Digital Advocacy is the "New Normal"
Across the country, we’re experiencing drastic changes in our everyday lives. With offices and businesses moving their operations online almost overnight, digital advocacy has never been more important.
There’s a lot of information flying around in everyone’s inboxes and social media feeds, and we want to make sure your voice is heard through all the noise. I’m here to give you a list of some of the best and most effective digital advocacy strategies and tools out there for you to utilize right now.
Host an Event - An online one, that is! Choose a day for all-day digital advocacy with all of your supporters and networks participating. Prepare posts and messages for social media in advance, and invite your supporters to share them and invite friends to join. If your goal is to get a lawmaker’s attention, make sure to tag them in your posts, and reach out via multiple social and video platforms, emails, and phone calls.
Go Live - Schedule a time to post a live video and make sure to let your supporters know when to tune-in ahead of time. Viewers are over 10 times more likely to comment on live videos than regular videos, and it makes them feel more personally connected to your organization and campaign. You can post live videos as part of a digital advocacy event day, as a Q&A session, or as an informational workshop about your campaign.
Strength in Numbers - State lawmakers have stated that they would be “willing to rethink an issue” after receiving 15 personal messages about an issue from their constituents. Mobilize your supporters to call or email their legislators in support of your campaign, and provide a template message to make it easy for them to reach out. (If you’re looking for software to make this even easier and target lawmakers based on each supporter’s zip code, we use and recommend Phone2Action! Let us know if you’d like to utilize our platform for your campaign.)
Communicate a Clear and Urgent Goal - Make sure you are clear with your call-to-action in all your digital advocacy efforts. Asking your audience to simply “show their support” can leave them guessing the best way they can get involved. It can be as simple as asking followers to share your latest Facebook post, or a more committed ask for them to donate to your organization. Let your supporters know that the action you’re requesting will make a difference, and how it can help to reach your goal. For example, sharing a Facebook post can help raise awareness for your cause, and donating to your organization can help fund urgent resources for your campaign or your community.
If you have any questions or need help thinking through your digital advocacy strategy, email me at Cassie@dennycivicsolutions.com. We can set up time to talk!