Spring Update

Catch up on the latest new features in PoliTraQ

Chris Moffatt Armes

We're already a quarter of the way through 2024 - this year has been flying by!

Meanwhile, the team here at PoliTraQ has been hard at work rolling out a number of new features to help strengthen your public affairs advocacy work. Here's a little taste of what we've been up to, and how best to configure these tools for your advocacy work.

Address Geocoding and Stakeholder Maps

We'll start with one of our latest additions to PoliTraQ - the ability to geocode your stakeholders' addresses, identify stakeholders in particular electoral districts/wards, and create tagged groups based on proximity and relevance to a given office-holder.

When meeting with government, it's common to fall into the trap of reiterating the benefits of a particular outcome to one's own organization or client.

However, the party on the other side of the table isn't necessarily going to be swayed by an internally-focused argument. After all, they know that you stand to benefit from whatever it is you're advocating for - if you didn't, you probably wouldn't be there meeting with them.

Seasoned GR pros - like salespeople - know that the most persuasive argument you can make is one that centres on the other party. Showing how a potential issue could (positively or negatively) impact them and their chances at re-election is much more likely to resonate - but how do we do this?

By identifying internal stakeholders - which, depending on the type of organization you represent, could include employees, member individuals/organizations, or grassroots supporters - in a given official's electoral district and mobilizing them. A single meeting might get their attention, but empowering these stakeholders to speak on your behalf amplifies the effect considerably.

To utilize this new feature, simply navigate to the Edit tab for a given contact, and click the 'Geocode Address' button on any of their addresses. You can also bulk geocode all of your relevant addresses from the main Contacts page - though this can take a little bit of time, especially if you have a large number of contacts. Next, visit the contact page of the relevant elected official, click the Options tab, and click the Contacts Nearby dropdown.

For each address linked to a given official, you'll be able to see every other Contact geotagged within a default 20km radius (editable by the user). By selecting the relevant electoral district or ward from the dropdown, you'll see an overlay on the map outlining the boundaries of the district. From there, select/deselect the relevant contacts from the top table, and add a tag to identify this group.

With the contacts tagged, you'll be able to easily download contact/mailing lists at a ward/district level, and be able to utilize your network of stakeholders more effectively. We'll be making further adjustments to this tool in the near future to add additional customization options. Have an idea? Let us know by sending an email to chris@politraq.com.

Custom Email Reports

PoliTraQ now allows you to create custom scheduled email reports. Decide exactly what information you want, where, when and for whom you need, and have it automatically sent on your schedule.

Want a weekly summary of your engagements, sent to the boss every Friday afternoon? How about a summary of all your reportable engagements, sent on the 14th of the month to the person on your team responsible for monthly communications reports?

With a couple clicks, you're all set. You can even identify specific bills/committees you want to monitor, search for consultation opportunities, receive OIC's, municipal agendas, and more - with many more options coming in the weeks ahead.

In combination with the customizable Keyword Scans and the Daily Roundup email newsletter, these custom reports represent another way PoliTraQ can help you monitor the broader political landscape, so you can spend less time on research and monitoring - leaving more time for the strategic and value-add Government Relations work you're best equipped to provide your organization.