Case Study - MYD

• New Media as a difference maker for your org – an online presence which not only represents informs, empowers, and leads to growth

• Website, Social Networks, Design, Next Gen Marketing

• Online Organizing

A SERIES OF TUBESA SERIES OF TUBES

Figure Out Your Strategy• New Media, Online Organizing, Good Design and

Messaging are only effective in the context of a larger organizational plan for your org, but can also be a catalyst

• Looking at your org, what are your:– Goals– Market/Target Demographics– Available Resources – People/Finances

Our Strategy • In Jan/09 the Exec. Board decided to:– Rebrand “Manhattan Young Dems” to better match the

youth of NYC– Take Advantage of Post-Obama Energy– Grow Membership– Educate, Inspire & Activate the Youth of NYC

Our Strategy – Cont. Market:

Overactive/Overachieving, well educated, web savvy, on Facebook, watch YouTube, read blogs, low knowledge of local politics, recently inspired via…

It’s NYC!

Obama Effect in NY: • Inspired but Tired• Leadership/Action Vacuum• Some exp. With MYBO• Comfortable w/ Small Donations

Our Strategy – New Media REBRAND:• “MYD”• Good Design

• Hip but Super Functional• New Logo• Website Concept

• Blog• More Effective Newsletter

• Shorter, Better Language

• Facebook/Twitter/Flickr Intergration

Design/Branding

This is a Market.

Your Org, Your Events, Your Action Items = a Product

How do you sell a product? - Branding/Design/Marketing - You sell the way Coke does…

Design/BrandingEveryone knows good design.

Good Design will• Fill Your Events• Raise You Money• Grow Your Org• Impress Pols/Media

Elements of Design/Branding

LogoWeb DesignFlyersMessagingTag Lines

Old…

• www.manhattanyoungdems.org• (bad domain name)

• http://campaignwindow.com/myd/

New..

http://gomyd.com

(good domain name)

Field A Team• The next question to ask is: How important is

new media to your organization? • New Media is surprisingly time-consuming,

and requires a commitment of real resources.• Before embarking on a new media plan, you

need to what you have to work with.

• Here’s a list of the people involved in MYD’s new media effort: – Emmy – New Media Director– Chas – Creative Director– Julie – Social Media Strategist– Beth – Communications Director– Andrew – Communications Team – Al – President/Blogger– Taylor – Secretary/Calendar– Shannon – Videographer – Juan – Videographer – Gloria – Photographer – Jessica – Blogger– Julia – Blogger– Chris – Cartoonist– Craig – Tech guru

• So it takes a lot of people to make the whole thing work. • Great way to grow membership. • Before you begin, build a team of people who commit to help.

Select Your Platform• There are a lot of website platforms out there. Each has its pros and cons:

– Blogging Platforms• WordPress• Bloggers• ThinkPad

– Social Networking Platforms• Ning

– Open Source Platforms• Drupal

• MYD decided to go with WordPress because the blog was front-and-center on our website.• Also has a great number of widgets that make customizing your website really simple, such

as: – Google Calendar embed– Video embed– Flickr slideshow – cForms

Content, Content, Content • “Content is king” • Focus: Don’t try to be everything to everyone• Be provocative to drive traffic – no one will read if its boring• Use rich media extensively • Use the same palette of icons, fonts, colors, and tone across all media• Quality over quantity• And make sure to edit and proofread everything!

• MYD’s tone: – Approachable and unpretentious– Brief and to-the-point– A touch rebellious– Tech-savvy

And Don’t Forget To Track It• Install Google Analytics for free on your website

• Data will be valuable in finding out who is visiting, and what they are looking for when they find you

• Track your progress and use these figures for fundraising

Blogging Basics• Be brief – blog posts shouldn’t require too

much scrolling• Make titles pop• Use tags effectively• Link to older posts and other parts of the site

frequently

Facebook Basics• If you have a page, encourage your fans to “suggest

to friends” so you grow faster.

• Be careful not to over-use Facebook.

• Create events, send invites, send message reminders.

• What goes in the status updates on your page?

• Unique URLs like http://facebook.com/gomyd

Facebook Basics contd • Page “updates” are not seen by many users.

• What gets email notifications for some users: event invites, event messages, messages to all group members.

• Want to know more? We’ll be posting our Facebook guide to gomyd.com next week!

Twitter Basics• Never used Twitter? See Deanna Zandt’s guide:

http://www.deannazandt.com/2009/02/26/a-non-fanatical-beginners-guide-to-twitter/

• Use HootSuite for stats and collaboration

• Always follow back

• Reply!! Be sure to “join the conversation”

• Post more than your blog feed, be a HUMAN voice.

Twitter Basics contd• Use Twitter search to find more people to

follow• Follow local bloggers, MSM, electeds &

activists• Follow members of your chapter• Want to know more? We’ll be posting our

Twitter guide to gomyd.com next week!

Cross-pollinate

• Link frequently from your social media and email newsletter back to the website to drive traffic

• Prominently display icons to “Join Us On Facebook” etc on your landing page and newsletter

• Create events to RSVP to on Facebook from the website, which will show up in user feeds

• Create original videos and photos so people can discover your org via multiple channels

• Link to and from stand-alone initiatives frequently (nyequality.com)

Reach Out To Other Sites• The golden rule of to follow is that no one will link to you unless you are

willing to link to them (and thereby prove you’re paying attention!)

• Pay attention to blogs who cover local politics in your geography, but also to state and national blogs

• Add new media components to your Communications efforts – it’s not just about trad med anymore

• MYD’s blogroll includes prominent NYC and New York State blogs with a progressive bent– MYD’s “Don’t Vote for Pedro” t-shirt, picked up by Daily Politics and The Albany Project– MYD’s newyorkequality campaign picked up by Ben Smith, Daily Kos, and others

And Don’t Forget To Measure It• Website

– Check Analytics frequently to figure out what’s working and not

– Where is your website audience coming from? – What time do they come to the website?

• Facebook fans / group members

• Twitter followers

• Email newsletter subscribe / unsubscribe

• Use this information to tweak your strategy

Thanks!

Questions?• Al: president@gomyd.com• Chas: creative@gomyd.com• Emmy: newmedia@gomyd.com• Julie: social@gomyd.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gomyd