Your organization’s goals and objectives light the path of where you’re headed. It’s the vision of your better world placed into the reality of what you have and the challenges you face.To realistically know where you’re going, it’s critical to spend time assessing where you are right now.
The first step in building a digital media communications and content platform to tell the story about your cause requires taking a close look at your current reality. It’s important to realize and assess what personnel talent, content, and leadership commitment currently exists within your organization.
Establishing where you are, where you want to go, and what your organization is capable of accomplishing involves looking at the following three facets of your organization:
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Assess your staff and resources – Is your staff tech savvy? Are they “digital natives”? Do they understand and use social media? Do you have talented writers, photographers, or videographers who can create compelling digital content? If not on staff, do you have connections and relationships with these talent sets? Do you have the right tools and software to create, publish, and promote digital content?
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Come up with a plan for distribution – The marketing and promotion of your digital media is more important than the creation. Create a plan to promote and distribute your digital media.
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Assess existing assets and executive leadership commitment – What communications assets do you already possess, such as an existing website, blog, social media accounts and followers, presentations, white papers, etc.? Is your executive leadership fully supportive and on board with the digital media direction?
After spending time on the above items, next:
Review Communications Objectives – This is the part of your strategic planning and thinking where you dig deep to get at the core essence of your marketing message.
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Identify causes/ initiatives that will be supported by digital media – List the causes and initiatives of your organization that you want to gain funding support.
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Identify core values and strategic objectives- What does your organization stand for and stand against? Why do you do what you do?
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Make Use of core competencies in digital media communications – How do you plan to leverage your organization’s strengths? How will you get the most out of the writing, photography, videography, social media, graphic design talent at your disposal?
Your internal communications and content assessment is essential in evaluating your current reality. It’s important to spend the time and effort on this assessment before launching a digital media campaign.
Discover the entire 6-Step Digital Media Strategy. Download the free guide:
Fundraisers’ Guide to Digital Media
(Yes, CSRs and Foundations love it too!)
photo credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video via photopin cc
