Public policy and the media impacts business, domestic and international affairs. How policy is influenced by the news can be done in many ways. Influencing the narrative the mainstream or social media carries to the public often drives sentiment one way versus another.
The ISIS bombing in Paris and the Syrian/Middle Eastern refugee crisis are current examples of the insight that former POTUS Barack Obama Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel said about never allowing a crisis to go to waste.
(Keep in mind that a quote can be insightful, even if you disagree with
who said it and what their purpose or goal might be. Photo credit, WikiCommons.
poster credit, MHProNews.com )
Our industry needs to learn this lesson in influencing the media and the public discourse narrative. Why? Because we have solutions the nation needs! Those positive solutions are worth tens of billions of dollars that could flow annually to MH.
Let’s look at how engaging or guiding a narrative for or away from a given position can take place.
An Example from Current Events
The deadly Paris terrorist attack claimed by ISIS – and the fact that one or more Syrian ‘refugees’ were apparently involved in those mass murders – is bringing the issue of U.S. and European policies towards refugees front and center.
There are those who now flatly oppose anyone coming from Syria or other hot spots were Islamic terrorists are active. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is pushing a narrative that claims they can successfully screen refugees for terrorists, and that our nation should accept potentially tens of thousands of those fleeing the wars in Syria and the Middle East.
Overlooking an Easier, Safer and Less Costly Option
But an obvious solution to the needs of those refugees is being overlooked.
An Egyptian billionaire offered to buy an island and accept all the Middle Eastern refugees there. CNN, HuffPo, MSNBC and scores of other news outlets in the U.S. and Europe reported this in mid-September. Why is an obvious and safe answer that appears to be good for America, Europe and arguable those refugees being ignored?
Why are those headlines of this seemingly generous offer by this Egyptian being pushed off the front pages, when the need for his island-for-Middle Eastern refugees solution is greater than ever? We should note that factory builders could potentially benefit from building that proposed island haven for hundreds of thousand of refugees.
We won’t digress to answer that question, other than to say, there is clearly an agenda at play.
DrudgeReport headlines on 11.19.2015.
Some in places of power and influence may desire this refugee/terrorist crisis, for whatever Rahm Emanuel style – ‘we don’t want this crisis to go to waste’ – reason.
Rather than turn to a safer solution, they are ignoring it, grabbing the narrative and pushing it in an entirely different – and more dangerous for the U.S. and Europe – direction.
While these refugee and related terrorist issues are important to “We, the People,” the point for today’s column is that MH must learn to engage the media and become part of the narrative of any issue directly or indirectly impacting our home owners and the MH industry.
We can’t just let the latest headline push back what could be years of effort by industry pros on issues such as DTS, HR 650/S 682, and others.
Some of the many interviews with MHPros and home owners
on MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com
Trade Media Influencing the Public/Policy Discussions
We as an industry have tremendous stories to tell, and they reason the stories are so great is because they are true. Part of that story telling must be through the lens of our home owners, pros like yourself, and the experts who know the truth because they took the time to look past stereotypes to see an amazing reality.
Scaling what works is just common sense.
We know – for example – that the videos and articles shared on MHLivingNews.com has directly resulted in the sales of homes. We know because front line sales pros who’ve tried sharing them in the ways we suggest have reported the deals closed and happy home owners that were the result.
On the Road Again…
Our team and I are in the middle of a 3 day, 2 state “Inside MH” video shoot, so I’ll invite you to check back and read here about various family operations that we’ve had the opportunity to get to know better. These are pros who love MH. They live what they love. They leave a trail of have happy customers in their wake.
We know, because we’ve interviewed their home owners!
When we share that story as trade media, that story can and does influence the public, policy influencers and makers. One senate staffer emailed me, after getting from us and digging into some of the articles and videos. The staffer told me how powerful they were. The senator in question was on the wrong side of S 682, but the staffer stressed that the importance of these views would be shared with that senator.
Story telling is only part of what we need. But it is a part we’ve neglected for far too long. We should influence the narrative for the good, just as others manipulate to influence a narrative that suit their purposes…which are often questionable for our nation at best, or dangerous at worst. ##
(Quote credit: BrainyQuotes.)
