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Building a communications strategy

Presentation slides for "10 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Communications" at Wikimedia Conference 2016

1. Conduct a communications audit

• Review goals for past year
• Assess press coverage and impact
  • Assess media channels
• Assess marketing efforts and impact
• Identify common narratives or questions
• Opportunity to identify focus areas for upcoming year

2. Develop a communications plan

• Timeline
• Channels
• Audience
• Smart goals
• Evaluation
• Team

3. Focus on building relationships with 2-4 specific media outlets

• Identify media outlets
• Identify your primary message
• Reach out appropriately and consistently
• Request to meet with editorial board
• Discuss your planned "big news" events in advance

4. Explore new communications channels (Be bold!)

• Review social media
  • Which are most popular in your area?
• Consider media outlets not previously contacted
  • There is more than TV and newspapers
  • Education focused magazines
  • Technology blogs
  • Radio stations
  • Podcasts

5. Utilize movement-wide resources

• Wikimedia Blog
  • Community Digest
  • Events
  • Volunteer profiles
• Affiliate milestones
• Social Media
  • Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest
  • Facebook group: Wikimedia Foundation Social Media Huddle
• Communications Committee
• Wikimedia Communications Department

6. Build communications resources that will be frequently used

• Press kits
• Template press releases
• Answers to frequently asked questions
• Check Communications Resource Center for help

7. Organize a communications team

• Helpful to spread the work
• Empowered group that can respond to media inquiries
• Clarity on who is "managing" social media channels
• Contact people for Wikimedia Foundation Communications Team
• Helpful to have a group email mailing list

8. Collect stories for future use

• Collection to pull from for media inquiry
• Written
• Video
• Photo
• Graphics
• Audio

9. Talk to your audience

• No need to be a mind reader!
• Begin dialogue on:
  • What they want communicated
  • Where they want it communicated
  • When they want it communicated
• Begin to collect stories
  • "What does Wikipedia mean to you?"
  • "Why do you edit?"

10. Talk to your colleagues!

• Wikimedia Foundation Communications
• Communications Committee
• Wikimedia movement affiliates