Consider This - Before You Launch Your Online Campaign
The internet has made campaigning both easier and harder at the same time. Your campaign can reach further a lot faster with the internet. On the flip side, if you fail with your online campaign, the whole world will know in seconds.
This article will cover some of the basic points to consider, if you plan to launch an online campaign. While some of the points covered will apply to any type of campaign, the article is mainly relevant to non-commercial campaigns.
Plan, plan and plan some more
Plan your online campaign well ahead of time. Be careful your online campaign does not just become an afterthought to a paper-based campaign.
Publishing an online campaign may be quick, but the preparation takes just as long as any other campaign.
Break the online campaign into stages, and assign activities to the different stages. Assign deadlines and delegate responsibility for each individual activity.
If the online campaign is part of an overall campaign, make sure the campaign web site is ready to launch no later than the official campaign launch.
The internet is a quick, responsive medium, and you will only be ready for a successful campaign, if you come well prepared.
Why are you running this campaign?
Explain your reasons for running the campaign in a way that everyone understands. Include what you are hoping to achieve, and how the campaign will achieve this.
Use clear, precise language. It may help to use bullet points in both emails and on your campaign web site. This will make it easier for your audience to read your messages from a screen.
Make sure the campaign goals are measurable. Even if the overall aim of the campaign is not achieved overnight, you and your fellow campaigners need to set achievable milestones along the way to victory.
What do you want people to do?
Explain how people can help. Clearly state the various things you would like people to do. Make it easy for people to do these things. E.g. if you want people to write to their MP, provide them with a sample letter they can use.
Get people to report back what they are doing. Other people may have better, more effective ways of campaigning than you. Remember it is not a competition about who has the best ideas. The important thing is that your campaign becomes a success.
Fully use the power of the internet
Setting up a campaign web site should be a given, but a simple campaign page stating the aim and what people can do is not enough.
Take advantage of the speed and reach of the internet by e.g. building up campaign expectations prior to campaign events.
Publish background material on your web site, while your printed material is being developed.
Make electronic versions of your printed material available on your web site. Include as many file types as possible, including types for prints and for online use.
If you are running an international campaign, make a campaign web site in as many languages as possible and interlink them. Make sure your material is available in those languages. Alternatively, make your material available in a format that your audience can customize themselves.
Make the campaign logo available for others to include on their web site. The following method will allow you to monitor the take-up via your web site logs:
<a href="http://www.aurore.co.uk" title="visit Aurore Solutions">
<img src="http://www.aurore.co.uk/images/shared/logo.jpg" alt="visit Aurore Solutions" width="47" height="51"><br />visit Aurore Solutions</a>
The above code inserts Aurore Solutions’ logo with a link to Aurore Solutions’ web site. Replace Aurore Solutions’ details with your campaign details and you have the code to give to your fellow campaigners.
Provide RSS feeds of campaign news, which people can either read in newsreaders or include on their web sites. If you are new to RSS feeds, you can find more information here: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
MAKE THE CAMPAIGN INTERACTIVE
You can gauge interest by letting people sign up for email alerts, etc, before campaign launch.
Encourage visitors to comment on background material. Then ensure the campaign covers relevant issues raised. You may even get good ideas for slogans, etc, from the comments.
Get a discussion going amongst your fellow campaigners either on closed discussion boards or email lists. If you are really brave and have the resources to monitor it, your campaign may even benefit from an open discussion board.
Make sure people report back to you on the outcome of their efforts. You can publish this on your web site, preferably accompanied by a few photos, or send the reports out to your email lists.
Keep people updated
Let people know how the campaign is going. There is nothing worse than giving your support to a campaign and not know the outcome of your efforts.
Any little event to report keeps the campaign going.
Obviously success stories are more fun, but don’t forget to report back on set-backs. How else will your fellow campaigners know to shift into a higher gear?
Don’t forget to let people know when the campaign is over, regardless of the outcome. How would you like to be fighting for a cause that has already been resolved?
EVALUATE
Once milestones have or should have been reached, it is time to evaluate.
Think of the things that have worked and those that failed. What did you do well and when could you have done better? Involve your fellow campaigners in this process as much as possible. If a change of direction is needed, make sure this is communicated to everyone.
When the campaign is over, you need to evaluate again. A “we won” or “we lost” will not do.
Learn from your experience. Chances are you will run a campaign again. You now have the opportunity to use your experience to create a template for future campaigns. The template may not fit future campaigns perfectly, but having the template will give you time to adjust your plans.
The more organized and well-prepared you are, the more room you have to be flexible.