The document provides guidance on using new media tools to educate the public and target audiences. It discusses planning communications strategies, identifying key audiences, and adjusting messaging for different audiences and media. Specific tools covered include social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and video sharing sites. The document also provides reality checks on reaching students and millennials with strategies like offering personal connections, soliciting user-generated content, and using mobile technologies.

1. Using New Media Tools
for Educating the Public &
Target Audiences
March 2012
Photo from Alameda County Food Bank

2. Today’s Discussion
• Plan your work & identify
effective tools for obtaining
public support
• Identify ways to target age
groups based on usage of
specific new media tools
• Explore how to adjust
messaging to suit different
audiences/new media tools.
2

3. Laying the Foundation:
Build a Strong Communications Plan
3

4. 4

5. What is success? How do you get there?
• Planning now means
success later
• Do a few things
really well –
prioritize
• Stay focused on
your goals
• Use the media &
dissemination
strategies to
achieve them.
Slide

6. Make a Plan to Communicate
• Make communications an
organizational priority &
write it down
• Think “Dissemination” not
“Media Relations”
– Go beyond the media
– Own your target audiences
• Utilize proven
resources/Ask for help
– SmartChart.org
– Communications Trainings
– Ask your team
Slide

7. Finding Your Audience
Who is your KEY AUDIENCE?
– What is their age?
– What is their socio-economic
background?
– Where do they live?
– Who do they look to for
information ?
– What else?
How READY are they to hear what
you are saying?
What are they already thinking
about you?
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8. Activity – Communications Planning in a Box
Understanding the 5 basic questions in any communications interaction.
What’s your news?
- What is your path to reach
your vision? Be specific.
- What is your “Solution” or
“Call to Action?”
Who is sharing it?
- What voices can you access?
- How are you unique?
- What “role” are you playing?
•Pick just ONE of these and answer it now
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9. 9

10. Using Social Media to Reach Your Engagement Goals
10

11. Take Your Audience on a Journey
Note – one approach of many
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12. How You Will Measure Success (From Last Time)
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13. The Power of Video Sharing
Youtube is 3rd most popular
website in U.S.
Videos can produce immense
traffic and interest.
•Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” video
raised profile of the First Lady’s “Let’s
Move” Campaign to stop child obesity.
•Official video has over 18,000,000 views
and over 60,000 likes.
•What videos do you ALREADY have?
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14. The Reach of Facebook
• 800+ million people
on Facebook
• Far and away the
most popular social
media platform.
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15. New Opportunities on Facebook
“Timeline” – Facebook’s new hyper-
visual format provides opportunity
for increased engagement &
education
“Frictionless Sharing”
oNew apps automatically post
updates of activities as status
updates.
oGives nonprofit activity a higher
profile with apps such as “Causes.”
oShares news of donations and poll
and contest votes with users
networks.
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16. Twitter
300+ million people on Twitter
Addictive platform that allows
posts of 140 characters or less
Twitter communities are often
especially responsive and
conversations have an
instantaneous quality
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17. Using Twitter to Educate
• Like: Build a community by
carefully selecting and using
hashtags
• Join: Twitter “chats” – scheduled
blocks of time to discuss an issue
using the same hashtag
• Lead: “Twitter Storming” – Have
lots of people tweet the same
message at a public figure
17

18. Pinterest for Visual Education
• Virtual pinboard with a
visual and clean format.
• Focus is on the visual, not
the informational
• Nonprofits like the
Association of Public Assn. for Public Health’s “Science
Health Libraries are doing as Art” Pinterest Page
great things!
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19. Tumblr for Educating Through Sharing
• Microblogging platform
with over 50 million blogs
• Great way for your
audience to tell their
stories
• Focus is on the visual
• Works best as a single- Image from “We are the 99%”
issue platform
19

20. Email to Share Information
• Email is still the most effective social media tool.
• Open rates for newsletter emails approx. 20%
(higher response rate than other social media).
• TIPS:
o Establish a tone that readers can relate to.
o Use eye-catching subject lines.
o Keep it short and sweet. Ten words or less for easy legibility in
most email services.
o Include one straightforward “ask” in your emails and one-click
actions.
o Send e-blasts when most people are likely to read them –
during work hours.
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21. News Stories Can Open a Dialogue
• News stories provide pre-
packaged content.
• Use the current news stories to
raise awareness about your cause
• Connect with your public in a way
that feels relevant
• Share news stories on:
 Facebook
Planned Parenthood
 Twitter
 Email newsletters
 Tumblr
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22. Case Study In Engaging the Public:
Alameda County Food Bank
Watch how they make it about more than cans
22

23. Try Something New on Lots of
Platforms (for Fundraising)

24. Make News
Target Audiences
Make it Easy
24

25. Twitter
Celebrity
Website Payoff

26. 26

27. New Ways
To Engage &
Build Teams /
Community

28. Case Study In Engaging the Public:
Alameda County Food Bank
How many pieces of the
puzzle can you put
together to reach your
target audience?
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29. Adjusting Messages to Different Audiences
29

30. Where Is Your Audience?
Pew 2010 Slide 3

31. Where Is Your Audience?
Slide 3

32. Opportunities for Educating Students
• Meet students where they are –
text & social networking
• Ask, ask ask – for help, for advice
• Simple questions = complex
answers
“What has this program meant
to you?”
• Make what you already do work
for students
• Make engaging easy - help them
help you
32

33. Reality Check on the Students
CHPC 33
Pew 2010

34. Reality Check on the Students
75% of 12-17 year-olds now own
cell phones
73% use social networking sites
Here’s what is available to them
•Take pictures / Share pictures
•Play music & games
•Exchange videos
•Go online
•Access social network sites
•Use email
34

35. Reality Check on the Students
More from Pew
21% of teens who do not otherwise go
online say they access the internet on
their cell phone.
41% of teens from households earning
less than $30,000 annually say they go
online with their cell phone.
44% of African American teens and 35%
of Latino teens use their cell phones to go
online, compared with 21% of white
teens.
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36. Reality Check on the Students
Facebook Stats
CHPC 36

37. Reality Check on Millennials (Ages 18-30)
• 50 Million Millennials (64% of
U.S. Citizens)
• More diverse than previous
populations
• Majority are optimistic about
importance of civic engagement
• Education Strongly Impacts Their
Civic Participation
• Are interested in skill-building
when engaging with an
organization
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38. Reality Check on Millennials (Ages 18-30)
• Prefer team-oriented activities,
even when online
• Want the instant feedback that
the online community allows
• Want to produce content for orgs
rather than just consuming
• Want to Connect with Respected
Leaders when Engaging Online
• Non-political participatory
cultures (like Sims) lead to
increased civic engagement offline
38

39. Opportunities for Engaging with Millennials
• Offer a personal
connection to your
work
• Use existing online
thought leaders as
spokespeople
• Use mobile
technology, including
texting
• Actively solicit user-
generated content of
all sorts 39

40. Opportunities for Engaging with Millennials
Video
•Highlight videos on the front
page
•Encourage anyone to create
their own video content.
E-mail
•Use e-mail only for major
announcements
•1-click actions
•Include multimedia
•Light on text
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41. 41

42. What’s Next for Us?
JOIN US IN APRIL:
New media tools for policy advocacy

43. Dan Cohen, Principal
Full Court Press Communications
dan@fcpcommunications.com
510-271-0640
@dcstpaul / @FullCourtPress