We have had a big surge in new customers over the last couple of months... so we thought we would get some inside info from Daniel on the best ways to launch your programme!

Daniel’s hands-on approach has meant that he has worked directly with hundreds of Warp It users, if not thousands, to support their set up, launch, and ongoing project.

On communications

Before you run your pilot programme (see here), you’re going to need to start talking to your Communication Department about a communication strategy. The Communication Department know what they’re doing, they are the most well-connected people in the organisation for getting a message around. You need to sit down with them and start developing a collaborative strategy (see here).

That first campaign that you make with them has to be a solid and well-developed introductory campaign. You need to get the message across to as much of the staff body as you can about why they should use Warp It, what’s in it for them, how they can participate, how easy it is to use. Get some social proof, visuals, and create a good campaign. Try and get that campaign on the intranet, in the corporate newsletter, and on the organisation’s computers as a screensaver. You can even print posters and go and stick them up.

On thinking outside the box

Let me give you a great example of this. It comes from Simon Laughton at St Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight. As well as doing all of the traditional communications, you should think outside the box and do some additional activities so that you stand out and break through all of the background noise and news in your organisation. You should put together some intranet content (see here), you should work with your IT department to see what they can do (see here) and you should try and get a message out through memos and staff meetings (see here). You might need to get some approvals, but it’s a worthy operation.

Before you launch, you have got to be hitting staff from all angles with your promotion of the project. Every channel you can. Get posters on the backs of toilet doors, talk to bosses and managers to promote the project down the chain. You’ve got to work hard to promote the benefits to change the culture because it’s not easy, it takes a huge effort.

On Senior Management

One way to make change is to get Senior Management figures on board. Go as high as you can and get their endorsements for the reuse project. Capture that endorsement and put it in your communications. Start with a quote and push for a video (see here Royal Free and Sunderland Hospital). If you can’t get Senior Management to help with a video, do the video yourself - it’s personable, it’s an easy communications medium, and it’s easier to explain instructions. It’s also shareable, and we like shareable.

On staying focused

Here’s my final tip. Don’t do your launch and then go on holiday for two weeks. You need to be engaged and acting as a driving force in the weeks and months following your launch. You’re going to get membership requests and not only do you want to approve them, but you also want to see who they are coming from and how you can make them evangelists or green champions for your cause. Don’t fling out a message and expect it to stick.

Great advice there from Daniel O’Connor. If you’d like to read another piece from Daniel’s perspective, check this one out about hacking a successful vision.

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