Grow your community mediation brand through fresh, relevant online content

National Association for Community Mediation January, 2013

Ben Ziegler zieglerconsulting@shaw.ca www.collaborativejourneys.com

Quick Poll

What is the primary reason you are attending this webinar?

(please select one)

• I want online content ideas that I can apply in my organization

• I want to learn more about using online content as a business strategy

• I want some tips and techniques for managing content

• All of the above

Agenda

1. Challenges and Opportunities

2. Good content, “so that”…

3. 3 Keys to good content

4. How-to’s

Challenges and Opportunities

State of Community Mediation

2/3 < $250k budget

2-4 FTE on average

Reliance on volunteers

Where’s the opportunity here, and how can good content enable that opportunity?

How can online content help: • Sustain existing revenue sources? • Attract new and/or diverse revenue sources? • Support creation of alternative organization structures , and

revenue models?

• What organization structures favour long-term revenue sustainability?

Broadcast Conversation

• Loss of control or opportunity to connect? • A new opportunity to foster community? • An opportunity to 1. Listen, 2. Engage, 3. Publish ?

Photo : Showbizsuperstar on Flickr

Consumer Prosumer

• What opportunity does a proliferation of content producers offer? • How does content overload impact your approach to content

creation?

Power Law (aka Long Tail) B

en

efit

People

Long Tail

Head

• Law of Accelerating Returns; tech change is exponential • What opportunities could increased reliance on online

content provide?

Good content… “so that”…

For example: Our goal is that kids feel safe in school and thrive in our community.

1. “Our organization shares compelling content on social media channels that resonates with our audience of legislators so that we get more attention from policymakers”

2. “We want to get more attention from policymakers so that more kid-safe policies will be adopted in our schools”

3. “We want more kid-safe policies adopted in our schools so that kids can focus on learning”

4. “We wand kids to focus on learning so that they can reach their potential and contribute as citizens”

Content Socially meaningful outcomes

Quick Poll:

What’s the hardest thing for you to do when it comes to online content?

(please select one)

• get personal, in public

• generate valued content

• deal with the technology

• all of the above

1. Grow your brand… “so that” 3 Keys to good content

1. Keep it fresh

2. Make it relevant

3. Put it online

“Brand” Definition: “The set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” (Seth Godin)

1. Make it relevant.

Showcase others (appreciation may be our greatest psychological need) • Volunteers • Clients • Staff • Partners • Funders • etc.

In general, people go online to either: • Get a problem solved, or • Be entertained

Get social • Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn… • moderate discussions; summarize

and share the results with others • provide polls, quizzes, surveys… • collaborate on service delivery;

e.g., webinars • Integrate with offline; events,

print media… • Blog, forums… • etc.

Authenticity • Staff/Board pictures and profiles • be “human” in your

communications; stories, humour…

• Corporate transparency (critical in tough financial times)

• etc.

Inform and educate • News • FAQs; for public, volunteers,

mediators, partners, funders… • information products; reports, white

papers, books… • links to other great resources; e.g.,

NAFCM… • links to volunteer opportunities (via

social media) • tools; e.g., self-assessments, how-

to’s… • etc.

Showcase and share your work • Case studies • promotional videos • Services and products • etc.

Lead a community cause

“Traditional” Media

2. Keep it fresh.

• Attract attention

• Build trust

• Sustain relationships

Trust and Relationships

Current issues

Engage audience

Sustain their

interest

Screenshot from: NYC Planned Parenthood initiative

3. Put it online.

Visibility = opportunity

Going to the people

Photo : andrewcparnell on Flickr

Facebook: “the mall” – 1 billion users (600 million mobile users)

Twitter: “the street” – 500 million (200 million active users)

LinkedIn: site for professionals – 175 million users

YouTube: 800 million users (4 billion views per day)

New Town Squares

Quick Poll

What is your main client group’s preferred mode of digital communication?

(please select one)

• by email

• by text message

• by telephone

• by social network (eg., Facebook, Twitter)

• none of the above, in-person only

How-To’s

• Ladder of engagement

• Content management

• Core tools

• Rules of thumb

• Reality check

• Resource links

Ladder of engagement

Higher levels of engagement

• Request for membership

• Volunteering

• Donations

• Creating content of their own

• Etc.

Lower levels of engagement

• Facebook likes, Twitter follows…

• People who spend < 30 seconds on your webpage

• Etc.

“Business benefits are created through three elements: targeted connections + meaningful content + authentic helpfulness”

(Mark Shaefer, The Tao of Twitter)

Content Management Approach

Etc… Outposts

Hub (Website/Blog)

Where is your audience(s)? Focus on those outposts.

Core Tools

• Website

• Content management system; e.g. Wordpress

• Social media accounts

• Photo capture device

• Video capture device

• Productivity tools; e.g., editing, collaboration, communications

Social Media - Rules of Thumb

Pay it forward (Golden Rule)

Add value (fresh, relevant…)

Participate in conversations

Grow community

Be yourself

Reality Check on Content Budget ()

• Become someone’s homework

• The Analysis Exchange (free analytics advice)

• Collaborate with others on content creation

• Use other’s content, with permission

• Enable content contributors, with tools and/or support

• Google/Search for content

• Etc.

A few resources that will help you engage content…

Books

• Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World (Beth Kanter & Kaitie Paine)

• Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and others) that Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (Ann Hadley & CC Chapman)

• Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Michael Hyatt)

• The Tao of Twitter: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at a Time (Mark Schaefer)

• Buzzing Communities: Proven Science for Community Managers (Richard Millington)

Mediation Communities (in addition to NAFCM, of course!)

• ADRHub.com… www.adrhub.com

• Mediate.com… www.Mediate.com

Nonprofit Technology Network … www.nten.org

Type them into the question box and I will answer as many as possible

Questions?

To Contact Ben: zieglerconsulting@shaw.ca http://www.collaborativejourneys.com (blog) @benziegler (Twitter) 1.250.516.3936 (m)