advocacy and organzing institue 2017

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR MEMBERS ELECTRONICALLY

DINICA WILLIAMSdinica.williams@ohea.org

www.pinterest.com/dinicaw/digitalwww.slideshare.net/dinica

Learning objectives• Components of communications Social media best practices

Dealing with online "trolls”• Email marketing software• OEA’s website

AN OVERALL COMMUNICATIONS

PLAN

SOCIAL MEDIA NEEDS TO BE PART OF

Internal vs. External• Internal▪To the

membership• External▪To the public▪To the opposition▪To the mediaWhat do we say and how do we say it?

Spreading the internal message• One-on-one

conversations• Meetings –

building, general membership

• Flyers, newsletters• Emails• Social media

Keep members updated on bargaining

Support organizing

“The organizing drives the communications. Communications

shouldn’t drive anything.”

Message development• Define the issues• Define the

opposition• Define the

motivations• Encourage member

engagement

What we mean by “organizing drives communications”Support and promote organizing

activitiesReinforce the message you’re hearing from members Stay disciplined, consistent & focusedShort & direct beats long & vagueUnderstand the audience, and the unintended audience

Message development best practices• Consistent, clear, short

message• Tailored to the

audience, but mindful of secondary audience (nothing is truly private anymore)

• Use the method that works best for you, but be flexible and open to new ideas

External communications• Rather than directed at members, it’s directed

toward the Board, parents and students, the larger community, and the media

• If done right, it can sway public opinion

• If done wrong, it can make life more difficult

Avoid the temptation to “Do the Math”

Some examples…• John Kerry, 2004: “I actually voted

for it before I voted against it.”• George H. W. Bush checking his

watch in town hall debate, 1992• Todd Akin, 2014: “In cases of

legitimate rape…”

Means of external communications• Press

conferences• Flyers• T-shirts• Buttons• Signs• Social media

What social media does• Provides a forum for interaction• Helps spread your message• Makes it easy for people to find your

message

What social media doesn’t do

• Doesn’t create supporters all by itself• Doesn’t replace organizing• Doesn’t replace face-to-face

communication

SOCIAL MEDIAENGAGING MEMBERS WITH

• Build support & mobilize supporters up the ladder of engagement from lack of awareness to understanding, agreement, and ultimately leading to activism and advocacy

The ladder of engagement

Online leads to offline

Find a social media manager• Social Media Experience

• Photo and Video Editing Ability

• Creative• Good Writing Skills• Knowledgeable• Good at Community

Building/Organizing

Which social media to use???• FACEBOOK: This one really is a must-

have for everyone; your Facebook Page should be like a second website.

• TWITTER: Information is key; good for users who are sharing a lot of articles, facts, or real-time sharing.

• INSTAGRAM: Good for reaching younger audience and have something visually appealing to share

• PINTEREST: Good for reaching women 35+ if you can take advantage of the DIY niche. Good if you have a robust website.

• You have evidence that a large segment of your members don’t use Facebook

• You are trying to reach a specific demographic

• You want to convey strictly objective information.

• You have lots of online materials you want to promote.

• You have a volunteer who specializes in another social media channel.

You should probably be on Facebook, unless

Fill out your profile

information!

Brand you social media• Profile picture: 1000x1000px

Round: Instagram, Pinterest, YouTubeSquare: Facebook, Twitter

• Cover photo: Facebook: 828x315pxTwitter: 1500x500px

Algorithms• It’s all about the newsfeed &

engagement▪Your post is 40% – 150% more

likely to been seen in their newsfeed than on your page

#1 tip for all social mediaPost images whenever possible.

Photos can get up to 4X more engagement on Facebook than links

Photos of members, events, flyers, buttons, signs, etc.

Ways to add images to posts

Add text to a photo/memes

Ways to add images to posts

Memjacking – knowyourmeme.com

Ways to add images to posts

Share high-performing content posted by other organizations.

856 likes765 shares

419 likes470 shares

Ways to add images to posts

Infographics, charts, statistics

Ways to add images to posts

Free image-making platforms

• Canva – Correctly sized social media graphics, posters, presentations, flyers, postcards, etc.

• Pikochart – infographics, posters, presentations, reports

• ImgFlip, Memecrunch – memes

• Aviary, PicsArt – photo editing

Get creative

Facebook posts that are 80 characters or less receive up to 66% more engagement

And positive content receives 5X more engagement than negative content.

Keep it short and sweet

Ask in the right way

75% of the engagement on a post happens in first 5 hoursGeneral advice says post at night and at least once on the weekend in the morning or early afternoon, but check you data!

Timing

Facebook Insights

Scheduling platforms• Facebook – native scheduling• HootSuite – 3 social accounts

free• Buffer -1 social account free• TweetDeck – Twitter only

Include a linkUsing more than two hashtags in a tweet actually decreases the retweet rate (unlike Instagram).

Twitter Tips

• Skews very young (18-29) and people with at least some college

• Engagement is higher on Instagram than any other social network

Millenials on Instagram

Pinterest niche

• Do NOT delete all negative comments. This will bring into question your integrity to not only the complainer, but all your followers.

• DO block users who abuse the site, and remove offensive comments, ones that are too far off-topic, or just trying to use your site to sell a product or service.

Handling negative comments

From Education Minnesota, Adapted from U.S. Air Force

Protocol for comments

EMAIL MARKETING

Advantages of emailIt’s quick.It’s free or low cost.You can communicate more frequently.It’s easy to track.It’s effective. You can make calls to action.It’s easily shareable.It’s personal.

66% of email is now opened on a mobile device.

SIDE NOTE

Email platformsKey features:Mobile responsive templates Analytics Number of subscribersMail Chimp: freeVertical Response: freeSend in Blue: freeConstant Contact: $20/month

Email writing tips• Describe the candy, not the

wrapper.• Get to the point; stop mumbling. • Shorten your sentences. • Resist the passive voice. • Eliminate weasel words. • Get personal.

Final thoughtsYou get out what you put it.Develop an overall communications strategy and decide how social media will fit in.Set goals.Post at least 3 times a week.Make time to review your results.

DINICA WILLIAMSdinicaq@gmail.com

www.pinterest.com/dinicaw/digital

www.slideshare.net/dinica/AOIGOODBYE