This brief article presents three different approaches for engaging a community audience: writing, speaking, and one-on-one-conversations. It outlines different ways in which these three basic tools can be utilized to their fullest given the many modes of communication available.
Communications and Marketing Resources
Introducing communications and social marketing
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Find The 3 Most Effective Tools for Community Engagement on the Community Driven Institute Web site.
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This section of the Community Tool Box describes the various components of social marketing, including conducting a social marketing campaign and promoting awareness and how behavior change can be maintained and supported.
Visit the Social Marketing of Successful Components of the Initiative chapter on the Community Tool Box Web site.
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This article provides a brief introduction to the concept of community engagement by explaining its differences from marketing and by describing community engagement activities.
Find the article, Introduction to Community Engagement, on the Community Driven Institute Web site.
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This guide describes the commitment of partners as a key to the sustainability of a project. The guide lists various strategies for success the lead to the sustainability of programs as well as collaborations.
Read Keeping It All Together:Ideas For Sustaining Your Initiative on SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center Web site.
Creating a communications plan
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This report describes nine "must haves" for any successful campaign: (1) clear, measurable goals, (2) extensive knowledge of whom you are trying to reach and what moves them, (3) compelling messages that connect with the target audience, (4) starting with systematic planning that is reviewed and then revised, (5) specifying for people what to do, how to do it, and why, (6) making the case for why action is needed now, (7) matching strategy and tactics to target audience, (8) budgeting for success, and (9)relying on experts when needed.
Download a copy of Now Hear This: The Nine Laws of Successful Advocacy Communications (PDF, 2.55 MB) from the Fenton Communications Web site.
Developing your message
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Part 2 of How to Tell and Sell Your Story focuses more specifically on communicating results to your audience. Included are articles on how to find and tell good stories about your work; how to frame an issue or an organization's work; eight rules of framing; how the poor got framed; a case study in how to frame an issue; how to do your own focus group; and how to build a better argument for housing.
Download a copy of How to tell and sell your story (PDF, 1.34 MB) from the Progressive Communicators Network Web site.
Choosing strategies for reaching your audience
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The purpose of Part 1 is to explain how the media world works and how to influence it. Included are articles on: how media can help a nonprofit organization to raise money and build credibility; why it is important to make a long-term commitment to doing media; how to bring attention to a group's work or issue; how to find the time for media work; how to develop a communications plan; how to stage a press conference; how to write a good press release; how journalists decide which stories to cover; how to write an effective \op-ed\"; how to influence editorials; and which organizations provide media assistance."
Download a copy of How to tell and sell your story: A guide to media for community groups and other non-profits (PDF, 2.49 MB) from the Center for Community Change Web site.
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This paper summarizes a meeting convened by the Harvard Family Research Project which described social marketing principles and shows how they apply to family-school partnerships.
Read Generating Family-School Partnerships Through Social Marketing on the Harvard Family Research Project Web site.
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This guide describes the commitment of partners as a key to the sustainability of a project. The guide lists various strategies for success the lead to the sustainability of programs as well as collaborations.
Read Keeping It All Together:Ideas For Sustaining Your Initiative on SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center Web site.
