By Anna Higueras, Project Manager. (Original publication in English)

Are you preparing a research project and not sure how to make the most of your communication? Don’t worry, here are 10 tips to help you design a creative, effective, and successful dissemination strategy. Let’s get started!

1. An essential classic: find out who your audiences are

Where are they, what are they talking about, which networks are their common territory? There’s little point in creating large communication campaigns or investing in advertising if you don’t quite know who the results of your actions could change lives for. What are your audience’s concerns? Reach out to the communities, explain your ideas, be open to changing your angles based on their feedback. Ask, listen, be humble.

2. Learn from others who have been there before, if applicable

Identify actions, campaigns, identities, opinion groups that inspire you. Many times you can build your strategy on what others have done previously. 

3. Connect with the current ecosystem by exploring what other projects and people are doing

Meaningful partnerships can greatly amplify your voice. Thrive with others. Collaborate with existing ideas, people, technologies, and tools. Synthesize the key ideas and practices from other successful initiatives and adopt complementary tones, develop allied communication actions (collaborative newsletters, joint events) and interaction activities. 

4. Make your content understandable and easily accessible

Reach as many people as possible (and not just people 🤖!). Create meaningful stories to grab attention, speak in a personal and close manner to the audience. Think about the segments that don’t easily reach common channels, your channels. And something obvious that is often forgotten: don’t use too many acronyms!

5. Spread the word in a DIY/DIWO manner

Create a modular communication toolkit that is easy to use, modify, share, and expand. This can include, for example, an easy onboarding protocol for newcomers; tailored messages, resources, and usage guides for participants; open templates and design resources that can be adapted by your audiences and communication partners, among others. 

6. Be prepared for the unexpected

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught many lessons about how important it is to have a plan B as part of the communication strategy. Distance in-person events, headliners disappearing at the last moment, a frightening number of people registering online but never showing up. Horrible online registration apps and processes, widespread fatigue on the web. Now that we know that the quality and liveliness of online communication always affects outcomes, let’s not do everything alone. Let’s incorporate technology professionals to help us deliver high-quality online events and applications. And, additionally, let’s not think of the audience as punctual attendees at events. Let’s create materials that can be openly reviewed, commented on, and shared.

7. Creativity MODE ON

Include an eye-catching image and innovative branding. Share lively materials, liven up your posts, your documents, your templates. The quality of visual materials and branding is key. And so is the way messages, questions, and images are conveyed. Avoid being boring.

8. Try to foster conversations, not just likes and comments

It is much more valuable to learn by talking and explaining your ideas for others to discuss, than to be blindly followed and never questioned by others. 

9. Avoid only meeting your project’s KPIs

What we want to trigger are once again positive changes, social and environmental impact, not just results. And communication (after education, of course) is one of the most powerful means to build a better, greener, and more shared future.

10. Share your knowledge to help and inspire others

Everything you learn can be useful for others to grow upon. Toolkits, instruction manuals, consulting sessions on how to communicate effectively. LEGACY is a tool and a gift to make life easier for others!