Lung Cancer Advocacy: a Communicator's Perspective

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Lung Cancer Advocacy:a communicator’s perspective

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Disclaimer

The views expressed during my presentations are mine and mine alone and do not necessarily represent those of the National Cancer Institute, nor its leadership, staff nor contractors.

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Just a bit about me

Started in the PR agency world when Mark Zuckerberg was seven years old – and stayed for 12 years

Did WorldCom bankruptcy filing in 2002 Did public affairs and advocacy work for 10+ years At the SEC during the financial crisis On the team for the largest IPO in history Currently work at the National Cancer Institute – comms and

social media work

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Being an effective advocate

Know your ask. What do you want people to do based upon your actions?

Have a clear plan and outcome for your:Target audiencesMessages you want to deliverApproach for creating dialogueMeasurements of success

Rinse, lather, repeat

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Setting your advocacy goals

Awareness does not equal ACTION on your behalf:What is success for you?How do you want people to feel?

Which people? Why do they matter?How are they prioritized?

Based upon this feeling, what do you want them to do?How will you know that you have been successful?How do you keep people’s attention?

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Ask yourself some questions

How do the members of the #LCSM community collaborate and share communications resources and best practices?

Is the sum of the #LCSM parts greater than the whole? Why or why not?

What role can social media in general, and Twitter in particular, play in amplifying your message? What other tactics complement social media?

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Tailoring your messages to your audiences

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

There are many groups that can help you, including:Local cancer center comms/fundraising staff;Other advocates (play nice, please)Local elected representativesFederal legislatorsLocal and national media

TV, print, online, radio, podcasts How do you prioritize these audiences?

8

Who are you talking to?

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Ask yourself: who is the most important person I can talk to today? Why?

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

You are in active competition for mind space in a time in which people have short attention spans (think Snapchat)

Research dollars are finite You are Coke, they are Pepsi This is your passion, but some people just don’t care

10

Some hard truths

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

11

People’s attention spans are SHORT

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

12

Popular & local news angles are more effective

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

13

Beware of the Slacktivist:

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

14

Beware of the Slactivist:

What many advocacy groups have failed to grasp is the fact that you are CREATING SLACKTIVISTS.

A slacktivist is someone who, with very little effort: Comes across an interest cause or issue while surfing social media; Likes, shares, re-tweets, pins or in some other way (and with one click)

passes along the information, fulfilling her desire to feel good and worthy (five seconds); and

Immediately disengages from the “cause,” moving on to an animated .gif of a cat with a piece of string.

www.markstory.me

#LCSM#LCSM

Thanks for having me!

Mark StoryWeb: www.markstory.me

Twitter: @markstory_LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markstory