Digital or e-campaigning is not separate from campaigning. It is just a different way to achieve your campaign goals.
I recently spent a whole day with my digital dream team; Duane Raymond @Fairsay and Branislava Milosevic, at the Certificate in Campaigning. It was a packed and dynamic day.
Here are five tips I picked up that will improve your digital campaigning…
1. Mobile organising is the future
Most of us use mobiles to access emails and browse the web, so make mobile your priority. It is harder to build a website that works well on a small screen, so don’t just adapt your website to work on mobile… re-design your website to fit mobile first.
2. Email is still best for calling people to action
It is a worldwide standard and works everywhere, for anyone. It is more reliable for getting people to your website than other forms of social media, says Duane (aside from rare mass media coverage or a ‘viral’ success). He estimates email is at least a decade away from being replaced.
3. Be quick and choose your moment
Digital techniques can enable you to act promptly and timing is everything in campaigning! Have content ready to release quickly at opportune moments and relate your campaign messages to issues people are searching for. Google Trends can help with this.
4. Be everywhere
The wider the range of ways you can find to get your message across, the louder the message will be received. Make sure your campaign target hears your messages from as many different sources as possible.
5. Think strategy
If you think digital will help you to achieve your goals, then it should be part of your Theory of Change and campaign strategy. Might sound obvious but as with all tactics, consider what you want from online activity and whether digital campaigning can deliver it. It is unlikely to be so effective if it is just a bolt on to your campaign.
Learn more with our highly popular Certificate
If you want to learn from the top campaigning experts across a range of campaigning topics, book now for the next Certificate in Campaigning starting in March 2014.
The course is filling up fast, so book your place by 19 February.
Connect with Sarah on twitter: @SarGilbert
Sarah Gilbert is an experienced campaigner. She is an independent consultant and runs projects for NCVO on campaigning and influencing, including the Certificate in Campaigning and Leadership in Campaigns. She also coaches campaigners, has guest lectured for Roehampton University, and is a member of the advisory board for the University of Westminster's MA in Campaigning, Communications and Media.
Sarah sits on the Campaigning Effectiveness Advisory Board and writes blogs, articles and tweets about how to influence people and the sector’s role in campaigning. 
