COMMUNICATIONS
ASSET MAPPING REPORT
Prepared March
2017
Dylan
Blanchard, Izzie Gottlieb, Olivia Hurley, Emily Sherman
CLIENT
NewGrassRoots
802-557-0246
CLIENT:
NewGrassRoots is an online platform that allows Vermont
constituents to easily, meaningfully, and reliably create a message to local
legislators. At the core of NewGrassRoots, two problems are being addressed: 1)‘the people’ do not decide who is in power and 2)
those elected to power don’t represent ‘the people.’ The foundation of
NewGrassRoots begins with how disappointingly low the participation between
citizens and their government has been, and therefore the need to show voters
that their voices are heard when they are used. A large majority of people do
not speak up because they do not feel it makes a difference -- NewGrassRoots is
here to prove that your voice will make a difference.
NewGrassRoots is advocating for the ability for
public and private organizations to “keep score” of what their constituents are
saying and allow for some transparency between government and those who are
being represented. NewGrassRoots has built a “customer service” style platform
of organizing call stats that allow for legislators and constituents to see how
many people called about certain issues, either in favor or against. Overall,
this allows for a much more representative democracy and dismantles the ability
for citizens to be unheard.
MISSION
The mission is essentially threefold. According
to Ben, it is as follows:
1. Provide
the public an easy and effective way to contribute their own unique voice to
the issues they care about
2. Empower
grassroots organizations and citizen activists with the data and tools they
need to hold legislators accountable
3. Make
meaningful participation in the legislative process so highly valued by
mainstream culture that remaining silent is considered taboo
According to Benjamin Brown, founder of
NewGrassRoots, “Our vision is a functional
democracy where all people have equal access to be heard by their elected
officials and all voices get represented in a transparent way, so we know when
government is truly serving the people, and when it is not…[To] make
participating in democracy personal, measurable and well-worth a few minutes of
time, so more people can choose to speak up and feel good about being part of
the solution.”
CONSULTING PARTNERSHIP
The CAT Team (Dylan, Izzie, Olivia, and Emily) will work with Ben
and NewGrassRoots to refine the platform’s social outreach and prepare a public
education campaign by 1) evaluating NGR’s social channels and making
recommendations for the future, 2) remaining a fluid and accessible outlet for
Ben to share ideas, and 3) generating ideas and planning content for NGR’s
social channels (such as blog posts, video content, and posts for
Facebook/Twitter.
Deliverables
March 2017: Deliver Communications Asset Mapping Report to outline
where social outreach channels are/recommend where they can go in the future.
More generally speaking, we are seeding a public education campaign.
April 2017: Generate content for NGR’s social channels (blog
posts, video content, social media posts).
SWOT ANALYSIS
NGR Strengths
- Online platform: easily accessible for many Vermonters
- Doesn’t require face-to-face interaction
- Not everyone wants to go to Montpelier and march or protest -- NGR
is a quick and easy way for constituents to make their voice heard without
having to leave home
- Is bipartisan and allows anyone from any party to participate
- Ben’s passion and ability to tell his story and catalyze
constituents
NGR Weaknesses
- Lack of clear messaging on website and no other buzz online
regarding NewGrassRoots. Not very “Google-able”
- Handles on Facebook and Twitter are different (Facebook is
@NewGrassRootsVT and Twitter is @New_GrassRoots) -- lack of consistency
can confuse people
- Not having a designated ‘slogan’- can be used to in ‘bio’ and
‘info’ sections of platforms to create consistency- “every voice counts”
in logo can be used as well
NGR Threats
- Politicians in Montpelier are hesitant to adopt this system because
of its pure transparency
- People may just be too apathetic and unwilling to record a voice
message and make their opinion heard-- so few constituents even call their
representatives currently
- Many students who would partake in the platform are from
out-of-state-- are true Vermonters adopting?
NGR Opportunities
- Empowering citizens to fight for transparency and justness in the
political system
- Empowering young people to do their part as constituents
- Exploiting the current system which does not function as a clear
democratic structure
- If this movement is successful in Vermont, it can potentially
spread to other states and increase honest accountability of politicians
across the nation
COMMUNICATIONS
ASSET MAP
WEBSITE: www.newgrassroots.com
Current
Upon visiting the website, visitors are given the opportunity to
enter their email address and zip code to register with the organization. Large
text in the middle of the page vaguely outline what NGR is/what users are
registering for. There is also a login button for returning users, and some
contact information for the organization at the bottom of the page.
Recommendations
Although there is a blurb about what NGR is in the middle of the
homepage, the website could benefit from some more images (to take away from
the primarily text-filled page), as well as the option to visit an ‘About’ page
for more information. The website should also express that the organization is
limited to just Vermonters (for now). It could also be of benefit to add a blog
into the website as an external link. This will allow for Ben, or whomever
else, to express thoughts in a more “free-form” way. A blog will also allow for
constant updates on legislation and the NGR platform that would feel too
crowded if put on the actual website. Within his blog he may also be able to
post videos, pictures, and other content. Similarly, incorporating SEO into the
NGR website will be integral to get their platform on the map. Using strategic
keywords and incorporating certain phrases into website titles and headings
will make his site more “google-able” and enhance its ranking on Google’s
search results. Ultimately, we want to make the website more user-friendly and
clear.
FACEBOOK: NewGrassRoots; @NewGrassRootsVT
Current
NGR’s Facebook is not active. According to Ben, himself, “it has been fairly idle thus far (hence trying to
organize the content and distribution strategy…) but it will be an integral
part of the communication strategy moving forward.
Recommendations
Facebook is a really easy, straightforward way
for individuals to become involved with NGR and should be used to the fullest.
Not only can you use the platform to promote the product, (i.e. posting the
link of NGR website and promoting up-to-date blog posts as they come out) but
it can also be the most easily accessed by the majority of citizens of all
ages. Facebook is an easily maneuvered platform that can allow Ben to write
long posts integrated with video and image, all in one. We recommend that Ben
use the trend of viral videos to help move NGR into a mainstream audience. A
quick 60-second clip of Ben explaining the platform and its importance can be
easily shared and viewed on Facebook, as well as posting this to his potential
blog. Creating a few of these videos for audiences to really hear Ben explain
his position, as he is quite compelling and passionate once he gets going, will
allow for viewers to easily click “share” and get an even better feel for what
NGR stands for. We also recommend that the profile picture for the page fits
the entire logo, rather than just the word “New”. We can help with creating
this image.
In addition to using Facebook to promote NGR, Ben
could use it to promote the other non-profits and organizations he hopes to
collaborate with. It offers Ben a public way to bolster partnerships.
TWITTER: NewGrassRoots.com; @New_GrassRoots
Current
Stats as of 3/8/17:
- 1,224 tweets
- 814 followers
- Following 3,659 users
- Likes 982 tweets
The Twitter account is very actively utilized, with many retweets
posted per day. For example, the account retweeted 7 tweets for Town Meeting
Day on March 7th alone. Back in January, the account tweeted a video from
Montpelier with Bernie Sanders making an appearance (this can be found by
clicking the “Media” tab on NGR’s Twitter page). The video got 4 retweets and 8
favorites, which is great exposure for spreading NGR’s name. Overall, the
account is primarily retweets about Vermont news and politics from tons of
different Twitter accounts, ranging from verified users to common people.
Recommendations
Creating more original content will help establish an online
brand. Retweets are important, but it’s difficult to measure how users are
interacting with NGR’s posts from retweets alone. Since engagement on Twitter
is measured by favorites and retweets, it’s only possible to see the compounded
favorites and retweets on the original post from anyone who’s shared it, and
there’s no way to publicly see how many of those are from only NGR sharing it.
Retweets are clearly important in keeping followers up-to-date with news and
politics, so NGR could absolutely benefit from quoting tweets and adding
commentary to them. So far, when tweets have been quoted by NGR, it’s more of a
summary or title of the article/news than an opinion on the matter. Adding
personal input and perspective will help NGR become a brand with beliefs as
opposed to simply sharing the news. This is also great for increasing
shareability and exposure -- if someone agrees with NGR’s commentary, that user
can like or retweet the quoted tweet, so NGR’s name will be shared with all of
that user’s followers.
The video of Bernie in Montpelier was a great example of original
content that showed engagement with followers. Similar videos and images in the
future will be great for the brand!
Like Facebook, the NGR logo should be wholly visible in the
Twitter account’s profile picture, instead of just the word “New.” As a side
note, the bio for the Twitter page is an awesome way to describe the platform:
“A fundamentally better way for activists and advocacy groups to organize
individual voices and build political power from the ground up.” Could be
incorporated into the ‘About Page’ for the website in the future!
OTHER CHANNELS:
We believe that because of the dynamic of NGR’s message and
platform, the most realistic and appropriate uses of social media will be
through Facebook and Twitter. Other platforms, such as Instagram or Pinterest,
seem like unnecessary means of reaching an audience. Because NGR is not a very
visual platform, there doesn’t seem to be a need for the platforms that
emphasize image sharing. Facebook will be beneficial in terms of spreading
awareness through re-posting blog posts, sharing articles, and educating
through status updates. Boost posts can even be pushed on occasion. Twitter
will allow for a more fluid, authentic look at the brand of NGR and can be used
for “live” updates on current legislation or NGR, overall. These two platforms
seem like realistic ways to keep followers in the loop and gain traction
online, without overdoing it right away.
