In looking back at 2014, there were key moments where organizations, campaigns, and brands generated awareness, brought in names, and (hopefully) saw an increase in revenue from “big moment” momentum. Perhaps you felt it as part of end-of-year fundraising or holiday shopping season, a big event (like the US Olympic Committee and the Sochi Winter Olympics), a big win (like Freedom to Marry), or a successful campaign (hello, ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge). But often the hardest part is waking up the next day when you have to figure out: what’s next? How can we keep people engaged now that the world isn’t watching?
Here are three tips to cure that “big moment” hangover in 2015:
1. Use your manners.
You’ve had your big moment (congrats!). You generated awareness and grew your list. What’s the first step to keeping people engaged afterwards?
Use your manners and say thank you.
How soon can you report back on the impact that was achieved from the collective effort? Ideally, your supporters, fans, and customers helped moved the needle and made a difference, so let them know. The key is doing it in a way that makes sense given the relationship you’ve built with them, understanding that people probably don’t wake up the next day (or any day, really) thinking about your cause or brand. You have to remember where people are in their lives, and it’s up to you to maintain the relationship and momentum in a respectful and authentic way. The best place to start? Say thanks.
2. Ask Yourself: “What’s Next?”
You’ve said thank you (your mom would be proud). So in the words of our favorite fictional President, Josiah Bartlet from The West Wing: “What’s next?” Now you have to keep your audience engaged for the next ask—in a way that makes sense for them.
The first step is to map out moments that serve as good opportunities to communicate with your audience. These moments should be anchored by interesting and relevant milestones and brought to life through creative campaigns that have inspiring and logical asks. For example, it was natural for the US Olympic Committee to build a campaign around the World Cup to keep their audience engaged after the Sochi Winter Olympics.
As much as you can, provide a clear connection between the “big” moment and the “next” moment in way that that feels natural. It may be a simple personalization of an email that mentions they were a year-end donor, or that references the specific petition they signed, or graphic that they shared. Provide compelling reminders of why people signed up and showed interest in the first place. Videos can and should play an important role here.
3. Actually use your data.
It’s easy to talk a big data talk, but do you actually understand who your constituents are, what actions they’ve taken, and what they’ll most likely care about next? Both big and small moments are prime opportunities to gather as much data about people as possible (e.g., what drove them to take action; how they got on your list; how they’ve interacted with your organization before), but it’s up to you to actually use this information to make future communications feel relevant, personal. A first step to understanding even more about your audience could be a survey to start out the new year. You can make it fun, in a way that gathers info about what the individual cares about and enables you to target them with relevant content experiences moving forward. (Check out some examples from the Labour Party and Heifer International for inspiration.)
So think about what you can learn from your big moment or end of year campaign—and then build a segmentation strategy to keep the momentum going into 2015 and beyond. This will help ensure that individuals feel heard and respected, rather than blindsided by ongoing content and asks. Tracking different segments will also help you measure the immediate and lifetime value of constituents who are acquired through different tactics or moments, so that you can further invest in the sources and strategies that produce your most valued constituents (and divest from those that don’t).
*Images adapted from a photo from Kim Bost.