On this blog, I usually write about how to win elections and how to get power. This week, I will talk about what to do once you’re in office, that is, the keys for effective delivery marketing

– First, get all the bad news out as long as you can still blame it on your predecessor. At the beginning of a term, there is a unique opportunity to do that. I remember how Barack Obama ran for reelection and skillfully blamed his predecessor, George W. Bush, for economic dissatisfaction. But this was a rare masterpiece in political communication. Once you’re serving for some time, voters will normally hold you responsible for the status quo.

– Second, act fast. This helps to convey an impression that you are trying to deliver on your campaign promises. Look for easy wins and low-hanging fruits while doing so.

– Spread out the good news in small bits and pieces over a long period of time. You also have to make sure that the good news are being heard. What consulting hero Alan Weiss says about solo practitioners is also true for politics: if you don’t blow your own horn, there’s no music. If you don’t spread the good news, nobody else will do it for you. No voter wakes up in the morning and does a little online search on what their elected leaders have done for them lately.

– Be honest about challenges along the road. Voters are tough, they can take it if you give them the real deal. If you treat people like adults, they will act like adults.

– Never fully complete your campaign promises or you will risk to run out of steam. I remember how Boris Johnson ran to get Brexit done and won an overwhelming victory for his party. Part of his problem soon became that, well, he did get Brexit done. After that, voters could not associate his government with an overall, big theme, and he appeared as solely hanging on to the post.