Teachers, Start Your Engines

Get Your Classroom in Order
As any one who knows a teacher can attest, teachers begin planning and setting up their classrooms well before the first bell of the school year rings. Before my first day teaching at a K-8 school in East Harlem, I worked an entire week setting up my classroom to promote learning and interactivity in an organized way. I had created colorful posters with how-to tips and broken the room into various spaces for lessons, group activities and quiet reading time. The face of my classroom, which a website provides for organizations, was intended to show students what their experience was going to be like and reflect what I was all about. I wanted them to feel comfortable and know where to sharpen their pencils or pick up a dictionary and I wanted to have a set-up that made it easy for me to move around the room to monitor student interactions and offer help where help was needed. Think of your website in this way. You want to give visitors the things they need and to have an easy way to monitor progress.

Terms of Engagement 

In addition to laying out helpful grammatical tips and examples of descriptive words, my posters also set the terms of engagement, or rules for the classroom. Many folks are hesitant to invite the power of participation for fear that participants, or students, will take over the brand. With simple and thoughtful guidelines, everyone knows what’s at stake and how to play before they begin sharing stories on social media platforms. A set of rules should give you the confidence and assurance that it’s okay to to invite class (and fan) participation. Remember that you’ve built the learning experience around and for your audience. Let them pipe up and engage.

I do, we do, you do.
The importance of modeling cannot be emphasized enough. Time and time again, I found that my students needed a hands-on example to understand what I was asking of them before they could begin writing a personal essay, for instance. Even those who already knew the basics appreciated seeing my examples so they had an idea of what was expected and where room they had for creativity. Think about how helpful it would be for fans if you provided a sample note or video or photo gallery about your cause, then laid out steps and materials to help them create something uniform but uniquely theirs and then gave them the go-ahead to produce a personalized message about what your cause means to them to share with families and friends. Never leave your students with a directive that isn’t supplemented by an explanation or set of quick facts, FAQs, examples and references.

Conclusion
Give your students and opportunity to share their work with family members, friends and classmates (or fellow cause advocates.) Just like non-profit communications, in a classroom, feedback is priceless. I used to end my class periods by having students jot down a question they had about the lesson or a few sentences about what they had enjoyed learning about the most. At the end of a big unit, I held a celebration party, during which I let students display their work and share their stories. After a campaign, celebrate your advocates’ hard work and invite them to some places and spaces to share, whether it’s online or in person. This gives them something to look forward to as they create their projects and gives you the opportunity to thank them for their efforts. Plus, it’s fun and it leaves a them with a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of empowerment.

Hi How Are You? - Why Daniel Johnston is a Marketing Genius

Daniel Johnston has gotten his dues in small batches over a long period of time. The quirky, young-faced boy made a big impact on a few people on the Austin music scene. Those diehard believers have taken on the charge of informing the world of his music, so despite his frequent bouts of absence on the music scene due to mental health issues, his legacy has grown. Many non-profits hope for that one chance to burst onto the world's stage, but those who do often fade out after their 15 minutes of fame has ended. Take a page from the book of Daniel and go out and forge meaningful relationships with like-minded thought leaders, and your mission's legacy will live on long after you've moved on.

Before you introduce yourself, know who you are. Despite his often frazzled look, Daniel Johnston knew exactly who he was and what he had to offer to record studios, to his fans and to the artistic community. 

Daniel started by figuring out who he was, what he stood for and what his look and sound were. He carved out some emblematic images (like eyeballs, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Captain America, the devil and death) for his signature look and matched those with corresponding themes in his songs about seeing, believing and immortality.

He began playing the local Austin music scene, sending his tapes to radio stations and producers, hanging around other artists and generating a buzz for himself. Not unlike most musicians, comedians and actors, Daniel figured out who would “get” him and where he should fit in and then he ran with it. 

Too often, we sit back in our office desks and scoff at the idea of throwing ourselves out there. As representatives of an organization, whether big or small, it’s easy not to hold yourself responsible for your cause, but if you’re not going to sell your organization, why should others want to help? Personal connections and humanizing qualities, as Seth Godin so adeptly recognizes, are becoming more advantageous. As a sea of advertisers hides behind their official posters and logos, a world of opportunity opens up for the individual to stand out. Seize that opportunity, like Daniel Johnston did, and you’re more likely to land in the right place at the right time.

When MTV came to town, Daniel was there. He has established himself as a regular on the local arts scene, which boosted his credibility, and he sought out the opportunity to get himself on MTV and promote his tape in front of millions. Daniel nabbed a few local musician awards and made a point of being around thought leaders in Austin, like record producers, musicians and artists in the area. 

By the time Daniel had fallen into a forceful manic-depressive state that landed him in a mental institution, he had already laid down the groundwork to build his legacy.

Arguably, Daniel’s tragic fall heightened his reputation as a genius in the music world. Regardless of how much his ultimate greater fame hinged upon his tortured mental story though, Daniel did a remarkably meticulous job creating a brand for himself. The artwork, dozens of original music tapes and stories Daniel left behind when he went to hiatus provided exactly enough material to give followers pieces to build their own homages to him with. 

Diehard fans begat new devotees. It started with personal connections with people like Kathy McCarty, who created the album Dead Dog's Eyeball  as an homage to Daniel, and Daniel’s former manager, who got Daniel's artwork into galleries across the U.S. and Europe. It spread to covers and plugs by bigger artists like Nirvana and Flaming Lips, and has spun into new iterations as Daniel’s story has unfolded in the indie darling “The Devil and Daniel Johnston,” an in-depth portrayal into Daniel's life.

What is the key to Daniel's success? Figure out who you are start introducing yourself. Art warrants reflection and transformation, so if your initial instincts are a bit off-kilter, re-align yourself and continue to forge your path. In “I Live My Broken Dreams,” Daniel sings,” “But I threw all my belongings into a bag, and out into the worldness I did roam...And now I’m here, and here I stand, I live my broken dreams.” It might serve us well to follow Daniel’s approach. Just as Daniel has cast aside concerns about failure and perfection to embrace who he truly is and market what he stands for, so too should we.

Getting Attention & Making Noise

You hear it everywhere: content is king. But what type? In what capacity? These days, everyone is a reporter. As media looks for audience-friendly spins on stories and audience members begin to participate in conversations as bloggers, consider treating media and audiences as one in the same. With so many opportunities to re-purpose content for multiple audiences on various communications platforms, it makes sense to find effective ways to share information and consolidate your efforts. Make press releases entertaining, build a story within a story and know everyone you’re talking to.

• Make your press releases compelling and entertaining. Look at what stories are in the trending topics. What gets the most attention? What kinds of stories do you make a point of sharing with your friends? What breeds conversation? Recognize what has been successful in the past and think about ways to integrate catchy headlines, thought-provoking questions and real people doing things into your stories as much as possible. It’s easy to crank out press releases with an easy hook followed by the five Ws. Giving the basics is fine for a rough draft, but it should never suffice as a final product. Think about including videos, faces, voices, actions, conversations and interactions into your communications.
• Find the story behind the story. Invite some intrigue and mystery into the content you pitch for reporters and audiences. Reporters will want to know the basics, of course, like what they’ll see, who they’ll speak to and what the big picture relevancy is, but it never hurts to stir up a little intrigue when applicable. Gather as many supplemental materials as possible to introduce during and after the media event to give reporters a reason to do a follow-up story and audiences a call-to-action and a worthwhile place (YouTube, Facebook, a website, etc.) to share with others.
• Know who you’ve speaking to. Crafting one overarching message that you can blast across multiple platforms does not mean less work. It takes much more thoughtful planning to create a story and a message that resonates with different audiences on different levels in different places. Consider who your message could and should reach. Our messages have the power to transcend geographical boundaries and to resonate among new and unimaginable communities. Keep that in mind when you’re creating your overarching messaging. Be inclusive, rather than exclusive and make sure to lay out clear steps for those who want to learn more or take action.

With a little creativity and a lot of forethought, you can make a big splash in a positive way.