General PR Guidelines
Managing our communications presence includes:
- Maintaining all externally facing accounts, including social media
- Utilizing the blog for content
- Updating Vote Smart's website copy and apps
- Updating our listings on websites, such as charity portals
- Monitoring our mentions in the media
- Responding to user questions via email, phone, and social media
Key Guidelines
- Stay relevant and timely
- Remain non-partisan at all times
- Respond to questions quickly and thoroughly
- Be personal
- Get people engaged and personally involved with Vote Smart!
Tips:
- Responding to negative commentary: Respond as soon as possible. View the interaction as an opportunity to address the issue and solve the problem or misunderstanding. Try to ensure that the user with the complaint walks away satisfied with your response(s).
- Policing Libelous or Otherwise-Damaging Content: Public posts or statements damaging our reputation should be removed if possible, or else flagged/reported. Don't accept "no" for an answer when dealing with a high-profile site, and make sure to continue to monitor for further abuse. In our experience, tenacity wins 99% of the time.
- Social media: Do not argue with negative people who leave comments. See the Social Media Posting Policy document for more details on social media behavior.
- Remain Non-partisan: Any and all content managed by Vote Smart must remain factual and non-partisan. With any questions regarding the nature of potential content, consult with your director and/or the national director.
- Image and video posting: Images and video clips must be properly captioned and be sharp and professional. Made sure that the appropriate branding is always used.
- Cross-platform announcements- In order to maintain a unified voice in social media, share content across platforms. If a new Youtube video is posted, the video should be shared on Twitter and Facebook. Users of one media could access the content of another website without even going there, thus meeting users "where they are at" (ex.: viewing a Youtube video posted on the Facebook page).
