Social Media & ISKCON

An Introduction

“We can use everything”

• So go on with your organization for distribution of my books through press and other modern media and Krishna will certainly be pleased upon you. We can use everything -- television, radio, movies, or whatever there may be -- to tell about Krishna.

What is Social Media Anyway?

• From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: At its most basic sense, social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. It's a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. Businesses also refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or consumer-generated media (CGM).

GOING SOCIAL = TWO WAY Digital tools for discussing and sharing information between people

Some Stats

• Half of US population has a social media profile

• About 1/3 on Facebook

We’re moving online• E-Books – $67 million in sales, a 24 % increase from 2006 to 2007

and a compound growth rate of 56% since 2002.• Online Video– By 2013, U.S. consumers will spend as much time

consuming video as they do sleeping, driven by more PC viewing over the next five years.

• Online Courses– over 12 million students participate in distance

education courses, with 77 percent of the enrollments in online courses, 12 percent in hybrid courses, and 10 percent in other forms of distance delivery.

1) Social Ecosystem Map Where are

your stakeholdersgathering to

have conversations

?

Finding Krishna online

• Facebook– At least 400 different Krishna oriented groups– Over 300 ISKCON groups– Grew 300% in last year– Largest group – over 4500 members

• Our own sites– ISKCONdesiretree.net – 4500 members– HareKrishna.net - 1800 members

Why Use Social Media?

• Relationships are the FOUNDATION of your business and Social Media is all about RELATIONSHIPS.

• Social media is revolutionizing our relationships and it is changing the way we communicate with one another.

• Your online relationships must be GENUINE, REAL, and AUTHENTIC.

Viral Media

Conversations

Epiphanies, Inc. | Social Marketing & Success Strategies | www.AhaYourself.com

Questions to ask:

To whom will you talk? (Everyone to start? Only people with XX connections?)

Who will do the talking/listening? (Is there a social media manager? Do multiple people handle the responses?)

Where do you draw the line? (What’s discussed publicly versus taken “offline”?)

Your Social Media Launch Plan

1. Strategic Goals2. Stakeholder Needs3. Engagement Plan4. Success Metrics

Stakeholder Needs

What stakeholder types exist? What are they looking for? Where do they go? How do they like to interact? How much time do they have? How willing are they to share openly?

LOHAS

• LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, a market segment focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice.

Engagement Plan What will you publish? Where will you publish? How often will you publish? Balance content types Integrate with traditional channels

Website Newsletter Emails Event RSS feed

Engagement Plan

Push

Vid

eo

Push Photos

Engagement Plan

Push

Vid

eo

Push Photos

CONTENT TOPICS• Relevant news • Volunteer activities• Events• Spiritual Education • Donate opportunities

CONTENT TABS• Wall Posts • Status Updates• Photos• Videos• Notes/Blog• Events• Cause• Discussions

Engagement Plan

Push

Vid

eo

Push Photos

CONTENT TOPICS• Wildlife Release• Wildlife Intake • Education • Events• Donate

Automated

CONTENT TABS• Wall Posts • Status Updates• Photos• Videos• Notes/Blog• Events• Cause• Discussions

Engagement Plan

Push

Vid

eo

Push Photos

CONTENT TOPICS• Relevant news • Volunteer activities• Events• Spiritual Education • Donate opportunities

Automated

CONTENT TABS• Wall Posts • Wall Status Updates• Photos• Videos• Notes/Blog• Events• Cause• Discussions

Feed facebook conversations with your stakeholders to website to close the loop

PAGE

GROUP

CAUSE

FAN PAGE VS. GROUP

Pages Vs Groups

• Groups– members can send "bulk invites" to other users, including non-

members– good for viral or events-oriented marketing.– better for hosting active discussions and attracting quick

attention. • Fan Pages

– visible to unregistered users – indexed by the search engines. – better for maintaining long-term relationships,

BE A FACEBOOK GURU

• Use your logo as your picture

• Compelling conversations matter

• Love photos and video• Integrate your website

and other applications• Limit your status

updates to one per day

TWITTER

Automate Broadcasting

Epiphanies, Inc. | Social Marketing & Success Strategies | www.AhaYourself.com

Integrate

KEEP THIS IN MIND

If you want to do social media well

LISTEN INTENTLY

PARTICIPATE CONSISTENTLY

ENGAGE AUTHENTICALLY

Creating a comfort zone

• Along with the restaurants there can be "Bhaktivedanta Reading Room'' where all my books can be kept and people can come and sit comfortably and read. The people will like these restaurants and reading rooms. They will take them as non-sectarian. Letter to: Subhavilasa -- Mayapur 16 March, 1977

Sambandha Initiative

Bhakti Social

Network• Connecting with

practitioners• Mentor pages• Connecting with

congregations