Content that helps
Something more on reciprocity:
What do we mean when we say, “content that helps the folks who are reading it?”
This morning I received an email newsletter from one of my local organizations, an org that provides low-to-no-cost mental health services to families facing trauma and crisis.
This newsletter goes out to hundreds of folks each month; some are clients or potential service recipients; others are just interested in the organization’s work.
There are 5 content items in this newsletter:
“Trick-or-Treat” (link to a calendar of local Fall festivities and events)
“DIY Costume Ideas!” (link to a great article on easy costumes — including Bob Ross, WTH!)
“National Bullying Prevention Month” (link to the “Parents” page at stompoutbullying.org)
“Salvation Army: Angel Tree” (link to the “Apply Now to Be a Recipient of Angel Tree” page at the local Salvation Army website)
“New Service Available” (in-email announcement of a dedicated computer kiosk at the local library where the organization’s client’s can apply to various agencies for help with housing, employment, etc.)
It looks to me like maybe 100% of the content here is mean to be immediately helpful to the reader or someone they know. Perhaps #3 is a call to action, but it’s definitely not a call to help this organization.
What does this do for the organization?
It directly furthers their mission, which is to support families dealing with trauma and crisis.
It demonstrates that the organization (more specifically, the people at this organization) actually care about these families.
It reminds both potential clients (service recipients) and potential donors of the good work this organization continually does in the community.
All of that while almost completely avoiding words like “we,” “our,” and “us.”
In other words, this newsletter is about you. The only “we” here is the fact that it came from us.
That’s content that helps the reader.
And that’s a way to do the mission — and build support for the mission — while increasing good will among the people who make the mission possible.
All the best,
A.