Whatever your issue, campaign or quest to just speak out and make a difference, if it’s important enough for you to organize or participate “off-line”, then you need to get active “on-line” as well.
Here’s a quick review of some of the most fundamental online organization tips:
Create a “Home-Base”
Use a website or blog as your main online home. A moderated online group can help people exchange information, but keep essential information and an email sign-up form somewhere you control. Choose tools that fit your group’s needs and check their current features and costs.
This gives you a central location where people can find you and that you can link back to in your offline and online activity.
It’s also important for potential supporters to have a place where they can “sign up”, whether it’s an email subscription, a petition or some other type of “join us” form.
Promote Your Content
What good is it to create content to promote your cause that nobody ever sees?
Once you’ve gone to the trouble of putting good content together, give it a chance by sharing it.
Use email and social networking to push your content to others and expand your network. A supported scheduling tool can help you share new articles consistently, but review each post and make sure its links and previews work.
Leverage the Internet
Choose online activities that will complement and enhance your offline activities.
For example, if you’re trying to identify other potential supporters, try promoting an online petition. Just want to communicate with supporters? Set up an email newsletter using a provider that supports permission-based subscriptions and easy unsubscribe options. Check current pricing and contact limits rather than assuming an old free-plan offer still applies.
Get Social
Like it or not, social media is here to stay because that’s “where the people are” – at least in an online context.
And since politics is people, you need to be there too.
Create profiles on the social networks your supporters use, such as Facebook and X, and link them to your home base. Let your supporters know you’re there. These services expose you to individuals who might never otherwise see your content. They can also help with recruitment when people share your material with others they know.
Multiply Your Efforts
Don’t try to do it all yourself.
Involve and coordinate with others.
Be sure to actively request that supporters forward and promote your content or links via email, X and Facebook.
The more people you have contributing content and/or promoting your content, the faster you’ll grow and the better your chances to make a difference.
(For more on online organization, see the Beginner’s Guide in my Grassroots 101 Training Series.)
For the broader framework, read Four Tips for Conservative Online Organization.
