Campaign Management

Assumptions

• People don't give unless they're asked.
• People don't give effectively if they’re not engaged.
• It takes time to effectively engage someone.
• You can only manage a few campaigns at the same time.
• You can only manage what you can measure.
• There's only one search engine: Google.

Campaigns engage your audience and work organically with your organization's mission and the nature of the internet. Because of the nature of the internet, all communication is logged and can be used as an effective measurement goal to determine a campaign's success. To effectively ask someone to take an action, campaigns are designed in terms of time. To start, assume each campaign will take three months to engage someone to take an action. Split the year in quarters and run two to three campaigns per quarter.

How to run a campaign

1. Determine goals.
2. Determine the audience.
3. Calendar the editorial content and communication (i.e., email).
4. Create content, landing pages, and communication.
5. Implement campaign.
6. Measure results.

Determine Goals

Running an effective website requires keeping your audience engaged. By providing what they want, the site will become a natural resource for people seeking information on the topics that the organization focuses and will naturally be linked throughout the internet and will appear at the top of the search engines. Filter all the organizations' goals before engaging the internet audience by stepping into their shoes and asking "what's in it for me?" Additionally, determine the goals that will notify you of the health of the campaign, including how many people provide feedback or participate in the calls to action.

Determine Audience

As seen on the flow chart, there are two segments to your audience: supporters and activists. Each segment must be balanced to maintain engagement, therefore, manage your audience and your goals together. For example, if the quarters' goals focus mainly on activists, then your general supporters will be neglected. Instead, run two campaigns for activists and run a single campaign for the general supporters.

Calendar Content and Communication

Based on a three-month schedule, determine days when content will go live and when communication will be sent. Create Content Create the initial mini-site where users will post information and where you will collect their feedback, including the code, graphics and content. Create the email communication drafts that run parallel to the campaign that are the one-on-one communication that is used most effectively to increase action.

Implement Campaign

Implement the campaign by activating it on the site, sending press releases and marketing materials to allies and to the entire house list. Send following emails to the specific audience (i.e., Supporters or Activists). For each week's e-mailing, keep users posted on the progress and engage them at every step by letting them post feedback on the site, e-mailing you directly, or in some other way that increases engagement.

Measure Results

Continuously monitor the health of the campaign for user engagement and the final ask. Report results to audience as well to increase a sense of ownership in the campaign. Tweak the next campaign based on the success and failure of the campaign.