Launching and running successful campaigns is one of the most common tasks of a grassroots movement’s manager. Of course, the key to a great campaign is good preparation. We’ve covered the main pillars of it in this article:
But what is the key to focus on when running a successful grassroots campaign? In Qela we have developed a unique methodology to help grassroots leaders launch and run impactful campaigns. And the main thing we suggest our clients focus on is campaign communication.
Whether you’ve been working as an organization manager for years or are just starting, these tips will help you improve your campaign communication and achieve the results you were hoping for!
Why is it Essential to Create a Communication Strategy for Your Campaign?
A campaign communication strategy ensures that your efforts at solving whatever social issue your movement is tackling don’t go unnoticed. So many grassroots movements fail to make a difference because their work never reaches the public and thus never creates much impact.
The people — supporters, stakeholders, or followers — are at the core of any social movement. And to get them on board organizations need to have a smart outreach strategy.
How to Improve Your Campaign Communication?
Target Your Campaign to the Right Audience
To make your campaign achieve the expected results you need to ensure that you involve the right people in it. Most of the targeting strategies focus on dividing people into groups by their demographic qualities — age, income, gender, etc. However, when it comes to grassroots organizing, those aren’t always the best denominators of whether someone will connect to a specific campaign event or excel at a volunteering task.
In Qela we offer our clients to target quests and events to their communities based on the supporters’ talents and interests. By utilizing our unique reward system, organization managers can see the type of people who engage with specific tasks and build their assignment plans with that information in mind. To try it out for free for 30 days, sign up for Qela here: https://www.qela.app/register
Choose the Right Channels for Communication
After deciding which audiences you want to engage in the campaign in the preparation stage, it’s essential to figure out where to communicate with them.
Analyze your audience’s habits. Are they more likely to engage on social media, read emails, attend events, or consume content on your website?
If you’re trying to reach younger people, utilize social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Email newsletters can reach a broad audience, while campaign events can engage the local community directly. In recruitment campaigns, ensure you are targeting the right platforms to increase volunteer engagement.
Consistent Campaign Messaging
After you have developed a plan for launching your campaign, developing a powerful campaign message shouldn’t be too difficult. Focus on the goals your organization wants to achieve and the core stakeholders you need to involve. Make sure your message is concise, easy to understand, and focuses on the problem you are trying to solve.
Here are some examples of powerful campaign messages:
Friday’s For Future’s “There’s no Planet B”
BLM’s “Black Lives Matter”
#MeToo’s “You Are Not Alone”
All these messages convey the issue that created the grassroots movement behind them in the first place. They are short and easy to remember which makes them more impactful.
Educate Your Supporters
Your supporters need to know what they are fighting for and why it’s important. To achieve that, invest in your community’s understanding of the problem.
To allow our clients tools for educating their supporters, Qela offers various integrated gamified features — like software for quizzes, online lectures, and more. Check it out here: https://www.qela.app/
Make Sure Your Communication Represents Your Whole Campaign
It’s important to show your supporters that you have a plan on how to tackle the problem you’re dealing with in the campaign. When broken into steps even the most ambitious goals look more achievable.
In Qela we allow our clients to build their campaign communication with various digital tools. In our Campaign Master, you can map out all your campaign events, assign tasks to volunteers, and declare your goals and milestones. In the News feature, you can share recent updates about the campaign with your community. And the built-in notifications help your supporters to never miss any of your important messages!
We offer free access to Qela for organizations that have less than 100 supporters. Want to try it out? Sign up here: https://www.qela.app/register