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Ideas and Best Practices for APA Division
Communications
Divisions Council Meeting
April 2, 2016
Phoenix
Division Communications Audit
• Conducted Fall 2015
• Criteria:
– Communications Goals
– Frequency
– Engagement
• Methodology
– 2 most recent newsletters for 19 divisions
– Division websites on planning.org
– Division social media channels
planning.org
Division Communications Audit
• Recommendations: Newsletters
– Shorter articles
– More graphics
– Integrate calls to action
– Less emphasis on leader letters and bios
– More member profiles, successes
planning.org
Division Communications Audit
• Recommendations: Websites and Social Media
– Prioritize social media
– Make websites an “evergreen” resource
– Commit to social channels that you can maintain frequently
– Define your strategy for each channel
– Make members more of a focus
– Add spontaneous content
– Integrate video, graphics
planning.org
Effective Division Communications
• International (Newsletter, Website)
• Federal Planning (Newsletter)
• Planning and Law (Newsletter)
• Planning and Women (Newsletter)
• Small Town and Rural (Facebook, Twitter)
• Sustainable Communities (Twitter, LinkedIn)
• Transportation Planning (Facebook page)
• Economic Development (Twitter)
• Housing and Community Development (LinkedIn)
planning.org
Communication Channels
Websites
Eblasts
E-newsletters
Social Media
Podcasts
Videos
planning.org
When Should You Choose Eblasts?
planning.org
• Save the dates & other promotions for conferences, events, professional development/training/continuing education
• Election process
• Leadership announcements
• National policy updates & grassroots campaigns
• Call for award nominations & announcement of recipients
• Call for scholarships, grants, fellowship nominations & announcement of recipients
• Promotions for new products, resources
When Should You Choose E-newsletters?
planning.org
• Reporting on Division activities
• Executive summaries of public
policy
• Event previews and recaps
• Opinion section/guest bloggers
• Aggregated news
• Continuing education calendar
• Recognitions (leadership,
elections, awards,
scholarships/grants/fellowships)
Eblast and E-newsletter Tips & Ideas
planning.org
If text is concise, skimmable, and objective, then the cumulative effect is 124% improved usability–Nielsen Usability Study Results (useit.com)
Do
• Use informational headline and subheads
• Use bulleted lists, sidebars, summaries, and pull quotes
• Use short paragraphs and simple sentence structure
• Use active voice and correct spelling/punctuation/grammar
• List relevant dates, times, locations, costs
• Include obvious call to action
Don’t
• Overuse adjectives (present facts vs. opinions)
• Incorporate a number of different fonts, colors
E-newsletter Gold Standards
planning.org
ASCD Express(Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development)
• Concise copy
• Effective use of graphics
• Strong calls to action
• Descriptive, straight-forward, fact-based titles and subheads
E-newsletter Gold Standards
planning.org
Associations Now Daily News
(ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership)
• Short, informative, SEO-optimized headlines
• Mix of original and curated content (even links to relevant, featured jobs)
• Multiple versions targeted to specific audiences
• Offers a variety of media – Links to magazine articles
– Podcasts
– Videos
– Blogs
E-newsletter Gold Standards
planning.org
The Meeting Professional, MPIpulse
(Meeting Professionals International)
• Active voice
• Short paragraphs, simple sentence structure
• Obvious calls to action
• Links to a variety of media (podcasts, videos, articles, bloggers)
planning.org
E-newsletter Pitfalls
• Require significant time and manpower
• Complex content development and production
• Potential disconnect or duplication with website
Alternatives
E-news Digest. A compilation of news stories/analysis relevant to the Division curated from online outlets, with links to the full stories.
Blog. Articles ranging in length from 500-750 words. Various authors, topics.
planning.org
Sample E-news Digest
ADA Morning Huddle
(American Dental Association)
• Main feature = association news
• Remaining content by category
Services provided by Bulletin Intelligence
planning.org
Sample Blog Post
When Should You Choose Social Media?
planning.org
• Solicit opinions, receive instant
feedback from constituents
• Attract new
constituents/stakeholders
• Raise visibility, exposure for various
events, campaigns
• Share articles of interest, resources
to broader audience
• Monitor positive/negative feedback
• Incur little/no cost
Social Media Tips & Ideas
planning.org
• Only launch a social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest) if you can update it at least twice weekly (the more active you are, the more searchable you become)
• Consult image size cheat sheets online
• Use a tool like Hootsuite to schedule multiple social media posts
• Compare KPIs and metrics to what’s trending on Statista
• Want to monitor your activities?
Try:
– Social Mention
– TweetDeck
– HowSociable
– Klout
– Mention
– SproutSocial
planning.org
Social Media Pitfalls
• Frequency is important
• Multimedia is key to each post: image, video, audio, other
• Distinct strategy needed for each social channel
– E.g., LinkedIn for professional development, Facebook for
recognition, Twitter for news
Alternatives
Not recommended. Rather than avoiding social media,
choose one channel for focused strategy.
When Should You Choose Podcasts?
planning.org
• Deeper, more personal dive into specific content
• Invite guest speakers and recognized experts to share research, recommendations
• Conduct Q&A with speakers, presenters, authors
• Many podcast fans listen to their favorite shows while commuting, working, eating, cleaning. Reach them in hours that they wouldn’t normally be available.
• Increase your Division’s authority and provide your expertise in a new way
Podcast Tips & Ideas
planning.org
• Order a Blue Yeti mic from Musiciansfriend.com
• Download (for free) Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net)
• Watch this helpful Audacity tutorial video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPMR4ZPGIGU
• Write your script NPR-style, no longer than 4 minutes
• Use legal, royalty free music (royaltyfreemusic.com)
For a thorough introduction and more options, read this article featuring APA Social Media Manager Mike Johnson:
http://connectivity.cqrollcall.com/guide-podcast-how-to-advocacy-professionals/
Podcast Gold Standards
planning.org
• The American Nurse Radio, The American Nurses Association http://theamericannurse.org/ANARadio/2.2/
• Healthcare Tech Talk, Advancing Safety in Healthcare Technology http://www.aami.org/newsviews/Podcasts.aspx?navItemNumber=791
Both award-winning podcasts:– Feature clear, compelling interviews with subject
matter experts
– Are widely accessible through associations’ website and major podcast distributors (iTunes, Stitcher)
– Offer innovative sponsorship opportunities within the podcasts themselves and on the host sites
Podcast Pitfalls
• Requires certain skill set, comfort level with technology
• Equipment is required
• Cross-promotion in other communication vehicles is
important
Alternatives
Simple video interviews may be more affordable and
easier to produce, disseminate.
planning.org
When Should You Choose Video?
planning.org
“Facts tell, but stories sell. There is no better medium than video for storytelling.” – MarketingProfs, 2015.
• Entertain
• Inspire
• Establish credibility
• Educate; simplify a complex subject
• Drive action
• Easily measure impact
“65% of viewers watch more than 3/4 of a given video. Any content marketer would be thrilled with that kind of readership for a piece of text.” Source: Invodo
Video Tips & Ideas
planning.org
• Short-format videos are in. By offering bite-sized bits of
engagement, they become more conducive to sharing.
• Create brand-building by posting on open discovery
platforms:– YouTube
– Vine
– Instagram (59% of the world’s top brands are now active on Instagram alone,
according to Simply Measured)
• Video testimonials are more powerful that written
testimonials; they are perceived as more authentic.
Video Gold Standards
planning.org
American Forests
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=7sdZ-Dw7iDI
Award-winning video
because of its:
• Strong imagery
• Compelling and
emotional interview
“sound bytes”
• Calls to action
“Restoring the Lost Pines”
Video Gold Standards
planning.org
“Urology Care Foundation
Awareness”, American
Urological Association
https://www.youtube.com/c
hannel/UCHCZ1sbVTYhp
M1qmKFiOJJQ/about
Award-winning video
because of its clear
messaging and calls to
action
Video Pitfalls
• Quality is an important success factor
• Multiple technical guidelines to consider if social media is a main distribution channel (length, graphics, etc.)
• Professional production for videos that include narration, graphics is costly
Alternatives
Animated presentations
Free PowToon tool available at www.powtoon.com
PowToon Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFv8L0z-72c
planning.org
Possible Next Steps for Division Leaders
planning.org
• Review audit results and examples of highly rated
division communications
• Plan your goals and content
– What types of information do you want to share?
• Determine the frequency of your communications
• Select the communications channels best suited to create
and distribute your content
• Evaluate resources: time, manpower, budget
• Create an editorial/content calendar
– Consult HubSpot & Content Marketing Institute for templates
Possible Next Steps for APA Staff
planning.org
• Distribute examples of highly rated division
communications as needed
• Website feedback session for future division/chapter site
developments
• Development of editorial guidebooks for Chapters,
Divisions
• Provide guidance, assistance as needed
planning.org
Partnership Opportunities?
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