Chapter 6

STEP 3: MESSAGE PREPARATION

Next thing that you should have in mind is that MESSAGING is the key to achieving impact with your communication. A message is a short, truthful statement that lays out for what you are standing for or in concrete campaigns what is the change you would like to bring with your efforts.

Key messages will help you to create focus, control, and intensity in influencing your target audiences. Your message should always be prepared in a way to match the preferences of your target group. Knowing to whom you are speaking should always influence how you will speak- what will be the wording in whole, which key words you will use and where you will place your message. Every rightly formulated message includes the problem you are referring at, the proposed action or change you are pleading for and a call for action to your audience.

Be sure to mention key words which allude to DOS in your message. Your users should be able to create the image and the feeling of being a part of multisport outdoor activity just when they heard your words. This is the wished influence which your message should be able to produce.

STEP 4: COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

CHANNELING your message in right way is what follows. The topic of content marketing and in general the messages that you want your audience to hear is heavily interconnected with the channels you will be using to convey them. Here is where we need to know how to match the message with the audience and with the channels, we will be putting it at since this is what makes the difference.

Social media is about participation and connecting people so think about investing in online communications as a way to cultivate relationships with your users, while building their loyalty and passion for the club/camp/organization and their work. Think about the constant changes that are happening in communication and about the fact that different social media requires different type of messages. On Instagram, for example, we are all pretty, as they say, but it is also a potentially very good tool for awareness-rising campaigns if it is posted properly to serve this purpose. For this we need the knowledge how to use this channel in a right way.

It is also very good to know that young people are mainly communicating through visuals and to include them in your communication. If you are calling them to join you in some outdoor multisport activity they should be able to see other people participating in it previously and how it looked like. If you get it to be also funny, you can hit the prize with your communication approach. Use trendy, smart visuals which allude to currently popular music, tv shows and movies. Combine the memes and gifs with your products to promote DOS to young people. Your success is sure if you consult young people when creating social media products. They will let you know if it is good for reaching their peers to join DOS activities or to talk about them for a start.

You need to work also on all other means of e-communication: website, newsletter, email, SMS, apps, etc. Besides social media, it is very important to think about all other communication channels you should use. Let’s mention some of them:

→ Printed material – newsletter, annual report, pre-season pack or induction kits

→ Face to face – meetings (e.g., pre-season, coaching) info sessions, grading days or event days

→ Physical environments – facility noticeboards, audio system at venue

→ Formal – committee meetings, circulars, memos

If you are willing to include strategical approach to your communication, you will soon be able to see the difference that it makes. If you want to nourish and keep your audience close to you, you will have to work on your communication all the time, by improving your skills and keeping your channels open and active. Once you learn how to do it, it becomes a real fun.

Good luck!