) doesn’t include the library in the regular tax rolls, so every time the library needs improvements, they have to get approval from the voters for a special bond issue to fund the project.

So, naturally, they need a marketing campaign of sorts to convince the town that the project has merit. Dad was at a board meeting last night and asked “What are the benefits?, Why would the town approve this?”

The reply, “Well it’s crowded, we need more space.”

Dad said, “So what?”

Another member chimed in, “Well, some of the books are old and falling apart.”

Dad again, “So what?”

His point (and mine) is that the board was framing the issue looking at themselves (instead of the voters). The voters don’t care about the old books or the overcrowding. They care about an extra room for story time for small children (and a safe place to drop them off while mom or dad runs errands). They care that the library has the books they want, or is open on Saturdays, or later into the evening on weekdays. They care about BENEFITS. They care about what’s in it for them, not what the library gets.

Keep that in mind when planning your next campaign.

Photo modesto speed