Here Are 7 Ways to Engage Your Following

 

Drawing in an audience is vital for social enterprises and non-profits to gain support for their mission. You can take hints from people that are communicating about the most complex issue of our time, climate change.

 

1. Know What is Important to Your Market

 

This is the greatest lesson I reckon with as a writer. For so long, I had a ‘This is the truth, so I should say it,’ mentality. But this is not the way to gain support or change opinions.

 

Solitaire Townsend created an informative video called, ‘Green It Like You Mean It’ focusing on communicating climate change. Townsend starts off by saying that an inclusive strategy can meet people where they are in their understanding.

 

This means asking questions and doing research. What is keeping interested people from buying, volunteering or donating? What other benefits does your organization create that can help you reach out to new people?

 

For example, what is important to my father? He loves playing golf. Framing his health through a lens that includes playing golf longer will be more effective.

 

Equating my father’s health with improving his game... Now I’m getting somewhere.

 

2. Lead with Positive Emotions

 

In “Making Climate Hot,” Susan Moser and Lisa Dilling take a look at climate change in light of different aspects of human behavior.

 

First, people are hardwired not to worry much about issues that are in the distant future, or in distant places.

 

They also try to use old ways of thinking to absorb new issues. These modes of thinking generally fail to capture the entirety or depth of the issue.

 

Which are two of the main reasons Townsend emphasizes relying on emotional messages to draw in the reader, rather than on rational ones.

 

People make decisions based on emotions, and then use reason to rationalize that decision.

Never invoke guilt in your audience. Townsend warns against “…creating fear without agency.” This will produce apathy or overwhelm.

 

Using emotions like love, benevolence, hope and passion will activate your reader. Using fear as a secondary emotion is possible, but only through indirect means.

 

3. Use Stories to Inspire

 

Mosser and Dilling point out that communicators need to get people exited about the solutions at the beginning of any piece of writing or speech.

 

People cannot take action unless they see a way to help create change. They can get stuck in the “contemplation” stage if they don’t grasp a way forward.

 

Use case studies or testimonials of people or animals whose lives were changed for the better by the organization. This creates a connection that is impossible with statistics.

 

This will reinforce that all environmental solutions create social solutions, and vice versa. Emphasizing your organization’s innovations that tackle two different issues at once will set you apart from the crowd.

 

4. Make it Readable

 

• Keep your sentences short.

• If online, keep your paragraphs to two lines long.

• Use one column

• Black or blue font on a white background

• Use a sans serif font like Arial

• Use bullets

• Keep your words short

 

5. Make the Rationale Relateable

 

Depending on what you are writing, you may not have a lot of space for backing up your prospects emotional decision.

 

Climate change, is a global problem with complex causes and uncertain effects. Dumbing it down will make the reader feel like you don’t respect them.

 

Discuss one part of the issue. This is called the power of one. Focusing in on one issue will help keep their attention. It could be closer to home or another kind of story they haven’t heard yet.

 

6. Different Calls to Action

 

You may need donations or sales, but most people will need more than a letter or email to give or buy. This number is between 98.5% and 96%, depending on your medium.

 

Including alternative calls to action are important to keep readers engaged when they cannot give or buy right away.

 

Like asking them to volunteer, join an event, or getting them to opt-in on your e-newsletter. Social media is another place people can keep in touch.

 

Any way that you can create a relationship with them is going to encourage them to give or buy next time.

 

7. Create Ways for Children to Be Involved

 

Even though, Townsend claims the call to action should not “…rely entirely on their children’s future.” It's crucial to get kids involved! Making something fun helps bring the kid out in all of us.

 

Plus, once kids are excited, they will be a little voice in their parent’s ear to care about your mission. Here are some quick fundraising ideas that kids can organize!

 

• Scavenger Hunts: have a registration fee and different tips for different donation amounts.

• Trash Art Auction: for the eco-friendly and artistic.

• Dodgeball Tournaments: each team can fundraise their entrance fee.

 

Need more ideas? Need help on your next campaign or getting customers to understand your mission?

 

Let's talk about your projects!