Video Transcription

Here’s a quick video about 10 words that have been proven to increase the number of organizing leads that you get from your website.

• It doesn’t involve spending any money
• You don’t need a fancy website to get it to work
• You don’t need to know any html code to make the changes
   

But before I get into the 10 words that you can add to your website – I wanted to tell you a little bit about the process used to come to this conclusion so that you will have more confidence in making the change to your union’s website.

The process where we determined the 10 words to add to your website is called split testing.

Essentially you take a union website and create a variation that is different in only one aspect, so in this example, the only difference is between the two pictures.

You give each website an equal amount of traffic, in this case 1000 visitors and then see which of these pages did a better job at getting visitors to do the task that you’ve set out for them.

It could be something like signing up to an event, subscribing to a newsletter or applying to join a union.

Split testing is the process that we used on a union website to discover what words will motivate people to join a union.

The phrase that doubled the organizing leads the union generated was: “you cannot be fired or disciplined for joining a union”.

You might think that it is too obvious: telling people that it is against the law to fire someone for joining a union will increase the number of organizing leads you’ll get from your website.

However other similar phrases we tested didn’t work as well.

We tested phrases like:

“It’s your right to join a union and you can’t be fired”

This seems like an almost identical phrase however it didn’t perform as well.

Similarly we tested “Joining a union is your right and is protected by law”.

While the words were very similar, the phrase “you cannot be fired or disciplined for joining a union” still performed much better.

In fact of the 30 different phrases that we tested, ”you cannot be fired or disciplined for joining a union” always came out on top.

Add this phrase to your “join” page of your union’s website. It wont cost you anything to do – and it is likely the easiest thing you can do today to increase the number of organizing leads your union’s website generates.

Here’s 6 proven ways to recruit members using Facebook (and 3 ways that will fail miserably)

Here’s what works:

• Fan Pages for Campaigns – Engage non-union workers in campaign for a living wage, better standards or respect.
• Targeted Advertising – Facebook allows advertising targeted to employees of your major organizing targets.
• Fan Pages for Your Union – Do workers look you up on Facebook? You bet they do – and they expect to find something.
• Participate in Conversations – Go to groups and pages where employees hang out. Give values. Build relationships.
• Get Employee Lists – Most worksites now have Facebook groups that employees join. You should be able to get a partial list for most worksites.
• Listening – What are people saying about their employers and about you?

(P.S. Listening is the most valuable thing you can be doing)

Here’s what doesn’t work:

• Spam – They hate it as much as you do.
• Setting Up a Group for Workers Who Want to Join a Union – It’s the first thing many organizers want to try on Facebook. It doesn’t work.
• Setting Up a Fan Page and Not Maintaining It – It’s better not to be on Facebook than to have a page that isn’t maintained.

1. Keep ‘em Happy

“A good tactic is one your people enjoy. If your people aren’t having a ball doing it, there is something very wrong with the tactic.”

Thanks Alinsky.

Ask member organizers what they would like to learn, what they would like to do and about their talents.

Place them in a job that covers each of these aspects.

Do your volunteers stop exactly at 5pm?

Give them a task they love. They’ll be more productive, more creative and wont stop until you’re forced to send them home.

If your volunteers aren’t having a good time they wont come back. Think about keeping volunteers for this organizing and the NEXT organizing drive.

2. Keep Your Volunteer Organizers Informed

They give you their time and they want to feel a part of the organizing drive.

Member organizers expect a level ownership. Keep your volunteers up to date of the progress of the campaign. Frequently.

3. Give Volunteer Organizers Defined Tasks and a Shared Vision

Flip flopping and weak leadership is demoralizing.

Volunteer organizers need to have a sense of direction. A shared vision gives a sense of accomplishment.

Just because you know why an activity is important to the drive, you shouldn’t assume volunteer organizers will see the value of their work.

4. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Over and over and over again. 

5. Recognition is a Better Motivator than Cash

Small things make big differences.

Feature volunteer organizers in your newsletter. Set up meetings with your president. Give them union jackets and buttons.

You can talk right?

PERFECT, then you can write a union leaflet.

1. Write Just Like you Talk

Picture the worker you want to reach. Talk with them. Write down what you say. (Can’t type that fast? Record yourself.)

2. Cut the Text in Half

Cut the fluff. Focus leads to clarity and clarity leads to great leaflets.

3. Cut Out the Adverbs and Adjectives

Use strong verbs and nouns.

4. Keep your Best Stuff

Me? I keep a Word document open with my best lines about fairness, respect, favouritism and a voice at work.

5. Delete Any Clipart

I love the drawing of 50 fish eating a big fish too but your most persuasive visuals are your own members.

A new business wouldn’t open shop without a business plan.

A political party wouldn’t enter an election without an election plan.

It’s surprising how many unions are trying to organize without a written plan before they start.

Here are elements that you should include in your organizing plan

1. TargetingWho are you trying to organize? (And who are you NOT trying to organize)

   Saying “everyone” is a potential target for your local is a mistake.

   With a limited number of resources you need to target and focus your energies on employers and industries where you can make the most gains for new members and existing members.

   When you clearly define WHO you are looking to organize you will find them. If you miss this step you will be stuck chasing every hotshop that knocks on your door.

   Ask yourself questions like:

   What bargaining power you will have with this new employer?
   How will it improve the bargaining strength of your existing membership? What industries do you have strength to make gains?
   Where do you have footholds?
   Is this a growing sector?
   Is it winnable campaign?
   Will it mobilize your membership?
   What is the psychological impact in the industry of organizing this employer?
   

2. Strategic CampaignsYou should have a written plan that lays out the actions you must take every day that move you closer to your organizing goals with strategic targets.
3. Generating Organizing LeadsWhat are you doing to make your phone ring?

   Tabling? Community work? Cold leafleting? Online organizing? Advertising? Member involvement? Social media? Referrals?

   The 80/20 rule applies to generating leads.

   Write out every single activity you could be doing to generate organizing leads.

   Select the one activity – that if you did well – would have the greatest impact on generating leads. Also select the second and third task.

   Put these three things in your organizing plan and do them every day.

4. Membership InvolvementOrganizing is a task of the whole union – not a department.

   Your membership has deep links in the sectors you are trying to organize.

   Sufficiently mobilized, educated and motivated your members are the single biggest asset you have in your organizing plan.

5. Your TeamYou need to build a team with the skills and motivation to win.

   It needs to be diverse and reflective of the workers you are trying to organize. You need a plan that defines how you will work together and collectively accomplish.

6. Goals and BenchmarksDon’t end up 5 years down the road and find out that your plan is a dud.

   What benchmarks would show you that you are making progress along the way. If you don’t meet your benchmarks, evaluate why and modify your plan.

Video testimonials are the next best thing to having a member in the room with you.

The employer will do their best to convince workers that negotiations is some sort of magical roll of a dice.

“Who knows what will happen? You could go up or down. There are no guarantees”

Your video testimonials are your best tool to set this lie to rest.

Anyone can make a claim. But testimonials gives power and proof to what you say

The secret to testimonials is credibility.

A video testimonial – This is good

A video testimonial using full name -Better

A video testimonial of a member at work - Almost there!

A Video Testimonial with a member at work with a full name and a phone number – You Win!

Are you using video testimonials?

Here’s what they did:

On the “join us” page they reassured visitors they had the right to join a union.

Workers were randomly sent to one of four webpages – each with a different message about job security.

• Contacting a Union is Confidential and You Cannot be Fired
• You Cannot be Fired or Disciplined for Joining a Union
• Your Right to Join a Union is Protected by the Labour Board
• When You Join a Union in BC – Your Job is Protected

The difference in response rate for each phrase was dramatic

1. Confidential Message

10% of visitors clicked “Contact us”

2. Cannot be Fired or Disciplined Message

26% of visitors clicked “Contact us”

3. Right to Join a Union is Protected Message

0% of visitors clicked “Contact us”

4. Your Job is Protected Message

This version was the winner.
32% of visitors clicked “Contact us”

Ever felt pressure to cross street when everyone around you ignores a do not walk sign?

We don’t want to admit it, but other people’s actions influence our behavior.

So here are are 5 tips you can use to harness social proof in your leaflets.

1. Frame headlines around social proof
   Use “Here’s why Acme Employees are Signing their UAW cards” rather than “Advantages of Joining UAW“.
    
2. Display your inside committee members on every leaflet
   It’s strong social proof and it stops the employer’s “third party” argument. “If my co-worker can be on the union leaflet and not get fired, then it’s safe to sign a union card”
    
3. Show member testimonials
   Use real members, real photos and real stories.
    
4. Avoid negative social proof
   A well intentioned slogan like “union members make $5 more per hour than the industry average” may actually backfire.

   It implies negative social proof. A better message is “You deserve what other UAW members already have” or “Just because you work for Walmart, doesn’t mean you should be paid less than other auto technicians“

5. Give examples of other workplaces that have joined your union
   Print out a sheet with a full list of every employer. If space is limited use the logos of the best known employers in the industry.

Looking at starting a campaign at a non-union employer but don’t know where to start?

You can search former employees who have information about the target worksite.

Have an employer like Walmart that’s on your radar? You can setup your database to send you an email every time a former Walmart worker becomes a member of your union.