2015, as any stalwart Back to the Future fan will tell you, should be the year of hoverboards, double ties and self-tying shoes. Unfortunately, Marty McFly & co missed a few vital staples of the future; such as the explosion of the digital platform (if it was up to them, we’d still be using fax machines – can you imagine!?). With the help of a few industry experts, as well as our own Comms team know-how, we have made our predictions for digital communications, and what these developments might mean for Edinburgh’s Third Sector’s prospects and reach in 2015.
The Need for Digital
A digital presence is more vital than ever for Third Sector Organisations, yet SCVO estimate that up to 1 in 5 charities have no web presence, with 50% needing help with social media. OfCom have found that young people (16 – 24) spend 24 hours+ online per week, and even the over 65s, a demographic that was initially slow to adapt to new technology, are accessing the internet more and more with the help of tablets. A resource that has such a wide reach with such low overheads cannot be ignored as the funding routes begin to narrow; and a small amount of time to set up a website/social media channels at minimal cost could prove invaluable to your organisation. Let’s Get On & LearnMyWay have free courses and online resources available to help sharpen those digital skills!
Content
The battle for your online voice to be heard over the vast digital din of the internet will continue into 2015 and beyond. The easiest way to engage with your market is, quite simply, to create content people want to see. According to Smart Insights, visual content remains the most effective way to grab peoples attention. Photos, videos & real time conversation provides content that is worth sharing. Start shouting out about what your organisation is doing!
Unsure if your content is up to scratch? The development of ‘Content Curating’ software will be able to measure how your content is performing, and automate marketing tasks to help leverage your organisation’s ‘brand’ and improve conversion rates (whether this is from browser to volunteer, or browser to making a donation). Alternatively, the well established Google Analytics is a good, free resource to monitor the ways in which people are accessing your website.
Transparency
According to Forbes, transparency in what your organisation is doing will be key in 2015. This can be particularly important for Third Sector organisations, as people are keen to see where their donations are going, and to get the most ‘bang for their buck’. A clear picture of your organisation’s strategy, and the measuring of social/environmental/economic impact could make all the difference.
Personalisation
Personalisation can be referring to two different things. Firstly, there have been dramatic changes in the past few years in how digital content is accessed. No longer are we chained to a desktop computer, as tablets and smartphones usage continues to grow rapidly. Websites have to reflect this, and become mobile and tablet friendly. This will ensure people who access your website will stay interested.
Personalisation can also refer to the content, who is accessing it and where. Does your organisation offer services to more than one demographic? Make sure the tone and content is appropriate to that audience. It sounds obvious, but saying ‘Yo dudes, wassup?!’ to an older group is hardly going to make you a market leader & influencer in that field!
What are your predictions for 2015? Please feel free to share with us!
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