$1.$ Why Does the Writing Process Matter to Me$?($Unit $02$ The WritingProcess in the Digital Era$)$

Step $1$: Planning Business Messages

Montazar is the head of a student group on campus. The group collect items from students who are moving out of the dorms and donates or repurposes the items for members of the local community who are economically marginalized. For example, last year they were able to supply bedding and small appliances like coffee makers and microwaves to a local family that lost most of its possessions in a house fire. Montazar would like to expand the efforts of the group by taking in furniture, but he needs a way to transport and store larger items.

During their meeting, the student group decided they needed to hold a community fundraiser to raise money to buy a trailer and pay for a storage facility. The group decided to host a silent auction on campus. To do this, they must write letters to local businesses asking for donations, write a press release to the local newspaper, and invite people to attend and bid generously on items.

Montazar and his team know that people will look at their communication efforts and make almost instant decisions on whether to support the fundraising efforts. These messages must be clear and concise, and persuasive enough to get participation.

When preparing messages to ask local businesses for donations, what should Montazar focus on first?

Understanding the audience and their needs

The graphics in the message

Impressing the audience with language that makes him sound important

Making readers feel guilty enough so they donate

Step $2$: Organizing & Drafting Business Messages

Montazar and his group have determined a date and location for their fundraiser and have started soliciting donations. Now, they need to entice people to attend the event. They want to include students who might bid on items, or who might be willing to donate items when they move away from campus. They want to include international students who frequently will not move items back to their home countries. They also want to make sure they attract other communities' members who can bid more on higher priced items, as these items will be what generates the most income for the group.

In order to reach all these target audiences, the group is putting together a series of flyers to post around campus, a news release for the local newspaper and the campus newspaper, a letter that will be shared with civic groups in town, and an invitation to those who donated items. The group also plans to use social media wherever possible to get the message out to potential attendees.

Which of the following should the group keep in mind when creating messages to send over Twitter and other social media sites?

Social media is not an appropriate medium for creating and sending messages to target audiences

Personalize the message to the audience whenever possible

Include as much information as possible, even if that means sending a series of tweets

Use common texting abbreviations and symbols to replace words