[Lnc-business] Social Media Messaging Recommendations

[Arvin Vohra]

Hi All -

As we look to revamp our social media in the context of greater exposure,
here are my recommendations for messaging strategy for facebook and other
forms of social media. This also applies to traditional media. Most of this
is based on the Libertarian Solutions model created by Carla Howell.

1. Set the debate.

We can set the debate topic. We can make it minor, esoteric stuff around
the edges of liberty. Or we can go for the heart, and make a debate worth
having.

Examples of debates worth having: Government out of education, government
out of healthcare, end the drug war, end the income tax, military for
defense only, end the patriot act, abolish the FDA, end corn subsidies.

Yes, we'll get pushback, but that's the whole point. The pushback turns it
into a debate, and makes the question about the very existence of, for
example, government schools, rather than something minor.

We're going to get pushback on everything now. We're in the mainstream. So
let's make the debate worth having.


2. Give your team the ammunition to fight the battles they actually want to
fight.

The ammo we post on social media is what Libertarians use in their personal
debates. If we give the right ammo, we'll help the win the debates they
want.

For example, anyone who wants to End the Fed actually wants to end the
income tax. The latter is a harder debate to have, so they go with the
easier one. Since no statist knows what the fed is, they don't push back.
Similarly, it's easier to argue in favor of charter schools than in favor
of abolishing government schools entirely. But the debate worth having (and
the one set forth in our platform) is abolishing government schooling.
We'll get the same pushback either way. Let's make the pushback worthwhile.

Ammo, btw, isn't just a funny meme. It's a meme, essay, or video that
people can use as part of a debate. It's not just for morale boosting; it's
ammo to actually use. Don't worry - winning a debate boosts morale plenty.

The ammo should target the end goal. There are many brilliant people who
have written about ending government schooling. Many are former government
school teachers. Finding them and quoting relevant parts is the type of
research we can do that will help our people spread real liberty.

3. Stay on the offensive.

It's not enough to block new government. We should be blocking and
attacking. Instead of "No new wars," it should be "No new wars, shut down
foreign military bases, bring the troops home, cut military spending by
60%, and cut taxes accordingly." Instead of, "Don't raise taxes", it should
be "Stop this tax increase, and also eliminate the income tax, which will
grow the economy, increase the number of jobs, and attract entrepreneurs to
America."

4. ABC - Always Be Cutting

Every image, essay, video, should have at least one cut, and it should be
big, bold, and comprehensible. You can post them in the comments. The cut
can be eliminating an agency or tax, or simply reducing the size of an
agency or tax. Not every cut needs to be enormous, but it does need to be a
cut.


5. NBG - Never Be Growing

Huge one: a cut should be a cut only, not a cut here with a growth here.
"Lower property tax and increase sales tax" is not a cut. "Lower property
tax" is.

"Cut military spending to spend more on government schools" is not a cut.
"Cut military spending and cut taxes accordingly, so people can pay for
better education" is.


6. Avoid grey areas.

Grey areas are interesting late night discussions. They are terrible
political strategy. If there is no obvious libertarian fact of the matter,
skip it. There are plenty of things that can stir up controversy. Ending
government schools, ending the FDA, ending all censorship, getting the
government out of marriage are all obviously libertarian. Let's create
controversy where it's libertarian vs. statist, not libertarian vs. a
slightly different libertarian.

7. Benefits.

Always mention benefits to normal people.

WRONG: "Ending the war on drugs will lower the price of cocaine, so you can
sprinkle it on your pancakes."

RIGHT: "Ending the war on drugs will reduce violence since drug businesses
will be able to settle disputes by using dispute resolution services from
companies like Amazon, eBay, and Visa instead of resorting to violence."

In Liberty,

Arvin Vohra
Vice Chair
Libertarian National Committee
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