10 pressure points shaping today's public affairs environment:

1. Trust in governments and institutions is at a historic low 

2. Global challenges are putting pressure on businesses and governments  equally

3. The future is now - but not all are equally prepared and ready to move forward

4. Bezos et al - America loves entrepreneurial heroes

5. Longtail vs. Hitsville - focus on the long-term, be patient, and serve the smallest most profitable audience possible

6. Brand Marketing vs. Direct Marketing: Be a direct marketer and know that the Internet is a micro-media and a personalized media 

7. High or Low: Stand for something - Don't be in the mushy middle 

8. Big Data > Big Oil: Make great use of your data and double down on what works

9. Get offline and have a conversation. Repeat

10. Make relationships scalable by giving more and asking less

Five ways to respond and make a difference:

1. Provide education: Provide tools, materials, and sessions that educate and improve people's lives, businesses, pet causes - give, give, give, and give again

2. Think experience: Ampily offline experiences into online spaces and take advantage of unique user experiences for different platforms - Insta, Face, Link, Twitter, etc.

3. Produce entertainment: Make your content fun and make sure it grabs attention and is sharable - If you wouldn't send the content to your friends or share on your networks - well then it isn't that good

4. Be entrepreneurial: Champion entrepreneurship, small business, the little guy doing well in the marketplace - America loves the hero story and those who overcome challenges

5. Impart thought leadership: Send messages and press release, and send a lot of them - overwhelm the marketplace. Amazon has posted nearly 50 press releases so far in 2018 (Read Fortune: Amazon's brag and awe press release strategy), and for Twitter alone, you should have 20 posts daily

Plan accordingly.

-Marc A. Ross

Marc A. Ross is the founder of Caracal Global and specializes in global communications, thought leader management, and event production at the intersection of international politics, policy, and profits. Working with senior executives from multinational corporations, trade associations, and disruptive startups, Marc helps business leaders navigate globalization, disruption, and American politics.