>> SLIDE 1 The National Council on Independent Living presents – Fundamentals of Digital Media Presented by: LORYN WILSON CARTER CEO, JEFFERSON PARK CONSULTING Elevate Logo - Campaign Training for People with Disabilities. Graphic features Capitol Rotunda in NCIL blue (periwinkle). >> SLIDE 2 Thank you to our sponsors! Run for Something Action Fund logo www.RunForWhat.net ActBlue logo Sign up for ActBlue! https://secure.actblue.com/pending_entities/new >> SLIDE 3 Guest Speaker: Tory Cross Tory (she/her) is a disabled queer survivor, organizer, and disability advocate. She worked as a digital organizer during the 2020 general election with the Texas Democratic Party and on Jon Ossoff's successful US Senate campaign. She currently works as a Senior Policy Advisor at Be a Hero, focused on improving policies for disabled people. At any given time, she can be found within two feet of a book, a cat, a cup of coffee, or all three. Image: A shoulders up photo of Tory, a smiling white woman with red hair and black glasses, wearing a navy blazer and a light teal shirt. She is in focus and there is a tree, foliage, and a building blurred behind her. >> SLIDE 4: Ground Rules - Throw glitter, not shade - Step up, step back - Stay on topic. We are discussing comms strategy, and not debating candidates or issues. >> SLIDE 5: What we will cover - Introductions/Story of Self - Ground rules - Myths about Social Media - Common Social Media Mistakes - Social Media Best Practices >> SLIDE 6: STORY OF SELF - Originally from Los Angeles, attended private school while living in South Central - Biggest inspiration: Ida B. Wells - From digital organizer to CEO of Jefferson Park Consulting Image: A smiling brown-skinned African-American woman with short dark brown hair wears an orange dress, a gold necklace, and red lipstick. In the background there is a brick building and green foliage >> SLIDE 7: First, a few myths to dispel - One does not simply go viral - and in fact, going hardly ever is the one thing that gets you the votes. - Social Media is not a campaign strategy - it is one tool that can help you reach your goal - Interns do not “do all the tweets” Image: A meme from The Lord of the Rings with the character Boromir saying "One does not simply 'go viral'. >> SLIDE 8: What are some common mistakes? What are some common mistakes? - Too much time spent on the wrong things (ie, going back and forth with trolls, snark for the sake of snark, etc.) - Inconsistency between the campaign message and the candidates own message - Not enough digital content that is timely, relevant, and consistent. >> SLIDE 9: How does social media strengthen a campaign? - Provides active, two-way conversations between you and your audience - Can be used as a tool that can enhance relationship building tactics - Gives you a chance to talk directly to the people you want to influence - Helps position the candidate or the campaign as thought leaders on critical issues >> SLIDE 10: Digital Media Best Practices Rule #1: Do nothing without intention - Every piece of content you create and post should be purposeful and mindful of your goals and your audience. - Decide the story you want to tell about your issue, your campaign, and your candidate - Photos and videos are your friend--use them to enhance your campaign narrative Image: Black music artist Solange Knowles behind a light gray background. She has long wavy Black hair and gazes into the camera. >> SLIDE 11: Digital Media Best Practices Use your social media platforms wisely. - You do not have to use every single social media platform out there to run a successful campaign. - The platforms that work best for your campaign or candidate will depend on your goals and your audience. >> SLIDE 12: Digital Media Best Practices Facebook - Facebook can be a powerful tool for moving your audience up the ladder of engagement and converting members of your Facebook page community from online “fans” to offline supporters and advocates. >> SLIDE 13: Digital Media Best Practices Show your authentic self: - Photos with family, videos with supporters - Graphics that announce the launch of a new campaign/issue platform - Tell a story that illustrates your values Image: Stacy Abrams, a Black woman with short hair and wearing a blue dress, stands smiling and waving at a podium. There is a crowd behind her holding signs and a banner saying "Stacy Abrams, Governor." >> SLIDE 14: Digital Media Best Practices Engage Your Audience - Utilize Facebook Live to talk directly to voters/supporters - Take your audience along with you on the campaign trail. Show behind the scenes, organizer voters for offline events, etc. - Use a mix of high-quality photos, videos, and written content >> SLIDE 15: Digital Media Best Practices Instagram - The visual nature of IG makes it a great tool for authentic digital storytelling Use a good mix of casual and official photos - Engage with your audience in real time about key campaign issues Image: Instagram Post by Rep. Ayanna Pressley with a bald head, red lips, and a blakck and yellow blouse against a gray background. Caption reads: “However you show up in the world, you are beautiful & you are enough. Several positive comments are visible.” >> SLIDE 16: DIGITAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES Twitter - A great platform to use in order to share your reaction to a recent news story related to your candidate or campaign - Keep this in mind to guide your Twitter strategy >> SLIDE 17: Twitter Do’s and Don’ts Do: - Prioritize productive, positive interactions with your followers - Use inclusive language and messaging that illustrates how an issue impacts a wide range of voters. - Strategically use Twitter threads to further explain policy positions, major campaign decisions, and add context - Clarify a position or do a rebuttal to misinformation, misquotes, or a Republican policy plan Don’t: - Jump on every “hot new platform” - Go back and forth with obvious trolls - Link your Facebook page to your Twitter account - Fall for the allure of going viral - Engage in a public argument with political opponents without a strategic purpose >> SLIDE 18: Social Media Accessibility Best Practices - Put any hashtags in camel case: capitalize the first letter of every word. -- Example: #CripTheVote - Don’t overuse emojis! -- Bad example: the “red flag meme” - Use plain language. Keep your message simple and easy to understand. - Provide meaningful descriptions for images and graphics - Caption video content - Provide transcripts for audio content (like podcasts) >> SLIDE 19: Alternative Text for Images and Gifs - Image description: an description of an image or graphic that provides equal access to people who are blind or have low vision. -- Also referred to as alternative text or alt text - Social media platforms have ways to add image descriptions: -- Facebook -- Twitter and Twitter Gifs -- Instagram - Be aware of character limits Image description: Stacy Abrams, a Black woman with short hair and wearing a blue dress, stands smiling and waving at a podium. There is a crowd behind her holding signs and a banner saying "Stacy Abrams, Governor." >> SLIDE 20: Captioning and Transcripts - Captions and transcripts provide access to audio content for people who are Deaf or who have auditory processing disorders - Beware of “auto captions,” they are inaccurate - Options for captioning video and audio content -- YouTube: write your own or edit auto captions -- Facebook Live -- Captioning and transcription services for recordings (Example: Rev.com) - Types of captioning: - Open captions: burned into a video - Closed captions: can be toggled on and off >> SLIDE 21: Any Questions Now’s your chance. Ask me anything about Digital for Campaigns. >> SLIDE 22: I’d love to hear from you! Loryn Wilson Carter www.jeffersonpk.co lwilsoncarter@jeffersonpk.co Twitter and Instagram: @ellewcarter