Three Keys to Building a Successful Digital Advocacy Campaign

Three Keys to Successful Digital Advocacy Campaigns

Advocacy has come a long way since the days of door-to-door canvassing and phone banking. With the rise of the internet and social media platforms, advocacy has evolved significantly, becoming a more sophisticated and dynamic field, one that demands innovative digital advocacy tools and strategies for success. The impact of a successful digital advocacy campaign cannot be overstated. By leveraging innovative, efficient, low-risk, and effective strategies, advocacy campaigns have the power to spark change, raise awareness, and bring about real-world results.

Yet even with the many advancements in digital tools, social media platforms, and digital advocacy software, there are still challenges that a digital advocacy campaign will face in its effort to make a difference. And making a lasting impact requires more than just the use of cutting-edge technology and tactics. It's about understanding what makes your target audience care, and tailoring your campaign to meet their needs and interests.

At Countable, we have expertise in supporting organizations to achieve effective digital advocacy campaigns. We believe that successful advocacy campaigns start with understanding the audience and creating a campaign that resonates with them, increasing the likelihood of capturing their attention and inspiring them to take action, which not only leads to success but also strengthens the connection between the audience and the cause. 

To set your online advocacy campaigns apart and achieve success, consider the following essential steps and best practices:

1. A Diversity of Messages, Media, and Voices Gets Your Message Across.

2. From One to Many, The Power of Ongoing Engagement with Advocates.

3. A User-Centric Approach.

4. (Bonus) Digital Advocacy Campaign Examples

A Diversity of Messages, Media and Voices Gets Your Message Across.

Having a diverse range of voices within your campaign is crucial for its success and leads to  more effective campaigns. More voices and perspectives also broaden the awareness of the campaign which will help to fuel increased engagement, mobilize support, and power grassroots action, strengthening the overall impact of the campaign.

By embracing diversity, advocacy campaigns can have a greater impact, gain new advocates, and drive real change.

Provide many ways to communicate. 

In addition to many voices, having many different ways to communicate and spread the message, such as text, email, and video is also a key for a successful digital advocacy campaign. This allows supporters to reach their target audience in a variety of ways, using whichever medium resonates best with them.

By capitalizing on different forms of communication, digital advocacy campaigns can effectively reach a wider range of people and see a more rapid response to their cause, increasing the impact and success of their efforts.

How Countable can help your digital advocacy efforts:

Countable's platform has the critical elements required to inspire action and empower supporters to have their voices heard - be it by their lawmakers or specific target recipients, committees, organizations, or even CEOs. With our native messaging functionality, users have multiple options to get their voice across: video, email messaging, phone, and social media, ensuring that everyone can participate regardless of preference or technical ability.

Video Advocacy:

Video is a particularly valuable tool for advocacy and a differentiator for Countable- no other advocacy software platform has our video capabilities. The Countable platform offers easy-to-use video recording and editing tools, making it simple for advocates to record and share their stories.

Not only does video allow individuals to share their stories in a personal and authentic manner, but it also has a number of benefits that enhance your campaign's performance. Videos will help people connect, creating a deeper emotional connection with viewers, making them more impactful than other forms of communication. They provide a glimpse into the individual's experiences, making the message more relatable and memorable. 

And the video tool doesn’t just provide authentic voices and personalized messaging, it also creates a self-sustaining content system. Videos can be repurposed as marketing or donation content, helping to build momentum for the cause. They can also serve as a valuable asset for campaigns and as social media tools as they can be leveraged in follow-up stories, social posts, social media campaigns, and marketing initiatives to further promote the message.

Phone Advocacy:

Countable’s lawmaker messaging tool provides users with the main phone number of their target’s office. On a mobile device, it’s as simple as one click. Calls through a mobile device are tracked and reported on in our integrated reports.

Users simply dial and voice their opinions, concerns, or support directly.

Email Advocacy:

Countable's user-friendly and easy-to-navigate feature simplifies the process of email advocacy when communicating with lawmakers - making it easy for the advocate to quickly send a pre-written, default message or author their own. 

Giving users the option to tailor the message to align with their perspective increases the chances of engagement.

Resources

Find a more in-depth look at Countable's messaging features here. Find a more in-depth look at Countable's advocacy features here. 

From One to Many, The Power of Engagement and Re-Engagement with Advocates.

This is an essential step that is crucial for any digital advocacy initiative as it helps to maintain momentum and keep the issue at the forefront of people's minds. It also helps to create relationships with supporters, creating a sense of shared purpose. 

A key way to achieve ongoing engagement through online advocacy is to keep supporters informed about the progress of your campaign, and to provide regular updates. This can be done through email newsletters, an online petition, social media posts, or text messages that provide users with updates and clear and specific ways to take action, whether it's through signing petitions, making phone calls, or attending events.

It's also crucial to thank and recognize the advocates, and make them feel like they are part of a team working towards a common goal.

How Countable can help engage advocates 

In addition to Countable’s messaging and notification capabilities which you can use to keep users informed about various campaigns, Countable’s platform also aims to engage supporters by providing a suite of features and resources such as polls, quizzes, gamification, and virtual events. These tools not only make the campaign experience more dynamic but also provide ways for users to take multiple actions, recruit others, and share their story. 

To ensure that your campaign is effective, Countable also provides a robust analytics dashboard that enables you to evaluate which actions are resonating with your audience. Our goal is to provide a platform that encourages and facilitates ongoing engagement with the audience, empowering advocates to engage with your content over and over again

Resources:

For a more in-depth look on how to create and engage supporters and sustain your online advocacy efforts check out our blog for posts on the Ladder of Community Engagement as well as our latest advocacy tool, Advocacy Quickstart.

A User-Centric Approach

An essential aspect of any digital strategy is to foster a sense of trust and collaboration among users from the very beginning of your campaign, treating them not as interchangeable parts in a machine, but as real people working together towards a common goal. Advocates should feel a sense of ownership and participation in the process.

To achieve this it’s important to have a user-friendly platform that is designed with the advocate in mind, as well as clear and accessible language that makes it easy for advocates to communicate their message and share yours. When users feel a sense of ownership they will feel empowered and be more engaged.

How Countable can help empower users:

At Countable, we understand the importance of empowering users and treating them not just as a means to an end, but as valuable members of an online advocacy campaign. That’s why we’ve made the process of advocating as simple, straightforward, and engaging as possible. This approach extends to our platform design, which is not static but dynamic, giving advocates the resources to engage however and whenever they want.

Our user-centric approach ensures that the design is adaptable and goes beyond a single page, allowing organizations to effectively convey their message through the platform. 

Additionally, we strive to make our language and interface easy and simple for both administrators and users so that the process of digital advocacy is accessible to all. 

Resources:

For an excellent example of ongoing engagement, check out our partner site: causes.com.

For other resources on grassroots advocacy, check out our dedicated advocacy blog series. 

Exploring Advocacy Campaigns: Case Studies

Every advocacy effort is unique, but you can take cues and ideas from other campaigns as inspiration for your own. Take a look at these two standout examples of effective digital advocacy campaigns and let them spark creative ideas and solutions for your next campaign.

NooWorld

NooWorld Platform Aims to Amplify Climate Activists’ Voices and Organize Global Campaigns for Environmental Change

NooWorld is a platform built by climate activists for climate activists with a mission to organize green initiatives into larger coalitions and global campaigns. 

NooWorld needed help making a significant impact on public policy and sought a solution that ensured lawmakers heard activists. 

Countable Platform Empowers NooWorld Users to Take Action on Key Issues through Grassroots Advocacy Campaigns

Countable's advocacy tools enabled NooWorld users to take a stand on important issues, such as the incarceration of environmental lawyer Steven Donzinger. Utilizing the platform's features, users were able to actively participate in multiple grassroots advocacy campaigns by signing petitions and sending messages to legislators, primarily targeting the House of Representatives and key offices like the Attorney General's office.

Results: Over 250 Lawmakers contacted by Thousands of Users.

Over the course of the first weekend, nearly 1,000 messages were sent by users from 39 states. The environmental campaigns launched by NooWorld were highly successful in garnering widespread support and engagement from the public.

They effectively mobilized thousands of individuals to take action through various means, including signing petitions and sending direct messages to lawmakers. Additionally, many individuals RSVP'd for in-person rallies, further demonstrating the campaign's impact. The campaign was  successful – Donzinger was released– and crucial in sparking a nationwide conversation on climate change.  

Just Egg

JUST Egg Launches 'Egging On Congress' Campaign

JUST Egg creates sustainable plant-based egg products that can help reduce the environmental impact of traditional egg production and make it easy for people to choose a more sustainable food option. 

The company’s "Egging On Congress" campaign needed a way to easily enable the public to send messages to lawmakers in order to urge Congress to include strong climate provisions in the 2022 reconciliation package.

Countable's Advocacy Quickstart Enables JUST Egg to Contact Lawmakers Easily

Countable’s Advocacy Quickstart made it possible for JUST Egg to connect their newsletter audience with Congress. Users on any device could send messages and videos to their congresspeople.

Results: 2,000 Messages Sent to Congress

JUST Egg saw a significant response in the first three weeks after launching their "Egging On Congress" campaign. Over 2,000 messages have been sent to Congress, encouraging lawmakers to include strong climate provisions in the 2022 reconciliation package. The Countable platform made it so easy for their email list members to contact congress that more than 60% of Just EGG’s site visitors converted to message senders.

Ready to launch your own Advocacy Campaign? 

Learn more about Advocacy Quickstart. Countable's rapid Advocacy Page builder helps you mobilize advocates in minutes.