social media communications for nonprofit

Social Media Communications

for ‘Not-for-Profit' organisations

Author: Lucy Conlan

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© Smart Insights (Marketing Intelligence) Limited. Please go to www.smartinsights.com to feedback or access our other guides.


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for ‘Not-for-Profit' organisations

Contents3 1. Introduction

7 2. Social media options

9 3. Creating a strategy

19 4. Focus on Facebook

23 5. Focus on Twitter

28 6. Other options

31 7. Integrating media

33 8. Developing content

38 9. Monitoring and evaluation

40 10. Summary

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1. IntroductionThis guide aims to provide clarity and inspiration for Not-for-Profit (NfP) organisations to understand the potential, construct plans and trial and refine approaches using social media (SM).

It has been created to help marketers who are either setting strategy for social media activities or are involved “hands-on” in using social media. While the main focus is on the charity sector, there will be relevance for other ‘not-for-profit’ organisations including the arts and cultural and educational sectors.

As someone who has worked in social media with many NfPs, I know that the benefits of utilising social media for charities can appear bewildering and even opaque. I also know it is still relatively new to many. This guide aims to give a clear structure so as to grow internal confidence and buy-in so that the benefits of social media can become visible and accountable, serving the long-term strategic aims of the charities.

About the authorSpecialising in the charity and arts sectors, Lucy Conlan has a proven track record of delivering results for clients using direct, digital and social media She gained stellar experience client-side working across key charitable and cultural organisations including British Red Cross, Help the Aged, English Heritage and the Barbican Centre.

For the last five years, she has worked as an independent consultant working with charity and arts organisations such as Landmark Trust, Crafts Council, Orbis, Tenovus and Carers Trust.

Lucy has a passion for planning and executing campaigns. She has built developed and motivated teams with the result of transforming the fortunes of many organisations by delivering robust and sustainable return on investment.

You can connect with her via LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lucyconlan or Twitter: @ConlanConsult

1.1. What is social media?Social media has been defined in the companion Smart Insight’s Social Media Marketing 7 steps guide as follows:

What is it? Social MediaSocial media are digital media which encourage audience participation, interaction, sharing and creation of user-generated content (UGC).

While there is a proliferation of types of social media we explore at the start of our 7 Steps guide, in this guide we focus on the social networks. It is well known which sources will give organisations a prominent reach into the media consumption and sharing of existing and potential consumer audiences. This guide, therefore, focuses on what are currently considered to be the key channels for charities of Twitter and Facebook and to a lesser

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extent YouTube and LinkedIn. There will also be references to good practice shown in Flickr, Wordpress and Pinterest.

This research1, although across other sectors really shows where to focus your efforts.

1.2. Why increase investment in social media?There seems to be a broad range of views in the sector about the merits of using social media for NfPs from the great enthusiasm and sense of experiment of the early-adopters to those who are sceptical since they have not yet seen evidence of their worth to their organisation.

However, I am confident that with a robust strategy combined with a diligence and agility of approach the following benefits can be gained for NfPs:

þ Social media connects organisations to a wide range of users. Using social media is now more commonplace than reading a newspaper. While still in its infancy compared to traditional sources, using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can directly link your organisation to an expanding demographic of users. It is no longer just the media grazing ground of the 20s to 40s demographic, as the older generations are now firmly established as key users (see the Smart Insights Online Marketing Statistics compilation for details in your region). This is an important factor as this group are not only the most likely to donate but are also likely to be key users of many types of services provided by NfPs, particularly in the areas of health and social care.

þ Social media can address many user and organisational needs. Charities have diverse and demanding requirements to provide services, lobby and campaign for change, raise awareness relating to causes and encourage participation. Social media is well placed to be the primary and at times supporting media to achieve these aims.

þ Social media is cost effective. For NfPs who are accountable to a range of stakeholders, being able to have a free or low cost2 media source is clearly beneficial. However, it is important that staff costs are factored in.

þ Strong content thrives on social media. Charities are well-placed to be popular to

1 Social sharing preferences - Gigya enterprise social sharing tool2 Certain costs may be relevant relating to activity such as advertising (e.g. a Facebook promotion) or monitoring software

http://www.smartinsights.com/guides/online-marketing-statistics-adoption-usage-digital-platforms/

http://www.smartinsights.com/guides/online-marketing-statistics-adoption-usage-digital-platforms/

https://blog.gigya.com/the-landscape-of-social-login-sharing-consumers-want-choice/

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audiences due to the strong, emotive stories and genuine content they can provide.

As with other commercially focused organisations, NfPs can gain from a wide range of opportunities provided by these new media sources. This diagram from the Smart Insight’s Social Media Marketing 7 steps guide summaries the potential use of social media across an organisation:

Figure 1: The 18 Use Cases of Social CRM

There is the opportunity for charities to gain from all these beneficial outcomes. The areas that may seem more oblique to charities could be used in the following ways:

r ‘Leads’ and ‘sales’ may not be terms that are commonly used in the sector, but these really are synonyms for generating prospect pools for supporters, campaigners and also donors

r VIP experience – While the phrase ‘VIPs’ does not tend to have resonance in the sector, it could be interpreted as referring to Trustees, Major Donors or Key Influencers (such as journalists)

Limitations of Social Media? As with any media source, social media has its limitations. While it is part of many people’s everyday lives, it clearly lacks the tangibility of traditional printed media which some demographics may still prefer as a reference.

It is also currently the case that certain demographics have still not embraced digital media. While these groups are not likely to be journalists or campaigners, they may well represent people who need to access services.

Social media in itself is not a panacea; it will only work well if your organisation has robust



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strategic and communication aims which are integrated with marketing activities to support these. This guide will go on to explore how social media needs to be contextualised to meet the wider aims of the organisation and its audiences and also critically, how it needs to be integrated with other media.

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2. Social media optionsWith the range of social media options available, it can seem confusing as to which are the right ones for your organisation and how much time and resources should be allotted to each one.

The most popular and well-known are the now established household names namely Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Strategy Recommendation 1 Focus your resources on the networks that will give you the biggest impactWe’re often exhorted to create a presence on many different social networks, but they are 2 or 3 where the bulk of your activity should focus.

Other social networks that are worth considering for charity communications are Google+, LinkedIn (particularly for corporate contacts), Wordpress.com, Flickr and Pinterest. While the application of these is less mainstream than the ‘Big Three’ there are some features that may be pertinent to consider for your organisation. This guide will go on to look at Facebook and Twitter in more detail and feature aspects of other media sources, but the following table gives you a summary overview of the key features, benefits and pitfalls of each one:

Media Features Pros ConsiderationsAll featured social media

r Most functionality free to use

r Offer a combination of text and image updates

r Can directly link to other media sources including your site

r Allows users to comment and share

þ Future facing

þ High reach to range of demographics across population

þ Virality; impact of each message extends beyond immediate audience (‘reach’)

þ Can be used to test approaches for deployment in costly direct marketing activity (e.g. print advertising and literature)

ý Policy guidelines need to be established

ý Commitment to frequency of posting updates and responding to comments needs to be maintained

ý Moderation by staff required

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Media Features Pros ConsiderationsFacebook r Agile media source

where a range of media can be posted to encourage sharing (e.g. photos and videos)

r Functionality can support causes (e.g. Campaign icons and pages)

r Effective way to seek opinions via polls and surveys

þ Good way to show dialogue and interaction

þ Most popular social media tool

þ Popular for event participants

ý Facebook advertising can enhance performance

Twitter r Text based content

r Effective news feed

r Strong integration options with other media

þ Informed user base; high reach of journalists and campaigners

þ Promotes awareness and engagement

þ Show endorsement of your cause

þ Integrates withFacebook

ý Campaign targeting and reporting currently more restricted thanFacebook due to limited demographic profile of audiences

ý Not as wide a reach asFacebook

YouTube r Holds film content

r Can be streamed to website

þ Can complement other streamed media

þ Can give national or international colleagues opportunity to demonstrate impact of their work

ý Potential cost involved of filming

LinkedIn r Mainly text based information detailing individuals and professional bodies

r Good way to source opinions and generate a ‘grown up’ dialogue

þ Integrates with other social media sources including Twitter and Slideshare

ý More likely to be appropriate for niche activity such as connecting with Corporate partners

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Media Features Pros ConsiderationsFlickr r Image based content

(photos and video) þ Visually impactful

þ Potential to add descriptions to images with tags and links to other media

þ Users can comment, favourite and share images via SM

þ Popular with photo researchers and bloggers

ý Lacks the audience of Facebook and media more limiting

ý YouTube is leading video resource

Wordpress r The most influential and popular blog space

þ Can provide more freedom of expression than other more official sources such as an organisation’s official website

ý Some charities host their websites using Wordpress to save costs

Pinterest r Scrapbook style way to save images and topline information around subjects (e.g. an event)

þ Visually enticing media

þ Growing swiftly

ý Relative newcomer compared to other media

ý Niche audience; predominantly young women

Figure 2: Overview of key social media options for NfP use featured in this guide

On Smart Insights we have detailed specific guidance and examples for the “Top 5 Social networks” that you can review through our individual social channel guides.

Examples of social network use by a charityTo give context and examples here, let’s look at examples how Amnesty International use the main social networks. Of course, Amnesty have been enthusiastic adopters of digital media and social media for campaigning from the outset. For each network we have pulled out some examples of good practices for positioning a Not-for-profit on its page, status updates and encouraging interaction and action.

As an international organisation, Amnesty also have the challenge of managing a different presence in different countries, so we will use a few different examples although this doesn’t illustrate the integration across channels which they seem to manage well within an individual region.

http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/

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Facebook þ Powerful cover photos provoking emotional connection

þ Photos used in post to feature key campaign messages and encourage action

þ Use different pages for different countries

þ Apps or Views promote participation through Events

þ Good tone of voice for brand

þ Feature prominent cases in history showing topical editorial schedule

þ Balance of awareness raising and fundraising updates

ý About section doesn’t clearly link to site

ý Apps don’t encourage engagement through website

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Twitter (US page) þ Great Bio encouraging interaction

þ Updates contain calls-to-action (through Ow.ly links showing they are using Hootsuite for managing social updates and interactions, a tool we recommend)

þ Clear campaigning messages through hashtags like #FreeTheArctic30 and regular updates across campaigns linking to campaign microsites

þ Campaign messages written to encourage sharing through ReTweets

þ Retweet content from others as shown in the first update

ý Not close alignment with Facebook (managed via another team)

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Google+Although not one of the “big 3 networks”, Amnesty has a good level of participation and following on it’s global page and the USA page shown here. Its content is similar to that for Facebook page.

We also took a look at the Amnesty Australia site, which is an example where updates haven’t been sustained. The last update is over 6 months ago. We would argue that even when you are getting low levels of engagement it’s worth committing to a minimum frequency of posts per month so the page is “kept alive”.

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Pinterest þ Simple positioning about the organization in bio

þ Bio also explains.the type of content that is shared to encourage following

þ Well thought through boards to engage, e.g. “Inspiring Quotes & People”, “Act”, “Human Rights Reading List” and campaign specific boards, e.g. “Free Pussy Riot”

þ Re-use of multiplatform campaigning images - designed for sharing and impact- as seen in Facebook and Twitter

þ Links at foot of posts through to site

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3. Creating a strategyFor any type of media to work effectively it needs to have a strategic framework to ensure there is a strong, accountable purpose for doing it. In my view, a stringent approach particularly needs to be taken with social media. This is because of its nature of participation, as it can draw practitioners in and without due care and attention the focus can be lost. Why is this?

Social media is enjoyable to participate in! That is why its popularity to connect and engage with audiences means that most people in the UK will have at least one if not more social media accounts that they use regularly (once a week or more).

However, as with businesses, NfPs have a serious agenda that needs to be met and staff time needs to be used wisely.

Strategy Recommendation 2 Ensure social media isn’t an add-on, but supports your organisational prioritiesFor social media to work well it should serve the core aims of the organisation; the charity’s strategic plans and the overall communication plans need to be your starting point.

With the diversity of NfP aims, each charity’s strategy will be unique but the following table can give act as a checklist on the approach you may take to social media depending on your remit:1

Figure 3: How Social Media can support strategic aims of an NfP

Organisation’s strategic aim

SM1 strategic contribution

Considerations

Public profile Become the most recognised UK charity dedicated to the cause

þ To boost awareness of cause

ý Works best when integrated with other media (PR, social and organisation’s website)

Providing services

To be the primary source of information/services for a defined user base in the UK

þ To alert service users to resources available

þ To create forums where users can discuss issues confidentially as a group or with support staff

ý While social media is excellent at signposting information, care must be taken for sensitive screening and moderation of forum activity

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Organisation’s strategic aim

SM1 strategic contribution

Considerations

Campaigning and lobbying

To change government policy

þ Create awareness of issues and galvanise public support

þ Provide mechanism whereby supporters can lobby and campaign directly

ý Make it easy for participants to lobby e.g. by providing copy

Encouraging participation

To grow a public and stakeholder base who support the charity’s aims for the next 5 years or more

þ To distribute motivating content that inspires audiences

þ To use virality of media to spread the word

þ To provide a direct mechanism for sign up to activities

ý To give people ways to interact with the charity that does not involve using a service or making a donation e.g. events, sharing information, commenting on content etc.

Fundraising aims

To boost charity income by 10% in the next 12 months

þ To boost pool of potential donors

þ To provide cost-effective communications to existing donors

þ To support fundraising campaigns

ý While there are examples of how social media can be a strong direct source of fundraising, for most charities it is not a strong direct source of income and is best used to support rather than lead campaigns.

It’s important to communicate these strategic aims internally to show where your priorities in using social media lie.

It’s also useful to communicate to your website visitors and email subscribers the benefits that participating via social media can give. The next example shows how a campaigning page integrates social media prominently. Specific reasons to use social media could also be given though. It’s common to see : “Follow us on...” messages on Not-for-Profit sites, but not give examples of why. Embedding specific feeds or “Join Us widgets” or video can help here and give more prominence too.

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Figure 4: Example: Woodland Trust embraces Social Media to boost campaigning

3.1. Setting SMART targetsHaving identified the broader strategic goals for social media to meet the organisation’s overall aims, the next step is to allocate specific target objectives to meet these aims.

Strategy Recommendation 3 Set specific social media objectivesSMART objectives are specific, relevant to the organisations goals and defined with a time frame.

As with any new media source, it will be more challenging in the beginning, but over time and by testing different approaches, the scale of results your organisation can achieve through social media will become clearer. The following table indicates ways that the identified can have specific targets set against them:2

Figure 5: Identifying Social Media campaign targets

Social media objective

Target guidelines Example of SM target

To boost awareness of cause

r Set % increase in...

r Social reach3, mentions, use of campaign hashtags, sharing of content

þ Social reach boosted by 15%

þ Charity hashtag used 1k times

þ Annual report downloaded by 3k visitors as a direct lead from SM

2 Social reach: This is the potential audience you can attain

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Target guidelines Example of SM target

To alert service users to resources available

r Set target based on enquiries and take up of services

þ SM generates 10k visits to Services home page on organisation website, or;

þ SM accounts for 15% of the leads to the services

þ May be a limit on number you want to achieve due to capacity

To create forums where users can discuss issues

r Set targets based on number of active users as well as qualitative experience

þ To gain a satisfaction rate of 85% or above from active participants

To galvanise public support for campaigning

r Set targets bases on a range of social media applications

þ 3k uses of campaign hashtag

þ Campaign logo/icon used by 200Facebook users

þ Generates 1k downloads of the letter to send to MPs

þ SM generates 3k addresses to petition

To distribute motivating content that inspires

r Set targets based on not only volume but also quality of those promoting (i.e. top influencers or those with a high ‘reach’ should score highly).

þ Produces 500 re-tweets to a potential audience of 50k

þ Produces 70 re-tweets by identified top influencers

þ Generates 200 Facebook Likes

þ Images shared by 650 Flickr users and liked by 400Facebook users

To generate sign ups

r Once average conversion rates have been established, test different approaches to boost take up

þ Boosts the sign up for free events by 8%

þ Generates 15% of the sign ups to the email newsletter

To boost prospect pool of donors and supporters

r For this target quality of lead is as important as quantity.

þ Produces 1400 sign ups to the ‘Support Us’ update email newsletter

þ Generates 800 requests for a callback to talk about giving a legacy to the charity, generating 30 legacy pledgers

þ Attains 30 requests about corporate sponsorship leading to 1 new corporate sponsor worth £10k

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More details on how to create strategies to achieve these objectives is provided in the 7 Steps guide to social media. Section 9 will deal with how these targets will be evaluated.

In the next section we give specific guidance on how to get the most from each of the main social networks with examples.

Naturally, there are some common guidelines, in particular the need to create a policy.

Strategy Recommendation 4 Create a social media communications policy and implement education and training to support it.We think this is necessary for all but the smallest charities since a range of employees will be involved. It can define key issues such as:

þ The purpose of social media

þ Tone of voice and stylistic guidance

þ Target response times for customer service type queries or other responses from members or partners

þ Guidance for how employees should comment on charity AND non-charity related updates

þ Workflow for response and follow-up when the charity is mentioned negatively or positively on different sizes and types of sites.

To see examples of Charity examples (for example the American Red Cross) and many government policies see the relevant category on Social Media Governance3. The guidance for Navitas (higher education sector) includes a workflow response chart and is strong on specific guidance for staff.

3 Social Media Governance Government or Non-Profit category

http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php%3Ff%3D5

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4. Focus on Facebook4.1. Introduction to using FacebookAs we all know, Facebook is the social network where many people spend their time organising their social life and finding out the latest news and updates from friends and organisations. There is much opportunity in terms of type of content that can be added and it is a very visibly interactive media where users can comment on or ‘Like’ content or people and organisations.

With Facebook there is the opportunity for NfPs to capitalise on people’s dwell time and level of engagement to achieve a range of the strategic outcomes that have been outlined in section 3.

The following section outlines the different ways that charities can use Facebook to attract, convert and retain a range of audiences:

4.2. What are the benefits to NfPs of using Facebook?: þ Create a network where charities can update a range of audiences from service users to

supporters and stakeholders who can in turn comment and share information too

þ As well as sharing written updates and pictures, Facebook also gives you the opportunity to host videos of campaigning.

þ Allows the charity to link with other local and international groups and partners by ‘Liking’ their content and contributing to it.

þ Can seek opinions online via surveys and polls – this functionality is part of Facebook’s provision to users.

þ Can create discrete or ‘closed’ groups for online discussions and information- sharing which is particularly pertinent to some NfPs e.g. those providing confidential services such as health and social care charities.

þ Potential to boost activity with Facebook advertising.

þ For smaller charities, Facebook may provide sufficient functionality to replace the need for a website.

þ Can be linked to Twitter account so that ‘tweets’ automatically appear on Facebook.

þ While a plan is important there are few practical considerations when starting Facebook communications. The following section highlights some of the key issues around execution.

4.3. A best practice checklist for Facebook r Secure your name in relevant countries. If not already achieved, step one is to

secure your name on Facebook and agree who can add content and set them up as ‘administrators’.

r Content planning and evaluation is important. To understanding what works for your audience on Facebook (these areas will be featured in sections 8 and 9 in this guide).

r Create guidance for staff. Set Facebook guidelines so that staff know what is appropriate to add, comment on, report or remove will be key to its success.

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r Put moderation in place. While continuous moderation is not essential, it will be important that the Facebook pages are checked on a daily basis and it’s agreed how certain type of comments will be dealt with.

r Agree how to respond. As with any social media, it is important to deal with serious concerns (e.g. unhelpful posts added to your Facebook page) but not to over- react as it can accelerate the impact. What tends to happen is that other users will step in and defend the charity on your behalf or alert you to adverse comments.

r Blend content types in updates. For Facebook it is enticing to users to have a blend of different content options; updates, videos, images and statistics as well as content pulled through from other relevant Facebook sources.

r Encourage participation for updates. In addition to providing information (the push) it is also very important to ask for comments and respond to any issues that Facebook participants raise (the pull). Out Facebook guide by Marie Page has lots of ideas for this.

r Use polls and surveys. Facebook also offers the opportunity to offer polls and surveys which gives the Facebook page a newsy feel and can support campaigning activity.

However, do bear in mind that it is NOT the best media for showing in-depth information – for more detailed content it is best that audiences are referred to the organisation’s main website.

The following section will look at some suggestions as to how you can align your strategic needs to the opportunities offered by Facebook:

Figure 6: How Facebook can meet your organisation’s strategic aims


Facebook application Considerations


þ Having a Facebook presence and encouraging existing audiences to ‘Like’ you to attract new audiences in turn

ý Consider tying in with a relationship with a corporate sponsor; every ‘Like’ generates a £10 gift

ý Boost uptake with Facebook advertising


þ Via Facebook Home Page and newsfeed

þ Create dedicated pages for areas of strong interest


þ Facebook Groups where people can comment on set topics and upload content to facilitate discussion

ý Can be a ‘closed’ or discrete group

ý Moderation required

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Facebook application Considerations

To galvanise public support for campaigning support

þ Create a separate page for each new campaign (attached to your Facebook account)

þ Make support easy! Create a campaign logo for supporters to use; complete a poll; add their names to a petition on your campaign page

þ Establish a sense of dynamism; update users and ask for continual feedback and comments

ý Establish a goal/campaign period that is clear to supporters e.g. a reading of a bill in parliament

ý Include a countdown on your campaign page

ý Extra diligent moderation required with campaigning as evokes strong opinions


þ Use motivating text, images and rich media

þ Encourage visitors to comment

þ For many organisations, Facebook is a way to route people to their website where the experience is even richer

þ Ask users to upload images or even video

ý Do not text overload! Facebook benefits from a blend of text/image/rich media

ý Automate tweets so they feature on Facebook

ý Need to approve User Generated Content (UGC)

To generate sign ups þ Include sign up to enews as part of your top page banner

þ Remind people to sign up ahead of next enews update

ý Give people a reason to sign up; to offer support or to find out about latest research etc.


þ Host charity videos and motivating case study summaries

þ Route visitors to website to find out more about cause or appeal

þ Encourage sign up to enews

þ Ask visitors to find out more about how they can help

ý While Facebook on its own is unlikely to generate high levels of donations, by showing people about your cause and encouraging them to provide their contact details, they will be ‘warmed up’ ahead of an ask to support e.g. to take part in a raffle or an event

The following example shows how a charity is making good use of Facebook to show the range of services that the charity provides. It asks Facebook visitors to add comments, access services and support the charity’s campaigns:

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Figure 7: Case Study: National Deaf Children’s Society use Facebook to promote services

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5. Focus on Twitter5.1. Introduction to using TwitterIncreasingly we have all witnessed the impact of Twitter as it is now quoted on mainstream news sources. Twitter is a barometer of moods and opinions and can often be the place where significant activity is announced or reported ahead of more established media. Today Twitter makes headlines!

This is due to a great extent by the simplicity and ease of use of this media. It provides a digital opportunity for people and organisations to communicate briefly via tweets – messages of 140 characters or less – to a range of different organisations and people. It is this brevity that is its virtue as there is no superfluous content in each tweet and tweets generally will focus on an individual issue.

For NfPs that single focus will have resonance as charities campaign for specific issues, provide tailored services, ask people to take part in an event or support a fundraising campaign.

Twitter appeals to a more niche demographic than Facebook, attracting a younger, financially more secure set. However, what the following table does not indicate is the detail of the audience as Twitter is the hunting ground for content-hungry journalists, opinion-formers, campaigners, trendsetters and policy makers:

Figure 8: Profile of Twitter Users

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5.2. What are the benefits to NfPs of using Twitter? þ Regular, well-written tweets can make charities visible and memorable – the first step to

gaining awareness, participation and support.

þ Your tweet could make the news and be picked up by journalists.

þ Potential to reach out to new audiences due to the nature of the viral effect of Twitter e.g. by gaining some influential Followers, their Followers in turn may choose to follow you.

þ Effective tool to reach out to well- targeted audiences by use of lists.

þ Can build rapport with key targets by following well selected organisations and people and ‘re-tweeting’1 or commenting on their posts.

þ Can show potential supporters, partners and interested parties how Twitter has already gained an interested and captive audience for your cause.

5.3. A best practice checklist for Twitter r Set guidelines for usage. As with Facebook you will need guidelines. Twitter is often

used for customer service, so you may get specific enquiries about donations or events which you should respond to.

r Make your tweets as diverse and as interesting as your organisation. Blend useful, informative content with well-placed calls to action. However, be wary of asking for help too often!

r Be careful who you follow. Don’t autofollow to grow your reach. Who you choose to follow says a lot about you. It is good practice to reciprocate the ‘follow’ for appropriate organisations and individuals but do not follow everyone who follows you. Always check a follower’s account before you follow them and review whom you are following on a regular basis.

r Consider how high profile employees can be used. Initially start with setting up a Twitter account for the organisation. However, once the media is understood and supported, consider a high profile member of staff creating their own account

r Reciprocate! Be a good neighbour on Twitter. Acknowledge other Twitter users who support you; mention them, re-tweet them and favourite them when they provide good content too. Identify who are complimentary partners, monitor them via a Twitter list and contact them to agree reciprocal sharing arrangements.

r Use Hootsuite for updates. Although Twitter is always working to improve its functionality you may wish to use a programme such as Hootsuite to schedule tweets and Tweetreach to gain more insightful analytics. Hootsuite works with other social media platforms too.

r Share successes. In the early days and then on an on-going basis circulate successful tweets (those that gain strong RTs or favourites) to key internal audiences to establish a sense of enthusiasm for the media.

1 Re-tweet: When a tweet is copied and sent out by another Twitter user

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Table 9: How Twitter can meet your organisation’s strategic aims


Twitter application Considerations


þ Use tweets to inform , inspire and educate audiences

þ Follow other Twitter accounts that will have a direct impact or influence on your cause, or a connection to your potential/existing audiences

ý Tie in to content plan; good to focus on a single for greatest impact


þ Use tweets to ask for feedback as services are developed; to whet expectation ahead of launch and to publicise launch

þ Schedule reminders into calendar so people are aware of existing services


þ Twitter can signpost followers to forums on your website or other media e.g.Facebook

þ Create ‘tweetups’ or Twitter events to discuss issues online for a specified short period

ý As highlighted much care needs to be taken re forums especially when discussing sensitive issues

ý Tweetups need much care and diligence to moderate swiftly as these discussions are live broadcasts!

To galvanise public support for campaigning support

þ Create campaign hashtag #

þ Ask users to RT (re-tweet) your tweets to show support for campaign

þ Suggest followers contact their MP via Twitter re issue

þ Quote key influencers (@Twitter names) in tweets

ý Make campaign hashtag prominent across all media


þ Exploit the fact that people on Twitter want to be in the know; flatter users by letting them know ”you’re hearing this first”

þ Link directly to organisation website or social media channel

ý Excellent way to gauge popularity of content by finding out RT and Favourite use

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Twitter application Considerations

To generate email sign ups

þ Give followers reasons to sign up (e.g. keep updated on events, news)

þ Ask for email sign ups ahead of email campaigns

þ Announce when emails have been sent and link to see latest on website

ý Link directly to a dedicated landing page


þ Find out who is RT and favouriting your tweets; it is a starting point

ý Corporate sponsors tie in – donate £x with each RT; win/win!

Figure 10: Case Study Greenpeace uses Twitter to boost campaign engagement

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Figure 11: Case Study: The Landmark Trust use 2 Twitter accounts to extend reach and impact

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6. Other options6.1. Summary of other social network options

YouTubeAs the largest source of video content online, YouTube has impact, immediacy as well as huge popularity. While many users will be seeking entertainment on YouTube, there is also the opportunity to gain information and guidance with ‘How to’ content also strongly featured.

NfPs have powerful content to share and it makes YouTube an appropriate place to provide factual information to service users, motivating content for potential donors and provocative content for campaigners and influencers.

Due to the wide reach of this media, it has the opportunity to attract new supporters and service users to your cause as well as providing a cost effective way to store useful video resource for existing stakeholders such as DRTV1 videos.

LinkedInLinkedIn is the primary social media for working professionals who are seeking new opportunities and wanting to keep in touch with ex and current colleagues and associates. It is also a useful resource to find out work-related information.

It is recommended that each NfP has a presence on LinkedIn. In this way current and prospective jobseekers and potential partners can keep in touch and find out more information about you. It also has the potential to keep a group of ‘employee supporters’ past and present so their collective goodwill can potentially be drawn on (e.g. to provide opinions, feedback, attend events or opt to volunteer).

There is also the obvious potential of linking to corporate sponsors as well as creating niche, invite-only discussion groups such as for major donors. This type of forum can give participants the sense gaining the ‘insider track’.

FlickrFlickr, like Twitter, has simplicity of application – it is a place where images can be stored.

It can act effectively as a photo album where you can share pictures with your audiences as well as allow people to contribute theirs as well. As with other social media, there is the opportunity to comment, share and like as well as join and contribute to special interest groups.

While this media is more limited as it does not tend to be used as frequently as other social media, it can still have an impact at newsworthy activities such as challenge events or when a visual resource would prove valuable to illustrate the cause. Facebook or Pinterest have largely replaced it and we don’t recommend investment.

PinterestPinterest is a relatively new SM source and has similarities to Flickr in that it is primarily an image-based social media. It effectively acts as a digital scrap book where images can be uploaded or copied from other online sources into albums. While it is currently popular, it is not established enough to understand fully its reach or potential. However, as the example of

1 Direct Response Television

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Amnesty earlier in this guide and WWF below show, there is clearly the potential to engage around a theme or activity as shown in the boards.

Wordpress blogging platformWordpress is the most recognised ‘blogging’ platform and in my opinion the best to use for its popularity to both audiences and content providers and its ease of use. It can be used to host a single article or can be developed to contain large volumes of information; as it is free to use, the only cost is your time to produce and add the content as well as the hosting fees. It can complement a website by providing a different platform in a subfolder, e.g. /blog, where contributors can write more freely than if they were on the organisation’s official website.

Interactions via comments on posts and articles encourage similar participation to social media. It can even be used to create communities specific for an organisation.

For NfPs it can also provide a resource whereby charity employees, partners and associates can provide opinions and suggestions in an environment that gives them greater freedom of expression than the more regulated organisational website. These blogs can be linked to and referred from the organisation’s key website and via social media.

For small NfPs, Wordpress can be used to create a website that is easy to update and develop, and importantly, cost effective. However, this approach will lack the tailoring of a bespoke website. See also Smart Insights assessment of Wordpress.

Figure 12: Case study: British Heart Foundation has strong YouTube presence

http://www.smartinsights.com/content-management/content-management-systems/which-is-the-best-system-for-blogging/

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Figure 13: Case study: WWF and Pinterest

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7. Integrating mediaWith the volume of online and offline messages that we are all receiving each day at home and work, communication campaigns need strong levels of visibility to reach into our busy lives.

Many NfPs will have developed strategic plans to publicise and promote services, campaigning activity and to generate public support through fundraising. While many are familiar with established PR and traditional media (print and broadcast) approaches, it is often the case that integrating social media can be overlooked or included as an add-on rather than as an integral part of the campaign.

However, by capitalising on the agile ways of disseminating information that are offered by social media, you can boost the awareness and uptake of your traditional campaigns but also make their reach more interactive and impactful to interested parties.

Integrated campaigns benefit from having a synergy; so that audiences are presented with the same look and feel across all media sources. This creates the repetition of messaging with each individual communication or the ‘nudge’ effect. These could include approaches such as:

r Same Event name carried across all media

r Key image(s) used across all media

r Consistent calls to action linking to dedicated website landing page

The following suggested approach shows how this can be achieved by using the example of generating attendance for a charity event:

Figure 14: Campaign plan example: Encourage participation to charity event

Objective Media/Action Outcome1. Generating

awareness r Email: First contact to core

supporters to launch event

r Twitter & Facebook: Announce event and use event hashtag

r Facebook: Create campaign badge and page.

Encourage web visits to find out more;

RT and Like content.

2. Generating leads

r Twitter & Facebook: Promote event sign up.

r Twitter: Tailored campaign to key social media influencers connected to cause to RT and feature event with hashtag

r YouTube: Produce short film with prominent charity figure or celebrity or previous attendees making an emotive bid to join.

r Email: Send solus email to strong leads.

Generate leads via forms held on charity website;

RT and Like content

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Objective Media/Action Outcome3. Motivating

event attendees r Twitter and Facebook: Send

direct messages on event attendees to announce to their followers re event attendance

r Twitter and Facebook: Ask for non- attenders to show support

r Facebook: encourage comments via for event for use by event participants and supporters

Provokes dialogue and wider sense of participation;

Reduce event drop out;

Gain new event participants

4. Nurturing support for event attendees ahead of event

r Twitter and Facebook: Ask for words of encouragement for event and participants. Compile best comments.

r Email: forward selection of best tweets to provoke further comments via email or Twitter

Boost profile of event; make participants and supporters feel valued so they are more likely to take part in the future/recommend to others.

5. Boosting profile of cause during event

r Twitter: Using event hashtag encourages supporters and participants to tweet at event; NfP’s representatives can tweet updates at event.

r Facebook: Update campaign page (link to tweets)

6. Creating goodwill and donations post event

r Wordpress: Blog content to summarise event from organisation employee and potential to encourage other blog entries from participants

r Flickr and Facebook: Create an event album and direct contact participants to contribute to it. Encourage take up with prize draw for best picture

r Twitter: Thank participants and supporters; ask for additional donations

r YouTube: Publish film of event

NB Link all the above media to website where donations can be made.

Create positive comments across a range of media;

Boost viral impact of event.

Increased level of donations

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8. Developing contentIt is important that your social media sources represent the vibrancy and diversity of your organisations. As highlighted in this guide, social media supports a wide range of content. The type of content that social media can directly support is:

Figure 15: Summary of Social Media content options

Content type Media source/type ItemText based Twitter/tweet 140 characters

Text based Wordpress/blog Article Text based Facebook/update Brief text itemImage based Flickr/photographic image Photo, photo albumsImage based Twitter (twitpic) Embed image in text or link to

imageImage based Facebook Image and caption. Can create a

photo wall and individual albums.Image based Pinterest/image Scrapbook style image albums

with commentsText and image Wordpress Article with photos to illustrateVideo YouTube Video with brief descriptionVideo Facebook Video with brief description. Can

group all video content together in library

The following example shows the range of different types of content that can be deployed using a range of social media sources. It also suggests how prominently they should feature by suggesting what proportion each area should make up of your overall social media content plan:

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Figure 15: Content that can be deployed using Social Media

Capitalise on your content by linking from one media to another to create traffic and interest. So for example, when you add a new video in YouTube, it can be promoted on Twitter.

As already highlighted, social media offers a great opportunity to not only disseminate content but to start and develop conversations with other individuals and organisations. As with real-life conversations, monologues are not usually of long-term interest to the listener!

By publishing social media content, you will undoubtedly provoke comments and contributions and it is important to acknowledge and respond to these wherever possible. However, it is also recommended to provoke dialogue or actions.

Ways of initiating dialogues or actions are as follows:

þ Ask for a Re-tweet or Like

þ Ask a question, but make it straightforward so as easy to respond to

þ Start a poll (on Facebook)

þ Ask for audiences to complete a survey or provide suggestions

Once a conversation has started, it is important as with real-life dialogue to keep it going.

Many people who make contributions from social media like to be recognised.

Ways to give contributors recognition are:

þ Reply to a comment e.g. tweet or Facebook post – in this way others will see that you value contributors as well as the contributors themselves feeling valued.

þ Recommend others ‘Follow’ or ‘Like’ an individual or organisation

þ Feature content on other media sources e.g. publish responses on website or quote in emails

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One way to show that you are a listening organisation and are interested in is to ask your audiences to contribute by providing articles such as images or feedback. This type of ‘User Generated Content’ (UGC) is valued by audiences who are used to seeing customers providing reviews to commercial audiences (e.g. TripAdvisor).

NfPs can use this to show how important their cause and concern is for others, with a ‘don’t just take our word for it’ impact.

As with traditional media, NfPs need to provide a clear focus and identity online to create impact.

Figure 17: Content tips

Content TipsText Less is more! Online people scan so:

All media:

þ Address audience when possible – use ‘You’ more than ‘We’

þ Vary content to include quotes and statistics.

þ Ask questions

þ Avoid over-use of exclamation marks where possible as these can devalue content.

Twitter:

þ Keep focus on what you would like them to do or know.

þ Link to other sources wherever possible.

þ Quote other contributors whenever possible

þ Capitalise on using your own or other relevant hashtags.

Facebook:

þ Always caption images

þ Use short headings and paragraphs for text-based content

YouTube:

þ Always describe video content in a few sentences.

þ Give audiences opportunity to respond to video content by linking in text to donate pages, sign ups to events etc.

Image All media:

þ Focus where possible on an individual or single object

þ If a portrait image, ensure individual is facing viewer for maximum impact

þ If group images shown, ensure most/all people are facing the camera

þ Avoid images with busy backgrounds

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Content TipsVideo All media

þ Have a clear structure: scene setting, demonstrate problem and solution, provide conclusion and call to action

þ Use captions and heading to illustrate case

þ Consider using frames to blend in with moving image for increased impact to include quotes or statistics

þ Show website address

Figure 18 Case Study: Shelter’s use of Facebook

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Figure 19: Case study: RSPB’s use of Twitter to create visual impact

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9. Monitoring and evaluationIt is clearly imperative that NfP time and resource is used well to achieve organisation aims, and so methods need to be established to evaluate the impact of social media activity.

We have already identified the need to set targets in section 3. The table below complements these targets, suggesting ways to assess the impact of social media in a quantifiable way using analytics packages.

Figure 20: Key metrics that can be used to assess the value of social media contributions

Media Objective Metric Assessed NoteAll Social media Awareness Web visits Via web

analytics e.g. Google analytics

All Social media Income generation and event attendance

Web visit and conversion

Via web analytics e.g. Google analytics

While unlikely to be key to generating donations can generate up to 5%

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Awareness Organisation ‘Likes’ and follows; reach; views

Via Facebook analytics; Twitter analytics packages

Twitter is currently rolling out its analytics but results can also be gained from packages such as Tweetreach

All media Awareness Sharing ‘Like’, re-tweeting, commenting.

The table to follow is an example of how the performance of social media can be summarised to provide an overview of effectiveness by identifying Key Performance Indicators:

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Figure 21: Example of monthly Key Performance Indicators

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10. SummaryUsing social media can bring a range of benefits to the reach and impact of an NfP; complementing communication strategies, introducing your cause to a new audience and also finding new ways to engage and motivate existing stakeholders.

To sum up, a few key factors to bear in mind about social media are:

r It can enable more people to be aware of your organisation so they can access your services as well as support and promote you

r Important to plan and set guidelines to ensure that what you plan achieves your organisation’s objectives

r It has greater impact if it is part of an integrated campaign

r Needs to moderated and be agile to react appropriately to situations as they arise

r Monitor and inspire other internal stakeholders

r Value and reward contributors