Have you recently reflected on the competition you are facing during your campaign's advertising? All of those who are - just like you - seeking to mobilize the target group into some sort of action?
As we are scrolling on social media, we are faced with a massive amount of ads, which all seek to achieve some activity from our end - be it a donation, finding information, giving our signature, or participate in a demonstation.
As social media users, it can often be described as overwhelming - something that is also demonstrated in that less than 1 out of 100 people click on an ad on Facebook.
So what can organisations do in order to mobilize the target group though campaigns on social media? From my perspective, the solution lies in engaging the people you seek to influence as you are developing the campaign. Yes, that was during development, and not solely during the launch.
Because as the target group is included in the development phase, they can give us new insights in regards to their barriers and motivations for the given activity.
As such, including the target group can - if used correctly - help ensure that you push the right buttons in order to mobilize the target group and nudge them into a given activity or mindset.
In addition to being a great way to getting valuable input as to barriers and motivations, including the target group in the development phase has at least one other major output. That is that they are highly likely to build an ownership of the campaign as well as the message. They can even take on the message as their own, giving your message more authentic value. As a result, this will strengthen the organic reach and conversation of your campaign.
Case: How one organisation included their target group
Gay and Lesbian Health Norway used this approach when they hired ReSearch Humanity to develop their new campaign on safer sex and STI testing among women who have sex with women. An important element was that the campaign should mobilize the target group and build on their input. To meet this, we facilitated a workshop and invited 5 persons from the target group to participate.
During the workshop, we got their perspective on the challenge, and their motivations for getting an STI test. After prioritizing what would be most likely to influence the target group, we looked at inspiration from other efforts and brainstormed on change-making messages.
By the end of the workshop, the participants had developed their own campaign statements, written copies and chosen pictures for their individual posts.
Ahead of the workshop, we defined the campaign framework and style. As such, the participants could concentrate on contributing with their subjective sparkle and touch, and the campaign got a coherent expression and a red thread throughout.
As a proof that including the target group in development is effective in regards to their ownership, the participants wrapped up the day by discussing how they could contribute with sharing the campaign and message across their respective social media channels. And not least, how they could take on the role as role models in their respective communities.
As a result, the workshop did not solely contribute to a space where the target group could develop the message of the campaign: it also contributed with mobilizing the five participants to talk about and address sexual health in their networks and communities. This drove the campaign from being an informative campaign from an organisation, to also becoming a message, which spreads organically and internally among those the organisation seek to reach and influence.
Get the tools to co-develop with you target group
So are you ready to invite your target group next time you are developing a campaign? In the above case, the workshop took 6 hours, and resulted in ready to launch messages. In fact, the campaign was launched 10 days after the workshop.
Would you like to collaborate more with your target group, but you are uncertain how to do build a workshop, which both facilitate their and your needs? In addition to developing and facilitating workshops, I counsel and teach organisations in how you can use workshops in you daily work. As such, I can give you insights in the broader elements of workshopping, or give you the necessary tools for facilitating a specific workshop.
As a final note, I would like to state the obvious. As you are reaching out to your target group, remember to compensate them accordingly. Giving their contributions, they will use their valuable time and draw upon their knowledge and experience, giving you a great headstart to compete with all the other ads and campaigns on social media.
Let's create change through understanding, inclusion and co-creation!
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