Position yourself before others do! Lean lobbying for the Bundestag election

When coalition negotiations are imminent, the lobbying machinery starts running. Political interests are usually represented to members of governments, state and federal parliaments. Position papers are sent to negotiating groups. During a legislative term, the offices of government officials and parliamentarians are the first contact point for political communication. This tried-and-tested method of positioning in the political environment is indispensable. However, the tried-and-tested method is not the only way to achieve sustainable coverage of your own issues.

Government programmes are negotiated by party members and not by MPs. The basis for the work in negotiating groups is the respective election programme of the parties. What is not in the election programme does not end up in the coalition agreement. The party committees deal with their programme one year before the next election. Specialist committees meet experts, programme commissions are formed and the programme is adopted at party conferences. New MPs, government members and their staff are recruited from the party committees. Political positioning must be achieved in the programme process. Visibility in specialist committees and throughout the entire programme process creates access to party experts from the federal and state governments. You help the specialised committees with your precisely tailored topics. With ideas and proposed solutions for real problems from business practice, you can place your concerns in the programme. You will also gain insights into the key topics for the next election. Furthermore, by making contact with relevant stakeholders in the party at an early stage, you can establish reliable relationships before your competitors do. If your own position ends up in a party’s election programme, you only have to remind the political decision-makers of their own promises during coalition negotiations as well as during the subsequent day-to-day business.

Concrete measures are: First identify topics and derive political positions from them. An important prerequisite is valid stakeholder mapping. A contact programme is then created on this basis. Formats tailored to the respective party are developed for positioning in the committees. The network is maintained professionally and permanently. At the same time, you ensure that your messages are effectively disseminated to the public via your social media channels and relevant media. In this way, you generate important attention from the general public and experts.
With this networked public affairs approach, you are visible in the long term because you position yourself before others do.