Communications 101: tips and tools Michal Blaszczyk Communications Manager at Bond @michalblaz 2 May 2019

Bond is the UK network for international NGOs

Why is communications so important? Lets the public know what your mission is and why your cause is important. Gives you a chance to demonstrate the important work you do and your impact. Builds an audience of supporters. Lets people connect directly with your NGO. Gives donors and partners confidence in your abilities. Helps you keep up with people’s expectations - today’s audiences expect organisations to have a digital presence and brand

The communications mix

What do we mean by integrated communications? Brand: your identity and mission Website: your shop-front for your work and brand Content: your stories, news and blogs Social media: your regular channels for engaging with your audience (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) E-communications: email newsletters and e-marketing Direct marketing Media: your stories being covered in the press

Digital channels mix Today’s digital audiences engage with us through numerous touchpoints, which should all work together to help meet your objectives. Your website is your digital foundation and houses all your content You social media channels are great for having conversations with supporters and partners, but should also drive people to your website Your e-communications, whether a newsletter or fundraising campaign, should always drive people to your website

Best practice for creating content

Key messages Consistency is key to getting your mission and message across. Define your purpose Define your key messages Test these messages out with your audience Make sure you articulate these in your content and across your channels

Content is king Tell a story: write about people, not projects Harness the power of user-generated content: use other people’s content, whether written, photographic or video. This incudes from the people you serve, your supporters and your staff A picture is worth a thousand words: use photos of your work, your supporters or your staff Use graphics too – great for highlighting your visual brand Make it a listicle: “5 women making a difference in their communities” Test and learn: try an idea out and see if it works!

How people read online Bond — This is the title of your presentation

Writing tips for compelling comms Be human and have a conversational tone of voice Put people first – you exist to help people Avoid international development/NGO speak Keep it short and simple – be concise and use short sentences Use the active voice, not the passive For blogs/news: get your key point and details across in your first two paragraphs Use headings Write short, eye catching titles/headlines Don’t forget your key messages People’s attention is limited and is a precious commodity in the digital world. S

Tips for building an audience

Some ideas for building your audience Jump on popular hashtags/events on social media that make sense for your cause, either planning a campaign around one of these hooks or promoting your existing content Repurpose your successful content across all your channels Run a campaign where you get your supporters to share something on their own social media Reach out to your local press with a story Monitor your digital channels and see what works for your audience! People’s attention is limited and is a precious commodity in the digital world. S

Free tools for strong channels and audiences Bond — This is the title of your presentation

Creative tools Canva: a simple, easy to use graphic design tool. Charities can get the premium version for free. Unsplash and Flickr: free high quality photos you can use for your channels. Mostly licensed under Creative Commons, but double check when you use a photo whether you have to credit the source. Image sizing: Landscape is a website which lets you resize images. It has the ideal image dimensions set for different social media channels. More people are finding content through Google searches.

Community building tools Mobilize: an easy platform for managing volunteers or campaigners. You can set up groups and people can receive updates on the groups they join. Tweetdeck and HootSuite: a free platform for scheduling tweets in advance. You can also better monitor how your Twitter account is performing. You can also monitor certain hashtags you like, search terms and other accounts. More people are finding content through Google searches.

Google tools Google Analytics: monitor how many people come to your website and what content they engage with Google AdWords: each charity can apply for a monthly $10,000 grant for advertising in Google’s search results More people are finding content through Google searches.

Any questions? Discussion: What do you do for communications? What’s your biggest challenge? What has worked for you? What hasn’t worked for you?

Thank you for listening Please sign up to Bond’s newsletter for more tips. Follow us on Twitter: @bondngo Bond, Society Building, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL, UK +44 (0)20 7837 8344 ・ bond.org.uk Connect