CharityComms seminar23rd July 2009

Using blogging to build supporter engagement

Jonathan Waddinghamjonathan@justgiving.comtwitter.com/jon_bedford

Blogs

How many read them? 66%UK Internet

users

17.8 millionIn UK

http://icanhaz.com/universal

Blogs – how to get started

http://icanhaz.com/blogplatform

Blogs - strategy

Plan the topics you will cover – your categories

You need commitment – once you start, you can’t stop!

Set yourself an ambitious target for frequency of posting & get into a routine

Write about things you’re passionate about

Don’t forget to read other people’s blogs too

Examples - a network of blogs http://blogs.oxfam.org

Examples - a network of blogs www.msf.org.uk/blogs.aspx

You don’t have to be big http://www.youthnet.org/blog

It’s about telling a story http://blog.childsifoundation.org

Comments allow people to get involved

Comments also allow people to have their say

What is your comment policy? What will you allow?

Arguing with commenters can make things worse

Try and find ‘evangelists’ to support you

Try and email everyone who comments

Get people to focus on reading, approving & replying to comments

Dealing with comments

Search on Google blog search or Technorati for a relevant topic

http://blogsearch.google.com

http://technorati.com

Read

Comment

PR - ask to be on someone else’s blog

Bloggers/online PR– how *not* to pitch them

Don't have your office intern haphazardly send out a canned pitches, get to know the bloggers first

Don't have your first point of interaction be a request to blog about your program

Don't overwhelm the blogger with requests and information

Do mention a post the blogger has previously written

Do comment on posts before making the ask – plan ahead

Email the right person, spell their name correctly

http://icanhaz.com/bethk

When online PR goes bad

“Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with non-traditional media outlets,” a public relations person wrote to ShapingYouth.

http://icanhaz.com/targetPR

Learn from others’ success - PR WIN Blog

http://prwin.tumblr.com/

http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk

One last (great) example

The ultimate engagement

Contact me

Jonathan Waddingham

jonathan@justgiving.com

twitter.com/jon_bedford

charities.justgiving.com

http://icanhaz.com/PFJW