BUILDING YOUR

NEIGHBORHOOD –TIPS FOR NAVIGATING A GREAT BIG ONLINE

WORLD

Todd Felts, Ed.D.

Associate Professor, Strategic Communications

Fellow, Scripps Howard Academic Leadership Academy

The Reynolds School & Center for Advanced Media Studies

University of Nevada, Reno

Neighborhood defined:

is a geographically localized

community within a larger city, town,

suburb or rural area.

are often social communities with

considerable face-to-face interaction

among members.

What’s in your

neighborhood(s)?

Strategies

Tactics

Objectives

Goal

Identifying Who, When, How and What:

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

3 Role Models:

1. Tim Tebow, Former NFL Quarterback

SET A GOAL:

◦ Long-term, global

statements of being.

◦ “To become the

university students

attend who get to know

their professors and

build lifelong

relationships.”

Reaching your audience…….

competition YOU audience

Positioning:

2. Dan Rather, News Anchor

Define Objectives

◦ Shorter-term, defines what behavior, attitude or opinion you want to achieve from audiences.

◦ Includes time frame.

◦ “Between Oct. 8 and 12, get 120 high school students to post photos of their favorite moment visiting a potential college. ”

Best time to post: 8 p.m.-7

a.m.

Best days to post:

Wednesdays

Best way to spark a dialogue:

ask questions

3. Kerry Washington, Actress

Build Strategies

◦ Describes how you will reach your audience.

◦ Develop the message.

◦ “Create an incentive to post photos on social media sites seen by residents of neighborhood.”

Li (2009)

Dr. Lowell Ashman, College

Professor

Deliver the tactic:

◦ How to? Publications, community events, Facebook post, news releases, one-on-one meeting.

◦ Deliver the message so people remember it, repeat it and share it.

◦ “I feel at home at Lenoir-Rhyne College.”

Tip 1: Think one-

on-one, not one-to-

many!Tip 2: Determine

where people are

interacting in your

neighborhood!

Tip 3: Pinpoint the

public spaces you

belong!

Tip 4: Cultivate

your 10 to 15 key

relationships with

neighbors.

Tip 5: Start a

conversation! Monitor so

you can keep a

conversation going!

Tip 6: Make your

neighbor tell your story

for you.

Todd Felts, Ed.D. Twitter: @toddfelts

Facebook.com/toddfelts

Slideshare: toddfelts

Thank You!