Fuel Your Brand Message With an Online Petition

So, what exactly is an online petition?

A petition is one of the oldest proven methods for bringing about change. Essentially, it’s a clear request to a decision maker that many supporters sign. The trouble is that though petitions are effective, they can be tedious and time-consuming when it comes to gathering enough signatures to make a difference. But what if you could move the process online? You would have the power to connect with more people and streamline the signature process to bring about change faster than ever before.

How does an online petition work?

So, you’ve decided to use an online petition. A key resource that integrates seamlessly with a social media strategy is change.org. This online petition service is free and takes only a few minutes. Here are a few important steps to take when using change.org to set up and run this kind of promotion.

• Go over key questions. In order to have a successful petition, you must consider the following questions: What do I want to change? Who can make this change happen? Why should other people care about this cause? If you don’t have a clear goal, decision maker and a story, you’ll have a tough time implementing your petition.
• Complete the details of the petition. You have to select a category for the petition and then give it a title. Add contact information for the decision maker and write a letter to the decision maker. Adding photos and/or videos can also be a great asset for your petition.
• Check back on a regular basis. In order to stay connected, you must check in periodically. Post any applicable updates to the petition page and respond to any petition related emails that you receive.
  

Great. So, now that you have a petition set up, use social media to promote your cause!

Social media can be a great way to promote an online petition as well as get in touch with a decision maker directly.

• Social media conversations. Is the decision maker active on Facebook or Twitter? Encourage your supporters to reach out to him or her on social media and start conversations about your cause. You can also join existing conversations on Twitter related to the issue at hand. Look for specific hashtags for the issue. If a hashtag doesn’t exist, you can create one yourself. When you create hashtags for actions and events, keep them as short as possible. Acronyms and abbreviations are acceptable. Promote them extensively in advance.
• Organize a social media rally. Pay attention to your decision maker’s online presence and determine the most appropriate platform and campaign format. Put together a concise message for your supporters to share and then spread the word about the given day and/or time that everyone will be posting it.
  
• Create a shareable graphic that people who’ve signed the petition can use as their profile picture or can share on their timelines. For example, if your business’s goal is to get people to pledge to wear their seat belts, the graphic could state “I signed to save lives.”

It’s always a good idea to be thinking of new ways to engage followers besides just posts and contests. A petition rallies people behind a cause, whether it’s an attempt to get a law or policy changed, or a pledge to do something beneficial for the community. So don’t forget to check out change.org and other online petition platforms when brainstorming content for your social media strategy.