Leigh-ChantelleViva la Vegan!Marketing Yourself

& Veganism Online Animal Activists Forum: 15 Oct, 2016

Source: dingo.care2.com

My Background

Involved in marketing and promotion for years

Music promotion since 2001

Events & Festivals since 2009

My BackgroundContent Creation & Social Media since 2009

NOW Appraisals, Consulting & Training for Events, Businesses & Corporate

Give lectures, workshops, coaching on:• Online Marketing & Social Media• Online Etiquette & Effective Communication• Tech Tips & Online Security• Writing and Releasing your own Book or eBook• Vegan Health & Lifestyle• Staging Effective Events & Engaging Volunteers

VivalaVegan.net since 2005

Started in 2005

10 years of Blogs, Articles, Podcasts, Videos, Interviews, Recipes, How-to Videos, FAQs, Talks etc

Giving Vegan Lifestyle talks for over 10 years

Books & eBooksNEW Vegan Athletes Book

Many other print books & eBooks

VeganAthletesBook.com

So Many ToolsMany tools to give a voice to help you achieve your goals

Activism, Marketing & Promotion has never been more prevalent and easier

Effective activism skills and tools offline

One of the best ways to get your message out is online - Especially on Social Media

Utilising our skills, interests, passions, qualifications and expertise to promote veganism as best we can

Don’t underestimate your ability to encourage others to be involved with creating the change we are all aiming for

Social Media Sites

Source: toptensocialmedia.com

Then & NowBEFORE NOWPress release Targeted to the media Write article Read by consumers

Social Media Links individuals Select what they want Who they trust Before they read

Source: Conductor Slideshare, Phil Fernandez CEO of Marketo

What’s So Great?Social media focuses more on the process and not just the outcome.

Social media recognises the power of a creative network and not a strict hierarchy

Less formal and more engaging

Mostly cost-saving

Promote your idea and your passions

Build an online community of followers

Video cameras, editing software, microphones, computers and laptops are now affordable

Gives many more people the opportunity to create, edit and spread information more easily and cheaply

InfluenceSocial media controls the influence of public opinion

No longer do people look only to the government, teachers, parents, church and the mainstream media for advice

Turn to advice from their peers,celebrities, and the most vocalpeople online

Source: fifthring.com

What Channel Should I Use?Facebook: 1.71 billion usersFlickr: 112 million usersGoogle+: 300 million usersInstagram: 400 million usersLinkedIn: 300 million usersPeriscope: 10 million usersPinterest: 100 million usersReddit: 36 million accountsSnapchat: 100 million usersTwitter: 320 million usersWhatsApp: 900 million usersYoutube: 1 billion+ users

Stats: brandwatch.com March 2016

Top Social Platforms in Australia

How?Commit to: Create - Schedule - Post & Interact

Create and share high-quality, relevant, and shareable content

Share online content that matters to you and to others in your arena

Provide value to your readers

Focus on relevant and up to date information

Share on a regular basis

Have something meaningful to say - know your topic & audience well

Think outside the square - have a unique focus or approach

Focus on VisualsPeople learn more from VisualsVisual Content much more likely to get shared If you can show something, do this instead of tellingCreate ORIGINAL and BRANDED visual content - PicMonkey.com Watermark your images before you share them. Instagram, Pinterest especially - don’t forget Twitter and FaceBook

Your Own ContentCreate high-quality content that can’t be found elsewhere

Sharing this regularly – at least every couple of days

People will come to see your posts

Become an expert in your industry

People will trust you

People come to you for the things they can’t get anywhere else

They will share your content & bring more fans and followers to you

Source: creativeengland.co.uk

Digital Assets

Be Pro-Active with EngagementAsk more questions, respond more often

Offer promotions to your followers or discount codes, giveaways, contests.

Shorter posts

Use + and @ to connect with others

Join communities and groups

See what’s trending and popular

Collect email addresses

Source: telerx.com

Value?People now simply post and run with no interaction

Social media platforms overrun with content that doesn’t matter

Before posting something, ask yourself:Is it really beneficial to anyone? Will people get something out of it?Will people want to share?

Source: socialreviewgroup.com

Share & Share Some MoreIf you have group of people or band, take turns posting and responding on your pages eg Mondays is Dave’s turn, Tuesdays is Sharon’s turn etc.

Schedule updates – HootSuite – also on FaceBook

Use tools to measure Return On Investment (ROI) eg Google Analytics, Shares, Comments, Likes, +1s, re-tweets etc

Share Visuals, Events, Teach & Sell

Share your Social Media profiles on other SM channels

Link to all your channels on your website, email signature, mailing list

Encourage likes, +1s, re-tweets

Whatever you create online, remember to cross-promote your work everywhere online e.g. your blog/website, e-newsletters, forums, podcasts, social media websites, and videos

How Do I Connect?

Ideas for Shareable ContentCreate Conversation - ask questions that will engage your fan base and encourage answers.

Educate and Inform - share podcasts, transcripts, eBooks, facts, lists/top 10, how to’s and reviews.

Share Visuals - upload photos, images, infographs, videos, eBooks and presentations.

Link to your website - share blogs, articles, online store, recipes etc from your own website.

Gauge Opinions - ask your fans for their opinions and feedback on upcoming, new or existing products or services.

Entertain - share podcasts, videos, presentations and music.

Be Inspirational: upload quotes, music and fascinating facts.

Share Something Different Each Day

Other IdeasBlog/WebsiteArticlesCross-promotion & Guest writingInterviews and articlesRecipesMailing List/SubscribersReviewsVideos and VisualsForums/Groups & DiscussionsMentoringQ&AsPodcasts/AudioBooks

Be ConsistentIf you are lazy, this is unfortunate as the culture asks a lot from individuals.

Updating regularly, allowing others access to your life, being online to answer questions, continuing on with developing your community, reaching out to others and more.

You need to have good time management skills and keep topics up to date.

Set expectations of when you or your team will be online and when you will respond.

Post regularly, not as often as possible.

Whenever you decide to post, remember to be consistent.

It’s better to post once a week than posting every day for three weeks and then not at all.

Set Your Goals & CommitHave clear goals with exactly what you want to achieve.

Know your audience and where they are online.

Be realistic with what you can commit to – and stick to it.

Combine your own website, email marketing and paid marketing with your Social Media postings.

Be persistent and be patient when building your online community.

It takes at least 6 months to develop an online position – but realistically it’s more like 1-2 years.

Create Your TribeEmail is still the best way to convert customers - offer free eBooks, links on your Social Media and website

Build your Digital Assets

By creating your own content, you are showing that you’re a leader in the market and not a follower

People will keep coming to you for original content.

Create multi-media content eg video becomes transcribed blog, detached audio becomes podcast

Source: socialcontrol.com

Some New Ideas

Do your OWN research Use Facts from reliable sourcesThink about how we can:❖ Learn More❖ Do Better❖ Become better examples of compassion in action

Is it True?

Just because someone has the most followers…

Just because someone is the loudest, angriest, or most aggressive…

Does NOT mean they’re the most right

Some things to think about - HealthShould veganism still be promoted as a healthy diet?

Should veganism be promoted as a cure-all?

What can we do to encourage others to be flexible and open to all types of healthful vegan foods?

What more can we do to encourage long-term commitment to the vegan lifestyle?

How can we show the different types of vegans that exist?

Some things to think about - The Environment

Where does your Food come from?

What are the growing, producing & packaging processes?

How far have your favourite packaged vegan foods travelled?

What are the Food Miles?

What about Food Scarcity & Food Security?

Do you support in-season, non-GMO, organic and locally-grown produce?

Some things to think about - PeopleWhat are the ethics & conditions involved in the manufacturing processes?

Do you know how your favourite products are produced?

Do the people who make these items get paid a fair wage?

Do you think defending ONE type of female body while using & abusing another is okay?

Do you think different types of bodies and people should be used to promote veganism?

Some things to think about - Social Justice

How can we participate in other Social Justice movements and support their causes?

How can we encourage others to support our movement - whether or not they are vegan?

How can we promote veganism in the most inclusive way

PrivilegeMost of us have privileges we can never really understand or appreciate - unless they are taken away

It’s important to be mindful of others

It’s important to exercise compassion

It’s easy to be judgemental - it’s important NOT to be

We may think we have all the answers and solutions for others, but we DON’T

We all have choices, Some people have much better choices than others.

Privilege - Keep in Mind…❖ Some people can’t choose to NOT eat particular foods

❖ Some people can’t afford do buy new vegan clothes or vegan shoes

❖ Some people can’t access transportation to support vegan restaurants

❖ Some people can’t afford to attend vegan events

❖ Some people aren’t mentally or physically able to attend protests or demos

❖ Some people don’t feel comfortable amongst another sex

❖ Some people feel they don’t belong - as there’s no one who looks like them in the movement

❖ Some people don’t feel their opinion is valid enough to share it

Black Vegans

Not props in discussions, debates or marketing

No need to use and commodify a group of people to further the vegan/Animal Rights agenda

Illustration by Steffany Brown

Be MindfulWhat language do you use when promoting veganism? Positive/Negative? Encouraging/Discouraging? Empathetic/Judgemental? Preaching/Teaching?

Do you use racist language when you talk about other countries and cultures? E.g. Japan and dolphins/whales, China and dog meat? The Middle East and live export

Do you use trigger words that might truly upset someone? Words such as slave, rape, concentration camps

Do you give unsolicited health advice/tell terminally ill or disabled people that they will be “cured” if they go vegan?

Why People Stay VeganAnimal Welfare is the most effective way to get people to eat less meat

Health reasons are the second best

READ: Nick Cooney’s books “How to be Great at Doing Good,” “Veganomics” & “Change of Heart”

SUBSCRIBE: HumaneLeagueLabs.org - informing on advocacy strategies through actionable research on their effectiveness

Planting Seeds

At best vegans are 1-2% of the population - this figure hasn’t changed for 20 years

Find out other people’s passions & motivations

What are you most passionate about? What are you best at communicating? Start here

See how you can plant the seeds of change

Our way is NOT the only way

Learn from other movements

LGBTQI movement is a great example of including and welcoming allies

Keep In Mind…Be careful what you share online because everything is a permanent reflection of you or your company/group that may never be erased.

If you have various people posting on behalf of your company, make sure that everyone knows the goals of the company.

Ensure that people know what to post as well as what not to post.

Always use the correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.

If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face or mail it on a postcard, don’t say it online.

Consider how the content you share is positive or negative for your company.

Don’t abbreviate or use slang - just because you know what it means, doesn’t mean others will.

Make Some Changes

Vegans don’t ONLY care about non-human animals

Let’s ACT like it

Learn more about each other and the world around us

ALL systems of oppression need to be changed

Online

Be Nice, Be Kind

You can still disagree with someone without using negative words, names, judgement

Remember - wrongly or rightly - that you maybe the ONLY vegan someone comes into contact with

What you do and how you do it reflects the whole movement - so ACT like it!

Online Etiquette

Online Etiquette simply means courtesy to others onlineIf you wouldn’t say or do something offline, don’t do it onlineOnline behaviour shouldn’t just be an afterthoughtIf you type something, you had better mean itWords are powerful. Just as they have the power to motivate and inspire, they also have the ability to hurt and harm othersIf you think something you have written will embarrass someone, get them into trouble, compromise their privacy, or stir up drama, keep it to yourself. Better yet, delete it.

Top 10 Tips for Online Etiquette

Remember…Remember above all that the information you share about yourself is the one thing online that you have complete control over, so use this well

Use the internet as a marketing tool for you, your life and your future success

Social media is all about cultivating relationships.

Those brands who consistently put in the effort to create excellent content and interact genuinely with their followers will see the most success in the long run.

Get InvolvedKeep up to date with what’s happening in your movement by attending meetings and getting involved the best way you can. Support other groups and events. Attend everything you can, even if you don’t agree with the group, people or the topics. Keep an open mind to learn more.If you’re starting out, meet as many people as you can and then be selective with who you want to hang around with. Take some time out for yourself, completely removed from your activism.

Things you can do TodayChange your email signature to include a fact or quoteJoin or follow 5 new pages or people who share your beliefsRT or share your favourite link Comment on a new blog, article or online news websiteShare a related video from YouTube or VimeoSign up to receive emails from 5 of your favourite websites/blogsIf you’re in a position of influence, use this for good use

Source: blog.hubspot.com

Remember to…

Do your own research Investigate and Read moreBe genuine and honest with everything you doHelp build our vegan communityKeep your mind on your goals & stay focused Believe that you are part of the change that this world needsFocus on finding out what connects us to each other - not on the things we disagree onLead by example, and be consistentBe the best version of yourself

Remember To…

Promote the positiveFocus on EncouragementFocus on Education & Planting SeedsInspire others Always remember Kindness. Always remember CompassionShow how easy it is to be veganBe the best vegan you can be - starting now

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