Writing for digital advocacy ooha 12

Putting it in Action

#wintersummit2012 @shaw_tim

Where
are
we
now?

•  Group
status
updates


Where
are
we
now?

•  What
are
your
greatest
challenges
for
(digital)

advocacy?


Where
are
we
now?

•  What
has
worked
really
well?


Audience


Audience

•  Stakeholder
Group

–  This
could
be
community
or
staﬀ
segmented
by

locaAon,
funcAonal
area,
or
other
factors?


Audience

•  Key
CharacterisAcs

–  Relevant
details
that
help
shape
communicaAon,

such
as:
mobility,
shiG
work,
community

demographics,
percepAons
from
previous

iniAaAves,
others.

–  How
ac've
are
cons'tuents
in
social
media?
What

tools
are
they
using?


Audience

•  Current
Level
Of
Understanding

–  What
is
the
current
understanding
about
the

change
or
need?

–  What
will
enable
or
hinder
receipt
of
your

message
-‐-‐
what
is
of
most
interest
and
concern

to
them;
perceived
threat
or
opportunity,
what

will
be
seen
as
a
gain
or
loss.


Audience

•  Desired
Behaviour

–  What
do
you
want
done,
or
not
done,
as
the

result
of
this
communicaAon?


Audience

•  TacAcs/Timing

–  What
is
the
best
way
to
reach
them
and
when
do

we
reach
them?

–  Do
you
want
to
invite
an
outreach
or
follow-‐up?


Audience

•  Responsibility

–  Who
is
most
credible
with
this
stakeholder?


Audience

•  ConversaAon
Tone

–  What
is
your
audience
saying
about
your
issue
or

cause?
Are
they
supporAve,
negaAve,
neutral?


Audience

•  Who
are
we
trying
to
reach?

•  Is
each
coaliAon
trying
to
reach
the
same

audiences?


Audience

•  Is
your
audience
using
social
media?

•  Where
are
they?

•  What
are
they
saying?


Environmental Scan


BHAG
Big Hairy Audacious Goal


Goals

•  What
is
wrong,
why
do
we
need
advocacy?


Goals

•  What
do
we
want
to
be
diﬀerent
when
we’re

done?


Goals

•  What
does
success
look
like
to
you?


Goals

•  What
milestones
will
let
us
know
we’re
on

track?

•  What
will
we
measure?


Strategies


Strategies

•  The
acAviAes
that
you
will
use
to
achieve
your

goal,
not
the
tools.


Strategies

•  Example

–  Goal:
Excellent
oral
health
care
for
every
senior
in

Durham.

–  Strategy:
Inform
adults
caring
for
elderly
parents

about
importance
of
oral
health.

–  TacAc:
Use
Facebook
page
to
engage
adults
in

conversaAons
about
their
parents’
oral
health.

•  ‘My
Story’
campaign
on
Facebook
to
encourage
adults

to
share
their
stories.


Measuring


Creating your content


Inform,
Involve,
Inspire

•  Inform

–  Content
designed
to
provide
the
user
with

informaAon
on
your
brand,
issue
or
cause.

–  Focus
on
why
the
issue
is
important
to
them.

–  Over
Ame,
shiG
to
provide
them
with
the

informaAon
that
they
need
to
be
informed

advocates
and
champions
for
your
cause.


Inform,
Involve,
Inspire

•  Involve

–  Content
should
engage
the
user,
and
have
them

parAcipate
in
the
discussion
or
conversaAon
in

some
way.

–  Can
be
as
simple
as
liking
a
post
on
Facebook,

signing
an
online
peAAon
or
actually
coming
out

and
parAcipaAng
in
events.

–  Should
include
a
call
to
acAon.


Inform,
Involve,
Inspire

•  Inspire

–  Content
is
created
to
inspire
some
sort
of
acAon

from
the
user.

–  Always
accompanied
with
a
simple
way
to

complete
the
call
to
acAon

–  Enable
the
user
to
carry
the
message
forward
to

their
peers
–
online
and
oﬄine.


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Relevant,
useful,
and
interesAng

•  Easy
to
understand
and
share

•  Friendly,
conversaAonal,
and
engaging

•  AcAon-‐oriented


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Relevant
–
WIIFM?

–  Time

–  LocaAon

–  Audience

–  Interests


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Relevant
–
Time

–  Schools
out
for
summer!
Read
Aps
on
how
to
keep

kids
healthy
here
yyy.yyy.ca


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Relevant
–
Loca9on

–  Toronto
just
approved
funding
for
seniors
health

care.
See
where
your
community
stands

yyy.yyy.ca.


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Relevant
–
Audience

–  Learn
how
to
protect
your
#aging
parents’
health.

It’s
the
li]le
things
that
count
yyy.yyy.ca.


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Relevant
–
Interests

–  #Foodies
–
Find
out
what
dishes
are
best
for
your

teeth.
Yyy.yyy.ca.


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Useful

–  Study
shows
adding
carrots
to
diet
reduces
gum

disease.
Why?
Because
they’re
delicious
and

crunchy!
Learn
more
about
gum
disease
at

yyy.yyy.ca.


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Make
sure
it’s
Interes9ng


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Is
it
SHAREABLE?

–  Put
relevant
informaAon
at
the
beginning
of
your

post.

–  Use
fewer
characters
than
allowed
to
make
sharing

easy.

–  Keep
messages
short
but
relevant.

–  Test
your
message
on
a
cold
reader.
Could
someone

“get
it”
in
less
than
2
seconds?

–  Provide
enough
context
so
your
message
can
stand

alone.


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Do

–  Use
contracAons

–  Write
in
ﬁrst
or
second
person
(I,
we,
you)?


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Don’t

–  Use
colloquial
language
(y’all,
ain’t,
you
guys).

–  Use
trendy
abbreviaAons
(UR
for
“you
are”).


WriAng
for
Social
Media

•  Is
it
ac9on
oriented?

–  Use
acAon
verbs
such
as
“learn,”
“watch,”
or

“join.”

–  Include
links
to
Web
content
that
oﬀer
more

detail
or
supply
a
phone
number
or
e-‐mail

address,
but
not
e-‐mail
addresses
for
individuals.

–  Use
ALL
CAPS
sparingly,
for
emphasis
only.


Facebook


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
people
interact?

•  77%
just
read

•  17%
share
news
with
others

•  13%
post
about
the
brand


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  Length

–  420
characters
with
a
link

–  250
characters
will
display
in
the
newsfeed


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  Tone

–  Use
casual,
jargon
free
tone

–  Keep
it
consumer
friendly


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  Tag

–  Use
@
before
someone's
name
to
tag
them
in
a

post.

–  Post
then
shows
up
on
their
wall.

–  They’re
more
likely
to
see
and
share
the
post.


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  AutomaAng
content?

–  Pros/Cons


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Use
video


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Encourage
shares
&
menAons


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Use
quesAons
and
polls


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Target
your
messages


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Put
fans
in
charge


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Involve
fans


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

–  You
only
get
one
ﬁrst
impression


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  How
do
you
engage?

•  Make
it
real-‐Ame

•  Bring
the
oﬄine
online


WriAng
for
Facebook

•  Your
turn

–  Choose
a
key
message
and
think
about
what
stories
you
can
tell

about
it.

–  Create
a
message
that
you
could
share
on
Facebook
to:

a.  Inform

b.  Involve

c.  Inspire


Twitter


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Message
(or
tweet):
Messages
are
composed

of
up
to
140
characters
of
text
or
links.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Retweet
(RT):
If
a
tweet
(or
message)
from

another
Twi]er
user
is
relevant,
the
retweet

funcAon
allows
you
to
forward
their
message

to
your
network.

•  Modified
Tweet
(MT):
A
retweeted
message

that
had
to
be
modified
to
fit
the
character

limit.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Men9on:
Twi]er
enables
users
to

automaAcally
link
to
each
other
by
pupng
the

@
symbol
in
front
of
the
username
in
a

message.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Hashtag:
Similar
to
a
menAon,
a
hashtag
is

created
automaAcally
when
you
put
the
#

symbol
before
a
word.
Using
a
hashtag

enables
other
people
to
join
in
a
larger

conversaAon
on
a
topic
or
ﬁnd
informaAon

quickly.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Short
URL:
Links
can
be
compressed
using

tools
such
as
bit.ly,
which
bring
them
down
to

about
15-‐20
characters.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  140
characters
is
too
much.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Use
abbreviaAons,
but
keep
it
professional

–  Avoid
UR,
L8R


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Share.

–  Share
photos
and
behind
the
scenes
info
about

your
brand,
issue
or
cause.

–  Give
a
glimpse
of
developing
projects,
events
and

important
meeAngs.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Listen.

–  Regularly
monitor
the
comments
about
your

brand,
issue
or
cause.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Ask.

–  Ask
quesAons
of
your
followers
to
glean
valuable

insights
and
show
that
you
are
listening.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Respond.

–  Respond
to
compliments
and
feedback
in
real

Ame.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Demonstrate
wider
leadership
and
know-‐
how.

–  Reference
arAcles
and
links
about
the
bigger

picture
as
it
relates
to
your
brand,
issue
or
cause.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Champion
your
stakeholders.

– 
Retweet
and
reply
publicly
to
great
tweets
posted

by
your
followers
and
advocates.


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Establish
the
right
voice.

–  Twi]er
users
tend
to
prefer
a
direct,
genuine,
and

of
course,
a
likable
tone
from
your
organizaAon,

but
think
about
your
voice
as
you
Tweet.
How
do

you
want
your
organizaAon
to
appear
to
the

Twi]er
community?


WriAng
for
Twi]er

•  Your
turn

–  Compose
a
tweet
designed
to:

a.  Inform

b.  Involve

c.  Inspire


Blog


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Good
Content

–  Finding
the
balance
between
wriAng
for
humans

and
wriAng
for
machines

•  RULE:
Write
for
people
ﬁrst,
search
engines
second.

–  Create
content
that
people
will
want
to
refer

other
people
to
(generate
links)


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Good
Content

–  Engaging

–  Valuable

–  InformaAve

–  Funny,
wi]y,
insightul

–  Easy
to
read

–  Updated
regularly


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Where
to
start?

–  Start
by
answering
some
of
your
audience’s
most

popular
quesAons.

•  Answer
what’s
in
it
for
me?

–  Conduct
brief
interviews
with
experts
from
your

organizaAon.

–  Share
personal
stories.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
oGen?

–  As
oGen
as
you
want
people
to
pay
a]enAon

–  As
oGen
as
you
have
something
valuable
to
say


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
oGen?

–  Plan
for
at
least
1
substanAal
post
per
week

•  500
words

–  Incorporate
shorter
‘update’
or
Amely
posts

throughout
the
week

•  Under
300
words

•  Photos,
videos
or
thoughts
on
another
blog


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Repackage

–  Look
at
the
material
you
already
have.

•  Reach
out
to
others
in
your
org.

–  Have
them
write
down
every
quesAon
they
are
asked
for
a

day.

•  Reach
out
to
those
already
engaged
for
their
stories.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Curate

–  Curate,
or
aggregate,
other
valuable
pieces
of

content.

–  Make
sure
it’s
valuable:

•  Are
you
saving
the
reader
Ame
by
pupng
all
of
these

resources
in
one
place?

•  Are
you
oﬀering
your
own
opinion
and
insight
against

what
somebody
else
has
said?


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Planning
content

–  Have
an
editorial
calendar
or
content
schedule

–  Help
you
map
out
your
frequency,
give
you
a

general
idea
of
the
content
you’ll
be
creaAng

–  Serve
as
a
blogging
schedule

–  Help
you
develop
an
approach
or
focus

•  Speciﬁc
topics
or
issues
for
speciﬁc
Ames.
Ex

Awareness
months


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Planning
content

–  Editorial
calendar
helps
you
maintain
a
balance
of

content
types

–  Outlines
various
topics
and
lengths

•  Ex.
posts
that
are
short
and
shareable
vs.
those
that
are

meaty
and
comprehensive.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Make
it
easy
to
consume

–  Think
about
how
you
can
make
your
posts
easiest

for
the
reader
to
consume
and
digest.

•  Headlines
are
the
most
important
element
of
your
blog

posts.

•  One
of
the
best
things
you
can
do
to
capture
readers’

a]enAon
is
to
write
an
awesome
blog
Atle.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Headlines
and
Titles

–  How-‐to

–  How
not
to

–  Clear
and
Direct

•  5
ways
to
use
Twi]er
like
a
pro

–  Create
a
sense
of
urgency

–  Be
controversial

–  Be
sensaAonal

–  Be
newsworthy

–  Use
numbers


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Headlines
and
Titles

–  Might
be
the
most
crucial
part
of
actually
gepng

readers
to
start
reading
your
post
when
they
see

it
in
an
RSS
reader
or
search
engine
results
page.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Format
for
readability

–  Use
headlines
and
sub-‐heads
to
break
up

thoughts
and
blocks
of
text.

–  Use
bullets
and
lists


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Choosing
a
Topic

–  take
a
li]le
extra
Ame
deﬁning
your
topic
and
the
post
will
ﬂow

be]er
and
you’ll
develop
something
that
ma]ers
to
readers.

•  The
Opening
Line

–  FIrst
impressions
ma]er.
Once
you’ve
got
someone
past
your

post’s
Atle
your
opening
line
draws
them
deeper
into
your
post.

•  Your
‘point/s’

–  A
post
needs
to
have
a
point.
If
it’s
just
an
intriguing
Atle
and

opening
you’ll
get
people
to
read
–
but
if
the
post
doesn’t

‘ma]er’
to
them
it’ll
never
get
tracAon.

•  Call
to
AcAon

–  Driving
readers
to
do
something
cements
a
post
in
their
mind

and
helps
them
to
apply
it
and
helps
you
to
make
a
deeper

connecAon
with
them.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Add
Depth

–  Before
publishing
your
post
ask
yourself
how
you

could
add
depth
to
it
and
make
it
even
more

useful
and
memorable
to
readers?

•  Quality
Control
and
Polishing
of
Posts

•  Timing
of
Publishing
Your
Post

–  Strategic
Aming
of
posts
can
ensure
the
right

people
see
it
at
the
right
Ame.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  WriAng
the
post

–  Make
sure
it
will
be
useful
(as
deﬁned
by
the
reader)

•  Entertaining

•  EducaAng

•  Informing

•  Debate
–
some
blog
readers
want
a
place
that
they
can
have

a
good
old
fashioned
dialogue,
debate
or
even
a
ﬁght
over

an
issue

•  News

•  Community
–
tap
into
the
need
that
people
have
to
connect

and
belong.

–  OGen
the
topic
is
secondary
here.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  WriAng
the
post

–  Make
the
content
completely
relevant
to
the
Atle.

•  Comes
back
to
trust

–  Write
like
it’s
a
conversaAon

•  Man
vs.
machine

–  Use
images
and
videos

•  Hold
the
reader’s
hand
if
you’re
walking
them
through

something

–  Keep
the
sentences
short


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
to
promote
your
blog

–  Find
other
bloggers

•  Leverage
your
exisAng
connecAons
and
create
new

relaAonships.

•  Reach
out
to
inﬂuenAal
bloggers
in
your
industry
and

a]ract
their
a]enAon
through
menAons
on
your
blog

and
social
media.

•  Create
an
opportunity
for
them
to
share
your
blog

posts
across
their
network.

•  Create
link-‐building
opportuniAes


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
to
promote
your
blog

–  Be
social

•  Use
other
social
networks
to
promote
your
blog

•  Publish
your
blog
to
the
main
social
sites

•  Make
sure
you
have
social
sharing
bu]ons
so
that

others
can
share
as
well

–  Also
important
for
SEO


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
to
promote
your
blog

–  Be
social

•  Keep
in
mind
that
your
message
may
not
always
be
the

exact
same
across
platorms

–  Your
Facebook
post
will
be
diﬀerent
than
your
Tweet.

•  Use
plug-‐ins
or
a
tool
like
Tweetdeck
to
post
across

platorms


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
to
promote
your
blog

–  Use
your
exisAng
web
presence

•  Add
banners
and
call-‐outs
to
your
exisAng
website


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
to
promote
your
blog

–  Talk
about
it
whenever
possible

•  Use
real-‐life
events
to
menAon
your
blog
and
drive

people
back
to
it

–  Ex.
If
you’re
doing
a
presentaAon,
post
your
slides
to
your

blog
and
have
people
download
them.


WriAng
your
Blog

•  How
to
promote
your
blog

–  Talk
about
it
whenever
possible

•  Add
your
blog
address
to
your
email
signature


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Stay
relevant

–  Keep
listening
and
monitoring
what’s
hot
in
the

blogosphere
and
social
media

–  Ask
your
readers
what
they
want
to
read
more

about


WriAng
your
Blog

•  Manage
the
conversaAon

–  Make
sure
you
check
and
respond
to
comments

•  Even
negaAve
ones

–  Monitor
the
conversaAon
on
other
social
channels

too

–  Think
about
how
you
want
to
handle
comments

on
your
blog

•  Auto
post

•  You
approve/moderate


Thank
you!

Tim
Shaw

Am@ampliﬁ.ca

www.ampliﬁ.ca

905-‐415-‐4588


Writing for digital advocacy ooha 12

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