1. Developing a Communications Strategy
Beth Mason
North Central Region Representative,
National Association of Conservation Districts
Every conservation district can benefit from developing and implementing a communications strategy – no matter how large or small its staff or annual budget. This workshop, led by the National Association of Conservation District’s Director of Communications Whitney Forman-Cook, will help districts: (1) identify audiences and tailor their outreach methods to reach them; (2) engage existing customers and new followers on social media; and (3) build relationships with members of the media.

2. NACD’s Number One Communications Strategy: Increase content, see what sticks
NACD’s audience in 2017 is a very different audience than we had 5, 10, or 40 years ago.
One of our first communications priorities has been to increase content. Based on what people read and responded to, we then began identify audiences and focusing our message to best engage the public.

3. Increase Content and Quality of Communications… Regular Publications
Continued improvements in publication content, volume, and design have led to increases in the number of subscribers across all four of NACD’s regular publications in the last year:
eResource (10,000+ subs) – Electronic; weekly on Tuesdays
Conservation Clip List (9,600+) – Electronic; weekly on Fridays
The Resource (7,000+) – Electronic and print; quarterly
Forestry Notes (9,900+) – Electronic and print; quarterly
So the increase in content and quality began with our regular publications. In the last year, we’re increased subscriber rates considerably and held those numbers.

4. Increase Content and Quality of Communications… Regular Publications
Our four regular publications on the left are free access to any and all subscribers.
Average open rates (which are all excellent!) for these publications are as follows:
eResource, 21% open rate
Clip List 23% open rate
The Resource, 26% open rate
Forestry Notes, 20% open rate
NACD’s new “Soil Health Champions - Soil Health Bulletin” is published quarterly and sent via to NACD’s network of more than 190 farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners committed to conservation and stewardship.

5. Side Note... Subscribe Online!
To view and or download NACD’s newest publications, click “News and Events” on our homepage, choose “Publications” in the dropdown, and select which publication you’re interested in.
To subscribe to one or more of NACD’s publications, click the “Subscribe” tab on the homepage under the search bar.
To read NACD’s newest blog posts, click the “Blog” tab under the search bar on the homepage.

6. NACD’s Number Two Communications Strategy: Identify audiences, target content
When we increased content and quality, we received a lot of attention – more ears perked up, people began engaging more on social media, etc.
Based on what people read and responded to (using subscriber and viewer rates as signals), we then began identify audiences, then bulking up and focusing our communications to speak to all these different audiences.

7. Cater to Audiences… Regular Publications
Forestry Notes primarily targets forest landowners and managers, but also districts with forestry programs.
eResource is read by districts, state associations, and ALL of NACD’s partners.
Conservation Clip List is perfect for a Hill staffer, a farmer, or anybody in between that wants to stay up-to-date on conservation news.
The Resource is an archive of the season’s happenings with some policy and organizational forecasting.
We started this process of bulking up and focusing our communications with our regular publications.
The Soil Health Bulletin is for Soil Health Champions specifically.

8. Cater to Audiences… Blog
On average, NACD publishes 2.5 posts to the blog every week each generating between 100 and 2,200 unique views (~5-minute read time)
Then we consolidated other existing communications, like Did You Know?, where it became clear we needed to make a change to increase readership.
Did You Know? – once, a monthly stand alone publication that covered district operations and management – is now a monthly feature in eResource and NACD’s blog.
1. With Did You Know, we’re covering a section of our members engaged with the District Operations/Member Services Committee and those interested in district management.
And we began posting to the blog more regularly. Our other blog posts are news-based, opinion pieces from NACD leadership, and district spotlights. We publish policy updates on the blog as well.
2. The news-based blogs are read and used by districts often, particularly the policy-based posts, but we’ve found that INDIVIDUALS and folks interested in conservation districts have found these posts to be particularly helpful. The promotional posts or personal interest posts also receive attention, although these posts are targeted at a smaller subsection of our base that personally connects or identifies with them based on location or project type.
Asides::::
NACD routinely receives requests to reprint our blog posts in district newsletters and on district websites. We encourage districts to do so!!! This content is NACD’s property technically, but I can’t imagine an instance in which a district wouldn’t be encouraged to give the post’s author attribution and use it as they see fit.
Districts and district staff are welcome to pitch blog story ideas to NACD. Nine times out of ten, we’ll say go for it! Generally we like to blog posts short at a maximum word count of 350. We also need at least one high resolution photo to accompany each story.

9. NACD’s Number Three Communications Strategy: Rebrand and push message
Once we bulked up and focused our communications, we began rebranding and pushing central, often singular messages.

10. NACD Website The redesign of the website launched in July 2016.
There is a wealth of information on this website that we’ve worked very hard to curate and display in the most engaging, useful ways.
Website traffic metrics are as follows:
Session duration on the website averages about 3 minutes. We see this as positive – it means folks are coming to the site and finding/getting what they want quickly.
The most popular pages are the homepage, the stewardship and education pages (contests, Healthy Soils are Full of Life, etc.), the annual meeting page, the conservation district directory, the urban and community page, and the Newsroom.

11. Facebook - @conservationdistricts Twitter - @NACDconserve
NACD Social Media
From left to right, then the bottom row: screen grabs of NACD’s Facebook page, LinkedIn page, and Twitter.
NACD’s social media handles are:
Facebook
Twitter
NACD’s Facebook likes are over 1,950 now (up nearly 1,000 in a year and a half)! We expect more increases with targeted “boosts.” We reach 4,000 unique individuals through our Facebook posts every week on average.
Our Twitter following is consistent, but not great. We’ve experimented with different strategies (posting more news vs. updates, etc.) and have found that live tweeting from an event with photos garners the most attention.
We post between 3 and 5 times a day to Facebook and Twitter – and more during NACD events - concentrating on conservation news and NACD/conservation promotion.
Facebook
Twitter

12. NACD’s Number Four Communications Strategy: Engage the media in more meaningful ways

13. One Pagers, Press Releases, Interviews
Other Communications Components...
One Pagers, Press Releases, Interviews
Our press release production has increased nearly 300% in the last year and half, and media coverage (in online publications, newsletters, printed articles, etc.) has tripled. The open rate for press releases (704 contacts on the list) is 34%, which is excellent.
NACD primarily garners media coverage through press releases, media relations, regular interviews, scheduled written statements, and conference attendance.
Check out NACD’s Newsroom for comments, testimony, press releases, and more!
To supplement NACD programs and policies, we create and disseminate one-pagers and white papers frequently. If you’re interested in a particular topic and think NACD may have more information on it, contact us.
NACD also provides its leadership with monthly talking points and arranges interviews with the media on their behalf. If you’re interested in learning more about how to engage the media, I’ve handed out NACD’s Media Relations 101 Guide that I encourage you all to take a look through.

14. Workshop It!
What existing modes of communications does your district have? Can they be bulked up, focused, or otherwise improved? (It’s OK to let a low-performing publication go, or to try a new one!) Keep in mind: 1. Who are your main audiences right now, and who do you need to reach in the future? 2. What are the top three messages that your district can/should communicate? How can you use social media to communicate those messages and re-enforce your brand? 3. How can local media supplement and/or support your communications?
When we increased content and quality, we received a lot of attention – more ears perked up, people began engaging more on social media, etc.
Based on what people read and responded to (using subscriber and viewer rates as signals), we then began identify audiences, then bulking up and focusing our communications to speak to all these different audiences.