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Greetings from Association Network Chair, Katie McBreen
Three Ways to Break Through the Communication Clutter
How can you break through all the noise to get your message heard? It’s a question we all wrestle with.
We live in an era of information overload. While the sheer number of channels and mediums has never been larger, that also means there has never been more competition for the time and attention of the audiences we want to reach.
So, how can you stand out and be heard in this crowded marketplace of ideas? Here are a few ways we’ve found success at the National Retail Federation.
It’s hard to keep up with the latest and greatest technologies. Instead of overwhelming yourself with all of them, pick one or two to test out. This year’s NRF Annual Report includes an augmented reality experience inspired by the innovative technology retailers – our members – are using to enhance customer engagement. Since past online versions of the report weren’t getting much traction, we decided to incorporate this digital experience and bring it to life through augmented reality with the user’s mobile device.
I get that AR isn’t going to be in everyone’s budget, but with all the technological advances, many like infogram are now easy to implement on your own, without the costly help of outside firms.
Make people laugh
There’s a reason videos of puppies, cats and babies get millions of clicks. People like to laugh. Tapping into that can be an effective way to get eyeballs AND earned media. During the recent tax reform debate, we knew we needed something creative and attention-getting to show just how bad the border adjustment tax would be for consumers. A parody ad campaign based off the classic OxiClean infomercial was just the ticket. We took a big risk, knowing that humor can often fall flat. But in the end, it set us apart from everyone else in this space, got a ton of press and gave us all a good laugh. In the same vein, I’ve seen a lot of organizations and companies use memes effectively (another low-cost option) to get people’s attention and communicate a key message.
Tell good stories
Nobody’s children ask for bedtime “statistics”. They want stories. There is nothing more influential than people talking about their very real, human experiences in an authentic way. It’s the reason that fly-ins, despite technological advances, are still such a powerful tool in Washington today. When we launched RISE Up – a program offering training and credentials to help entry-level job seekers develop meaningful careers in retail – we knew the most effective way to showcase the impact of the program would be through the people themselves. From a video following candidates at a hiring fair, to the story of one man whose life was truly changed because of the credential – these pieces show more about the program in a few minutes than pages of brochures or a talking head ever could.
What we do isn’t rocket science, but it’s fueled by creative ideas. And there are a lot of smart companies and organizations doing really great work. What I love most about the Public Affairs Council is their ability to bring us all together so we can share, learn from one another and take away a few ideas on how to be more effective for our own constituencies.[/vc_toggle]
Certificate Round-Up
During the National PAC Conference in Miami, six recipients were presented with the Council’s Certificate in PAC and Grassroots Management. Join us in congratulating them all on this outstanding achievement!
From left: Lauren Facemire, National Association of REALTORS; International; Ellie Shaw, American Express; Jeremy Kelley, State Farm Mutual Insurance; Jennifer Thomas, Johnson & Johnson; Lori Martinez, Washington State Hospital Association
Save the Date: Digital Media and Advocacy Summit
Member Column: Before You Hit Send
Written by: Claire McDonough, Senior Account Executive, Cision Government Relations
We all experience the rush to get an email out the door. Too often, our errors lead to either embarrassment or the need to send a corrected email. To avoid these errors in the future, use this quick checklist of steps to make sure your emails always hit the mark.
The subject line is the first thing your audience sees when your email hits their inbox. Double check your subject line to make sure it’s clear and compelling. Avoid words like “urgent,” “help,” and “reminder.” Action words are the best way to get your readers attention. Let them know what you need them to do.
TIP: Most spell checks will not check the spelling of the subject line. So, unless you are using a program like Grammarly, always have another person review the email before hitting send. Four eyes are ALWAYS better than two.
2) Consider the “From” Name and Email Address
When sending PAC solicitations, we may have the email come from another person in a company or membership. Double check the correct spelling of their name and whether their formal or informal name should be used. Emails tend to be opened when sent from someone they know, so think about the difference between sending it from “Bill” versus “William”. If your members or employees don’t know the person, think about including a title as well (if it’s not too long).
TIP: Test different sender names using A/B tests if your email program allows it.
3) Test Your Dynamic Tags
Using dynamic tags in email – such as first name, company name, location, etc. – is a great way to make your emails more personal. However, there’s nothing worse than receiving an email that says “Dear [First Name],” or “Dear JOHN”, so double check that the dynamic tags in place are working as you intended.
TIP: If your CRM tool contains your member or employee’s names in all caps, you may want to skip using this feature.
4) Double Check Your Call to Action or Solicitation Links
Always send yourself tests before you hit send, especially if there are action items included in the email. Test every link to make sure it’s not broken and that the link destination is correct. If links are designed to go to an auto-populated form or other personalized pages, make sure the auto-link feature is working as designed.
TIP: Add more than one link in your email to the action. Try to avoid including multiple links to multiple actions. One clarion call is all a solicitation or advocacy campaign should include.
5) Quality-Check Your Content
Checking for spelling, grammatical and links in your email before you hit send goes without saying. In many ways, this is the easy part. But it’s also important to check your language in general. Your email content may be drafted by someone who isn’t thinking about Action Alerts of Solicitation best practices. When you can, suggest edits so you’re sending an email with actionable language. Craft short, pointed sentences written in the second person to keep your ask natural and conversational.
TIP: Remember, most of your members and employees are not as knowledgeable about your issues as you are. Think about the Dad Test. If you sent this email to your Dad, would he understand what you want him to do, why you want him to do it and how to find the link?
6) Make It Mobile-Friendly
Keep your design to a single-column format, make links (especially your most important call-to-action or donation link) large and easily-tappable; spread the links out to make each individual one easy for readers to tap; and always use an easy-to-read font (at least 14-point).
TIP: When testing your email, review it on both your desktop AND your phone before hitting send.
7) Verify Your List
Have you segmented your lists to target the correct group of employees or members? Accidentally sending the email to your PAC donors asking them to please consider joining the PAC for the first time will leave them confused as to why they received such an off-topic email.
TIP: Label your targeted lists wisely so you can quickly discern you have the right list.
8) Could It Be Considered SPAM?
Many email service providers include a spam checker within their editors.
Membership organizations should always run their email through a spam checker to make sure you haven’t included too many spammy-sounding words or phrases that will get your email flagged as spam by Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook or Yahoo. If your email service provider doesn’t have a spam checker, try Inbox Inspector. It’s free.
TIP: If you use a vendor like Aristotle, Cision, CQ or DDC, ask them for their whitelist instructions and provide them to your IT team so your emails can be delivered consistently and not held in quarantine.
9) Stay Compliant
While this might be the part of your email campaign that you think matters the least, it has a significant impact, especially to membership organizations. Most of you need to include an opt-out for members who don’t want to receive an email from you again.
TIP: If in doubt, check with your IT or Membership Department. If you use a third-party email tool for your PAC or Grassroots messages, they will likely want these opt-outs to stay in sync across systems.
10) Test Your Email. Then Test It Again.
Almost all email service providers offer a simple way to send yourself a test version of your email message. A best practice is to create two test groups.
Test Group One: Typically includes your work email (Outlook) and a personal email (Gmail or other). Send yourself a test first and review carefully all the items above on both your desktop and phone’s email. Make corrections as needed.
Test Group Two: Ask a colleague on your team or in your Communications Department to be your other set of eyes. Send a final round of emails to them to catch what you don’t. Be specific in the ask – for example, “I need you to carefully proof this email.” Let them know it’s coming so they have time to do a final proof for you on your timeline.
TIP: Send yourself more than one test email if you need to — test as many times as it takes to perfect your message before you click “Send.”[/vc_toggle][vc_separator]
Building a Crisis Communications Playbook
Organizations are facing unprecedented pressure due to increased expectations from employees, members and outside groups and the ability of movements to quickly form online. These new crises or controversies can arrive at a moment’s notice and your organization should be prepared to respond with the same speed.
What to Include in Your Crisis Communications Playbook:
A Key Contact List and Identification of Crisis Communications Team Members
Crises often occur when you’re away from your desk, but having the contact information for your essential stakeholders handy is crucial. Organizations of substantial size should have an internal Crisis Communications Team. These team members should have clear and defined roles with access to the organization’s social media accounts and be the ultimate decision makers during a crisis. Additionally, you should have the contact information for key stakeholders including:
- outside partners or alliances,
- important industry reporters,
- internal spokespeople,
- organizational partners,
- valued community members,
- emergency personnel and essential lawmakers.
Depending on your organization’s industry and mission you may want to include additional individuals in this contact list; it’s important to keep this section updated and organized. Knowing who to call or how to post a blog on your organization’s website is crucial to know during a fast-moving crises.
A Simple Crisis Communications Checklist
Each crises is unique, but organizations should try and create a short checklist or mini-guide so staff can refer to best practices in the midst of an issue. This checklist will never be exhaustive (and it shouldn’t be), but having a quick guide can be immensely helpful, so keep your checklist to no longer than 10-15 bullet points or steps. A simplified checklist will help your team move rapidly through the process without unnecessary discussions. This checklist should be unique to every organization because every organization has a different set of goals and priorities during a crisis. However, make sure to include these three action items:
- Identify the important audiences for your company or association to communicate with during a crisis and a typical prioritization of those audiences.
- Clearly outline the message approval process and situations when this process might need to change.
- Define your organization’s most important crisis response operating procedures, which should include your goals for response times and answer common process questions for your team.
This checklist should limit the amount of discussion about procedure and best practices while not be overly prescriptive. Crises move faster than ever and a simple checklist can focus your team on your organization’s priorities in a time where confusion may reign.
Preapproved Content:
If your organization has a well-defined set of issues, you can also create preapproved content or draft social media posts that address common issues your organization might face. While you’ll want to edit this content to fit your situation, these preapproved pieces can help you rapidly communicate during a crises. These posts will help define your organization’s tone during a crisis which is crucial for public-facing organizations. Pre-approved content could include videos, infographics and images that can help convey important messages during a crisis. While your instinct may be to quickly respond or hunker down during a crisis, take the opportunity to tell your organization’s story, reiterate your mission and clear up any misperceptions.
Yes there is a place for a comprehensive crisis management plan, but your two-to-three page crisis communications playbook is also needed. When a crisis hits, communications professionals don’t have time to flip through a 300 page binder or track down the one person with your companies’ LinkedIn login.
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For more insights on communication topics or to submit a question, comment or addition, contact Nick DeSarno, senior manager for the digital and communication practice.[/vc_toggle][vc_separator]
Emerging Leaders Spotlight: Get to Know Bronwyn Flores
The Council has an ever-growing emerging leaders community. For this issue of PIN Points, we spotlight one of our new emerging leaders − Bronwyn Flores, Specialist, Policy Communications at the Consumer Technology Association.
I started at CTA over four years ago working on our government events at CES called the Leaders in Technology program. While it was a wonderful way to learn about the association and interact with high-ranking government officials, I had my eye on a policy communications position that happened to open up shortly after CES. I have been a policy nerd since my high school debate days and I wanted the opportunity to craft jargon-free messaging that excites new audiences.
What is your favorite part of working in an association?
There is never a dull moment in the tech world. Now more than ever, I feel my work is meaningful and important. Plus, I get a front-row seat to some of the coolest products and events. Usain Bolt DJ set at the Gibson booth during CES 2018? Yes, please!
What do you think your greatest success has been to date?
Shortly after I transitioned from government events to the policy communications team, we got word Lyft and Uber were being banned by the Virginia DMV. It was the Friday before Fourth of July weekend and *lucky me* was one of the few in the office to move on our reaction. That was my first real taste of working on messaging during the 24-hour news cycle and activating our home turf – Virginians – at a grassroots advocacy level. Even better, the ban was quickly overturned.
What advice do you have for newcomers to the public affairs field or to other young professionals?
Always listen to the advice of others, but don’t fall into the trap of “we’re doing it this way because that’s how it’s always been done.” Discern when to trust the experts and when to speak up.
What’s your go-to morning newsletter (if any)?
Lately, I have been lovin’ the Bloomberg Technology’s Fully Charged Newsletter. It’s daily with rotating authors. It leads with a deep-dive on one timely topic and closes with headlines of about five other relevant stories.[/vc_toggle]
Don't miss our Digital Advertising Workshop
April 25
Washington D.C. or Participate Virtually
Join us for a full-day workshop with leading members of the digital advertising industry and learn how to harness this powerful tool for your advocacy efforts.
Join the Association Network Today!
The Association Network is a free network open exclusively to members of the Council who are employed by trade, business or professional associations. Network members can share ideas and challenges with peers, get solutions and best practices and build a network of association colleagues