As we enter the fall season, many nonprofits are starting their annual planning processes. With that comes the need to set communications goals for the coming year. And with that comes the need to work with the programmatic teams in your organization and how you will collaborate. (Note that the annual goals we are discussing here are actually what we would call objectives in a larger communications strategy.)
Use the Three Stages of Engagement to Set Communications Goals
One helpful approach to discussing and setting communications goals with others is to structure the conversation using our definition of engagement.
Engagement has three stages: Awareness, Interaction, and Participation.
Think of participation as completing the call to action. So, what do your program folks need people to do? Do they need people to RSVP, sign up, volunteer, donate, attend or what?
But before they participate, people have to be aware and then they typically need some kind of interaction to warm up or prepare.
Let’s look at awareness goals first. Are you growing your email list or getting more followers on social media? Is getting more traffic to your website through organic search or paid advertising important? These are all ways to build awareness that require investing time and money.
Next is interaction. Are people opening emails and clicking on the links? Are they liking or commenting on specific social media posts? Are people returning to your website or spending a reasonable amount of time on certain pages? These are all forms of interaction that have a higher level of engagement than just awareness.
At the interaction stage, you also present your calls to action for consideration and make the case for them.
Hopefully, those who have been made aware and are interacting with your content will follow through and become participants.
As you create your plans for the coming year and try to set communications goals, consider using this framework in discussions with other teams. It should help them understand how your communications and marketing work can get them closer to their programmatic goals.
