Strategic Communications
The Strategy Behind the Results
Aaron builds communications systems that move people from awareness to action.
At the ACLU of Utah, Aaron shifted communications from isolated tactics to an integrated strategy, increasing visibility, strengthening relationships, and driving measurable engagement.
Aaron uses a systems-level approach, aligning media relations, digital infrastructure, audience engagement, and messaging to achieve results beyond individual tactics. This case study shows how Aaron turned public visibility into direct relationships and measurable audience activation.
The results below demonstrate this strategy: building trust through relationships, creating clarity with stronger systems, and enabling action by guiding people from awareness to deeper engagement.
01
EARNED MEDIA GROWTH
In 2021, the year before Aaron joined the ACLU of Utah, the organization earned 164 media mentions, including third-party news coverage, interviews, quotes, and broadcast appearances. By 2025, that number grew to more than 2,500. This growth was driven by Aaron’s relationship-centered media strategy: building trust with reporters, treating the press as partners in public understanding, and framing complex legal and policy issues as clear, human stories.
02
Meeting People Where They Are
Instagram has always been the ACLU of Utah’s strongest social engagement platform, but before Aaron joined, it was not being used to its full potential. From the account’s launch in 2017 to Aaron’s arrival in 2022, it gained 4,189 followers across 392 main-feed posts. Under Aaron’s communications leadership, the strategy shifted from broadcasting information to building connections—through clearer storytelling, a more authentic voice, and stronger pathways for people to understand issues and get involved —which helped drive growth. From 2022 to 2026, the account gained nearly twice as many new followers with fewer main-feed posts, roughly doubling follower growth per post.
03
BUILDING A DIRECT ENGAGEMENT PIPELINE
Followers are public attention. An owned audience is a direct relationship. This metric tracks people who opted in through event registrations, petitions, advocacy messages, newsletter sign-ups, SMS opt-ins, and website forms.
Aaron’s strategy turned public attention into a compliant engagement system. He led the migration of digital assets from the 501(c)(3) to the 501(c)(4), protecting both organizations while giving the affiliate more flexibility to grow an engaged audience across its website, social channels, paid ads, email, and SMS. That move anchored a wider digital transformation: cleaner data, modern CRM strategy, stronger website infrastructure, and clearer paths from content to connection. The result was 21,000+ directly reachable supporters, up from fewer than 200, and it positioned Utah as a digital strategy model across the ACLU’s 54 affiliates and national organization.
04
CONVERTING ENGAGEMENT INTO ACTION
This metric shows the annual average conversion rate across call-to-action (CTA) landing pages, including event registrations, petitions, advocacy messages, newsletter sign-ups, SMS opt-ins, and other website forms. Building an audience only matters if people know what to do next.
Aaron’s omnichannel engagement strategy connected email, SMS, social media, the website, and in-person outreach into one clear path from interest to action. Through audience segmentation, personalized outreach, stronger CTAs, and offline-to-online pathways that turned event interactions into trackable digital relationships, he helped turn a growing owned audience into measurable participation. This strategy clarified how engagement efforts led to higher participation. By 2025, the average CTA landing page conversion rate reached 42%, a high-performing result compared with broad landing page conversion benchmarks.
The Results
A communications system that transforms visibility into trust, strong relationships, and measurable results.
Aaron aligned media relations, digital infrastructure, audience engagement, and messaging strategy to guide audiences from awareness to participation. This built credibility, strengthened relationships, and inspired action.
Whether supporting high-profile litigation, managing organizational change, or launching new initiatives, the goal is always to communicate clearly, build trust, and deliver meaningful results.