How to Plan an OUTREACH CAMPAIGN

Transcription

1 How to Plan an OUTREACH CAMPAIGN

2 our organization has very ambitious goals. You re determined to achieve them. So are some of the organization s other leaders. Currently though, your organization has a very low profile. Increasing your visibility could be crucial to achieving your goals because budgeting money for big projects has been a problem in the past. Your organization is going to need a lot of money to achieve its goals. If your budget is a problem, you re going to have to raise money from people or organizations that might not know much, if anything, about your organization and what it does. You re an eternal optimist, but the bottom line is that the practical people you know inside and outside your organization have bluntly told you your goals are impossible. Those practical people might be totally wrong. What you need to get from Point A to Point B is a multimodal outreach campaign a campaign that will increase your organization s visibility via skilled use of several kinds of communication. Planning such a campaign can be tough, but it can also be very useful not just for this particular campaign, but for all sorts of short- and long-term projects. A school district or health-care organization that wants to build a school or hospital can utilize this guide on how to plan a multimodal outreach campaign. So can a business that wants to expand, or a nonprofit organization that wants to serve a new population or start a new service. Step 1: Assess Your Organization Your organization will have great difficulty achieving its goals if your staff is weak. Do you need to make personnel changes? If so, you need to make the changes before embarking on an outreach campaign. You also need to assess your financial resources. If you lack the resources to achieve your goals, you need to make fundraising an even more crucial part of your outreach campaign. Step 2: Assess Your Organization s Reputation You need to know what people and other organizations know and/or think about your organization. The type of outreach campaign you plan is contingent on your organization s reputation. If your organization isn t well known enough to achieve its goals, your outreach campaign will take at least a few months longer because it will require a basic information campaign prior to a campaign about your new objectives. www. 1

3 If your organization has the wrong image because of internal conditions, you will need to make changes to your organization. This means you need a basic news campaign about your organization s changes in addition to an outreach campaign that will help you achieve your goals. Step 3: Set Achievable Goals for the Outreach Campaign An organization that wants to succeed cannot just set one or more very ambitious goals. It must set short-term goals as stair steps toward the long-term goals. For example, a school district in an area with a growing population of young people might want to build a new school. The school district will not achieve that goal unless it formulates specific, achievable goals that lead to the long-term goal of building a school. Thus, the organization might have to raise money to build a new school, convince the area s residents that they should pay taxes for this school, and devise a plan that specifies where the school will be and how many classrooms and offices it will have. You cannot devise an effective outreach campaign unless you specify your short- and long-term goals. Step 4: Inform Staff About the Outreach Campaign Goals You cannot conduct an effective outreach campaign if people in the organization aren t on the same page. It s particularly important that all of the organization s leaders agree with the goals. That might mean seeking a consensus before firmly establishing the goals. Once they re established, they MUST be put in writing -- and there must be an ongoing communication program so employees understand the goals, how they will be achieved, the timeframe, etc. 2

4 Step 5: Develop a Specific Communication Plan The plan should include one or more targeted messages. It should also detail through what channels each message will be delivered, and when. To get started, complete a worksheet similar to the attached Sample Targeted Messaging Worksheet. Once your messages and channels are decided, create a schedule for distribution of these messages, with notes on who is responsible, and a budget where costs apply. Identify Your Target Audiences Once it has established its goals, the organization needs to deliver messages to people who will help achieve them. But who are those people? Randomly spreading a message can be extremely inefficient. If you want to reach out to people in one school district for example, you don t want to pay for television and radio ads that are seen and heard by people in 20 school districts. Identifying your audience helps you target how you will spread your message. You need to figure out how best to reach that target audience. A school district that has lost referendums to build new schools might, for example, pay for print ads in publications read by parents of schoolchildren, or for television ads broadcast during programs for schoolchildren. 3

5 Establish Consistent Messages for Each Target Audience Once your target audiences are defined you can craft the primary message for each group, and critical secondary messages if necessary. As part of crafting these messages, you should consider: 1. What aspects of your goals will best resonate with the target audience, and 2. What objections they may have. Be sure you address these specific items in your communication plan. For example, if a school district realized that it has lost referendums because of opposition by senior citizens who don t want to pay additional taxes when they don t have children or grandchildren in school, the school district might include in the plan public presentations at senior housing projects which detail the benefits of public education to the community as a whole, instead of focusing just on the benefits for children. Create Compelling Content Videos, Audio Files and Graphics A picture is worth 1,000 words. And a voice is worth, well, it can be worth a lot of words. An organization s outreach campaign should include a variety of content to appeal to various audiences. Content can be used as appropriate in public meetings, on the organization s website and social media outlets, and also can be forwarded to local media outlets. Communicate With Your Constituents and Supporters Often The lowest hanging fruit for an outreach campaign are your internal constituents! They can t advocate with the public on your behalf if they aren t well informed, so make sure employees, clients, students, etc. are informed well enough to articulate the goals and the messages to outsiders. Parents who are involved in school activities can be a much more effective resource for communicating the school district s goals than the school board president and they can recruit previously uninvolved parents to help. 4

6 Thus, the outreach campaign is more effective when everyone in an organization is on message and they are trained to communicate that message. Ensure that constituents communicate the appropriate messages by creating talking points to guide them. Include in the talking points the contact information for whomever is leading the outreach campaign, so if they receive an inquiry that they don t feel comfortable answering they can forward it speedily. Make it easy for constituents to spread the word. You can use an automated messaging system to easily keep staff, clients and supporters informed about the campaign, and on topic with timely messages. For example; if there is a school board meeting coming up, you can send parents, students and supporters an automated text, phone message and to encourage them to attend the meeting. You can also them with a request that they forward the details to aunts, uncles and grandparents who would be willing to support the school bond referendum. Be sure to collect contact information at every opportunity! As your support base grows, these new constituents can help spread the word and advocate for your campaign. Make sure to get both landline and text numbers in addition to addresses. Text numbers are particularly helpful since text messages are read much faster and delivered with more success than s. Use Your Own Channels to Communicate Digital media has been a gift to organizations all over the world. In the old days, which were only about 20 years ago, organizations wrote press releases and tried to persuade newspapers to print them -- or write a story based on that press release. While press coverage is still important, today once your organization establishes a consistent message, it can publish the message on its own website or social media pages. The website should be updated regularly with information pertinent to the outreach campaign such as news articles, op-ed pieces, a list of frequently asked questions with their answers, and facts about upcoming events. A school district, for example, can publish articles that show the goal of a new school is important because children s 5

7 educational outcomes are improved when they are in classes with fewer students. The organization and its advocates can also spread the message via Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and any other social media pages that are appropriate for specific types of content. Utilize traditional media newspapers, television and radio stations Traditional media doesn t have the influence it used to have, but millions of Americans still read newspapers, watch television news programs and listen to radio shows. An effective outreach campaign requires at least one person to choose the right media contacts with whom to communicate during the campaign. Step 6: Find Partners You can have the most sophisticated media campaign ever, but newspaper editors and television producers will still be reluctant to give your organization a lot of ink or airtime if they perceive your objective as an exercise in futility. A high school district trying to get free media because it wants to build a new school will be far more apt to get media coverage if its goal is endorsed by the local elementary school district, experts in education, the local Chamber of Commerce, the local City Council, etc. Partners also can (and should be) allies in promoting the campaign. Present them with content and messages they can post on their website and social media sites. Also invite them to collaborate in press pitches and any resulting media coverage. Step 7: Find Donors Starting a fundraising campaign is in and of itself a good way to convince media outlets to cover your organization as part of your outreach campaign. Reporting the achievement of fundraising goals is an even better way. As for raising money, many small organizations have had incredible success via crowdfunding, which is raising money 6

8 from a large number of people typically over the Internet. Businesses and nonprofit groups have also found willing donors via crowdfunding. Step 8: Be Flexible During the Campaign Throughout the outreach campaign, your organization should assess whether it is achieving its short-term goals and making progress toward its long-term goals. Adjustments need to be made during the journey to your destination unless everything is going exactly according to plan. How often do things go according to plan? Almost never. Adept organizations adjust. ABOUT PHONETREE Since 1989 when a church emergency prompted PhoneTree founder A.J. DiBianca to create the first automated messaging system, PhoneTree has been the leader in automated calling and messaging. Drawing from 25+ years of experience, we implement messaging best-practices in our products, and provide the finest customer service. Contact us today to learn more about our automated messaging solutions. / SOURCES:

9 Sample Targeted Messaging Worksheet Entire Community Parents and Grandparents Local Business Owners Senior Adults Without Kids Working Adults Without Kids KEY MESSAGES: We need funding for a new techthemed public high school to improve the community s economy and quality of life. Your children and grandchildren deserve a quality eduction that will empower them to be competitive in the job market and to have a prosperous future. Support a new public high school to alleviate overcrowded conditions that are degrading the quality of their education. Tech businesses can t succeed without a sufficiently skilled workforce. Support a new public high school that will be focused on Technology as the magnet theme to ensure your business has the skilled workforce it needs to be profitable. When school systems are underfunded and schools are crowded, the economy and quality of life for the entire community suffers. Large employers abandon the community, having a ripple effect of shut-downs in local retail and service businesses. The working class flees to larger, more vibrant cities with better opportunities. Support a new public high school to ensure you have a vibrant community you can enjoy for years to come. When school systems are underfunded and schools are crowded, the economy and quality of life for the entire community suffers. Large employers abandon the community, having a ripple effect of shut-downs in local retail and service businesses. Support a new public high school to prevent job opporunities from drying up. MESSAGE: Press release concerning the campaign overall, and the key message for the entire community Press release focused on this specific message Press release focused on this specific message Press release focused on this specific message Press release focused on this specific message School System Website Partner Websites Request placement Social Media not appropriate TV Send to the Education editor/reporter what is sent to the Education reporter Send to the Business editor/reporter Send to the Community and/or Economic Development editor/reporter what is sent to the Business reporter Radio Send to the Education editor/reporter what is sent to the Education reporter Send to the Business editor/reporter Send to the Community and/or Economic Development editor/reporter what is sent to the Business reporter Newspaper Send to the Education editor/reporter what is sent to the Education reporter Send to the Business editor/reporter Send to the Community and/or Economic Development editor/reporter what is sent to the Business reporter Content Item: YouTube video concerning the who/what/when/where/how of the campaign with interview segments and highlights that address each and every key message Abbreviated version of the YouTube video that focuses on the who/what/ when/where/how of the campaign, and the specific message for this target audience Abbreviated version of the YouTube video that focuses on the who/what/ when/where/how of the campaign, and the specific message for this target audience Abbreviated version of the YouTube video that focuses on the who/what/ when/where/how of the campaign, and the specific message for this target audience Abbreviated version of the YouTube video that focuses on the who/what/ when/where/how of the campaign, and the specific message for this target audience School System Website Social Media Post on all social media sites Partner Sites Ask for a video embed and/or blog post including video summary and link; ask for partners to like and re-post our social media posts. Choose which partner makes sense for this particular video. Automated Text Send bitly link with request to watch and share the video TV Send press release with video link Radio Send press release with video link Newspaper Send press release with video link MESSAGE: Notice of School Board Meeting to discuss the referendum School System Website Post in a prominent place Social Media Post on all social media sites Partner Sites Request placement Automated Text Send notice about the meeting with request to attend and support; include bitly link with talking points Automated Send notice about the meeting with request to attend and support, along with a link to constituent talking points TV Send notice Radio Send notice Newspaper Send notice Community Bulletin Boards Request volunteers to post where they frequent