Community Early Childhood Council Communication Webinar

1. Community Early Childhood Council Communication Webinar October 9, 2012

2. What we will cover? • Communication capacity survey results • Communication goal for early childhood community • What to keep in your communication toolkit • How to build public will for policy change

3. Goal of Community Engagement Committee for 2012-2013 • To unify and build the capacity and effectiveness of the early childhood community in Kentucky • To increase awareness and understanding of the importance of investing in early childhood

4. Communication Capacity Survey • Overview • Goal of survey

5. Survey Respondents

6. Current Communication Strategy

7. Current Audience

8. Level of Communication

9. Media Relationships

10. Readiness to Participate

11. Communication Goal To share research based messages via traditional media and new/social media about the benefits of early childhood investments in order to: • Improve children’s outcomes • Reduce social costs later

12. Communication Toolbox • Social media • Facebook • Twitter • Email distribution list • Members, partners, colleagues • Media • Blog

15. What is social media? • “Social media” is defined as: Online media, like text, photos, or videos, that can start conversations online. • They can often be shared on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube.

16. Why consider social media? • Millions of people are already using it, and it may be a cost-effective way to engage supporters or potential supporters. • Social media tools are becoming more mainstream and more integrated into everyday communications.

17. What tools should you use? • What you choose should be based on your goals, audiences, staff time, what you have already, and your overall communications “toolbox.” • Whatever you choose, you’ll need to consider how to integrate the channels with your other communications in terms of tone, message, data and policies.

18. Facebook: The Basics • Facebook is a widely used site that helps people keep in touch with extended groups of friends, family, and colleagues. • Facebook allows you to set up a profile, and post updates, links, events, photos, videos, and more. • As of September 2012, there were more than 1 billion active users.

19. Getting started on Facebook • Getting started is easy: You can have a basic Facebook page in just a few minutes by filling out this web form: www.facebook.com. • Create a personal page, and then a business page.

20. How to use Facebook • Nonprofits, agencies, and councils can create a Facebook Fan Page to allow people to follow their organization in the same way they follow friends, and post updates, links, conversations, photos, or videos. • Users who choose to “like” your organization’s page see updates without needing to navigate to your website.

21. Facebook Page Example

22. Twitter: The Basics • Twitter lets you create a (minimal) profile for your organization, and send out a stream of 140 character messages called “tweets.” • You can send updates about what you’re doing, conversation starters, or links to resources of interest. • To get started, visit www.twitter.com and click “Sign-up for Twitter.” • Post a few interesting tweets just to have something visible when people start to check you out.

23. How to use Twitter • It is a great way to reach the media -- both print journalists and bloggers. • People can choose to “follow” your tweets, and if they like one or more, they can “retweet” them, which increases your audience. • You can also use and follow “hashtags” (the # symbol, known as “pound,” “hash,” or the number sign) to precede a keyword to try to reach a certain group that follows that keyword.

24. Twitter Page Example

25. Blog: The Basics • A blog is an online site where one or more people post fairly frequent updates about what’s going on in the organization, told from a personal perspective. • To start a blog, the first thing you’ll need is a blogging tool. TypePad, WordPress and Blogger are free, and are relatively easy to set up. • Comments allow visitors to instantly react

26. How to use a blog • Expect a relatively skilled writer (or writers) to update the blog. Typical blogs are updated at least once a week - less is acceptable if the posting is consistent. • It can often be used as a newsletter (without printing costs)! • If read by reporters, blog posts can turn into newspaper articles.

27. Blog Example

28. Blog Post Example

29. Listserv Messages: The Basics • For a relatively reasonable price, you can communicate with your members or constituents to update them about your organization/group, or to organize grassroots efforts. • Requests for action – phone calls to legislators, letter writing campaigns • Some options include: Email Now by Network for Good, Mail Chimp, and many others.

30. Listserv Message Example

31. Press Releases: The Basics • An update prepared for and distributed to the media to educate the public and raise awareness on a particular issue or event. • It will either encourage the reporter to do further investigation, or sometimes they will even run the press release as a story in their paper. • Personal outreach makes a difference.

32. Tips for a Successful Press Release • Give it an exciting title • Start with a one-sentence big picture summary • Get a quote in early • Focus on the human impact • Use graphics • Keep it short and simple • Use numbers sparingly • Avoid technical terms • Go no higher than a sixth grade reading level

33. Press Release Example See example press release document embedded in email

34. With your toolbox in hand… • You can promote the importance of early childhood, which will in turn increase political will and support for programs and services • Strength in numbers: by coming together consistently, the message that early childhood matters will reach farther and wider. • When public will is cohesive, clear, and united, policy will change

35. What to do from here • In the coming year, the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood and the Early Childhood Advisory Council Community Engagement Committee will organize six to twelve “ready to send” messages for you to distribute to the public. • We encourage you to pass these on to your networks to have greatest impact. • If you are interested in sending the messages to your constituency, contact Elizabeth Whitehouse at elizabeth.whitehouse@ky.gov to receive ready to send content.