The importance of using social media and what it means to nonprofits

What is social media? Social media is a platform that allows for interactivity and two-way dialogue via the Internet.

Important to remember:• Different platforms help

achieve different goals.

• Some tools are naturally aligned with your organization while some are not.

Social Media Revolution

• We no longer search for the news, the news finds us…

• We will no longer search for products and services, they will find us via social media…

BOTTOM LINE: SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T A FAD, IT’S A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE.

Social Media Strategy

What can social media do for your organization…It can help you: • Build an online community• Reach new people• Advance the functional agenda of your organization

(i.e. fundraising, volunteer recruitment, etc.)• Drive traffic • Learn more about your supporters • Engage in real time communications, two-way dialogue

with your constituents

Social Media Strategy

STEP 1: Clearly define goals

Examples include…• Recruiting volunteers• Branding your organization as experts on a cause or issue• Disseminating information about an issue or topic• Promoting an event• Soliciting donations for your organization• Getting people to take a particular action• Telling stories about your work

Create SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-Based)

Social Media Strategy

STEP 2: Know your audience

• Identify/define who you are trying to reach• Who does your organization serve• Who is your perfect volunteer? Donor? Activist?• Where do they live?• Where do they communicate with their friends/connect

with their online community online?

Social Media Strategy

STEP 3: Educate Yourself

• Research which social platforms are best for your organization.– Different platforms help achieve different goals.– Some tools are naturally aligned with your

organization while some are not.

• Once you have decided on the platforms,

start learning the functionality of each social network.

Social Media Strategy

What are the Key Social Platforms?

Information from www.virtualprojectconsulting.com

Social Media Strategy

Blogs A blog is the easiest way to provide regularly updated information to your audiences. Blogs enable nonprofits to easily publish a stream of constantly updated, linked content in a more personal voice. And search engines love fresh content.

DID YOU KNOW: There are over 200 million public blogs in existence.

Blogger is a free weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos and video.WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and a content management system.

What are the Key Social Platforms?

Social Media Strategy

The News Blog If you want to be known as a go-to source on a particular topic …• Includes lots of links to other websites and blogs, with a great system of

categories and tags to keep everything organized. If you are big into social bookmarking, this may be a good fit for you.

The Advocacy BlogIf you want to be known as the “voice” on your issue …

• Regularly explains situations that need changing and helps others explore why your approaches are the best ways to bring about those changes. These nonprofit blogs help educate others on issues, explaining the various options and positions out there (i.e. what works and what doesn’t).

Types of Blogs

Social Media Strategy

The Toolbox BlogIf you want to be known as a resource, problem solver or technical assistance provider …

• This blog is heavy on how-tos, lists, case studies, interviews and success stories. Show people how to solve their own problems, how to effect change for your cause and where to go for more help and ideas. Give advice that empowers people to help change the world.

The Storytelling/Insider BlogIf you want donors to better understand the need for and impact of your organization …

• A blog where you share lots of anecdotes about the people you are helping, the partners you work with, the volunteers and donors who help you and the staff and board who keep everything moving forward. This blog is about what happens behind the scenes, including the little victories and struggles along the way that may not be press release worthy, but still shed light on the realities of your work. Through stories, you are really letting donors see the world through your eyes and giving them an insider’s perspective.

Types of Blogs

Social Media Strategy

The CEO/ED BlogIf you want to build confidence in and support for your organization’s decision making, leadership and approaches …

• This can be equally effective for large institutions that need to put a human face back on their work and for small or new organizations that need to build up trust and credibility with funders and partners.

Eclectic Blog/Mixed Purpose Blog• A blog that incorporates two or more of the blog types that have been

identified. Doing so can help keep blog content interesting and avoid being predictable. It also allows for there to be a number of contributors which helps spread the work around but keeps it updated with fresh content. It also allows the organization to promote special events and fundraising as long as it’s a small percentage of the overall content.

http://blog.feedingamerica.org www.hubbardhouse.wordpress.com

Types of Blogs

Social Media Strategy

Microblogging Microblogs allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images or video links.

Twitter enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters. (As of 2012, Twitter has over 500 million active users.)

Tumblr allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog. (As of November 16, 2012 Tumblr has over 81 million blogs.)

What are the Key Social Platforms?

Social Media Strategy

Social Networking Social networking is an online service, platform or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.

DID YOU KNOW: If Facebook was a country, it would be the 3rd largest in the world!

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. As of September 2012, Facebook has over one billion active users, more than half of them using Facebook on a mobile device.

Google + is a social networking site aimed at making sharing on the web more like sharing in real life. As of September 2012, it has a total of 400 million registered users of whom 100 million are active on a monthly basis.

What are the Key Social Platforms?

Social Media Strategy

Niche Networks A social network that targets a select segment of the general population. LinkedIn is a Professional Networking Social Media platform created for professionals to exchange information, ideas, opportunities and network. As of June 2012, LinkedIn reports having more than 175 million registered users.

Photo SharingPhoto sharing is the publishing or transfer of a user's digital photos online, thus enabling the user to share them with others (publicly or privately).Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own collections or 'like' photos.

http://pinterest.com/sachappytails/

What are the Key Social Platforms?

Social Media Strategy

Video sharing A video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video.

DID YOU KNOW: YouTube is the #2 largest search engine in the world!

YouTube is a video sharing website, on which users can upload, view and share videos. YouTube displays a wide variety

of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging, short original videos and educational videos.

What are the Key Social Platforms?

Social Media Strategy

How to choose which social media platform(s) are best for your organization…

• Research• Social Media Guide• Test the waters• Don’t be afraid to jump in

Social Media Strategy

STEP 4: Content Development

• Develop your voice/tone:– Create content that is in line with your organization’s brand.

• Grow your community.– Find your target market and start engaging with them.– Remember, social media is about two-way dialogue.

• Create an editorial calendar.– Think of your platform as a magazine, in the same way that each

month features a new issues, you want to space out ways to keep content fresh.

Social Media Strategy

Step 5: Monitor, Evaluate & Re-evaluate

• Social media content strategy is evolutionary, not linear.• Always be listening.• Assess strengths and weakness and re-evaluate strategy

as needed.

Social Media Strategy

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

Information from PR Daily

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Dos

Do listen • This is your opportunity to find out exactly what your

supporters say about you and what they want.

Do make time • Social media is not a quick process. Look at the people in

your offline social circles—those you hold closest. How long have you known them? How much time have you spent together? All of this time bonds strong relationships.

• If you want advocates for your brand, 10 minutes of exposure once a week is not going to cut it. If you want to receive the benefits of social media, be prepared to give.

Do keep track of your engagements• If the message, conversations and tone of your social media voice

don't stimulate engagement, don't continue to use it. It's a waste of time.

• Backtrack to see where and how conversations started and, without reinventing the wheel, see if you can reignite those flames.

Do respond in a timely fashion • If you left a voice message with a company for someone to call you

back, how long would you wait before you started to think they were ignoring you? Eight hours? Twenty-four hours? Three days?

• If someone interacts with your organization, asks a question or makes a comment, you need to react quickly. That message may be from one person, but there are others eavesdropping in the wings.

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Dos

Save time, repurpose content• While this is a useful approach, it’s important to be

thoughtful about the way you are reusing content. Simply spitting out the same information over and over again will not work. Be sure to change elements of your posts to either highlight different information within the post or target a different segment within your audience.

Try multiple media types• Certain forms of media such as infographics, videos or

photos have a tendency to be much more sharable and appealing.

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Dos

Strike the right balance with interaction• True interaction via social media can be a tough tactic for many

to master. Finding the correct balance of self-promotion and intriguing content that inspires action is instrumental in using social media appropriately. Take some time to comment or interact with your current and prospective supporters to show that you’re there, and you care about what they are saying. A simple tactic is to ask questions that inspire a response.

Remember why you’re using social media in the first place• By determining a set of realistic and attainable goals you will be

able to test what works and what doesn’t, and adapt your online marketing strategy from there.

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Dos

Don't take social media lightly• "Here today, gone tomorrow" is not an attitude you can afford to take

when you develop a social media community. It is not good practice to update your online status twice in a two-hour period, and then only once the next week.

• If possible: make a commitment to sit down for an allotted period each day to respond to people, ask questions and share great content.

Don't ignore negative comments• Not everybody is going to like or agree with you 100% of the time –

when this happens, use it as an opportunity to highlight the responsiveness and efficiency of your organization's customer service. One of the worst things that you can do is ignore your audience. Deleting information or simply refusing to answer are a big marketing fail.

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Don’ts

Don't sell, sell, sell• Social networks are not direct sales/fundraising tools. They are

places where you can develop a community of people who are interested in your organization and what it has to say. Not everyone in the community will donate to your organization, but that is okay. If they like what you say and share it with other people, more people will become aware of your cause and grow to like your organization.

• Social media is about getting people to like, know and trust you. The more you communicate and have two-way dialogue, the more you will humanize your brand and grow a reputation in your niche.

A good rule: If you wouldn't do it in the real world while standing on a crowded bus, in a restaurant or at a convention, don't do it!

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Don’ts

Automating your communication• Have you found yourself screaming at the automated help

desk for your credit card company, enormously frustrated that you couldn’t speak with a live representative. Try to spare your online audience the same exasperation. Create thoughtful and conversational content. Leave the robots for the other guys.

Creating social media accounts and forgetting about them• If you cannot commit to using a platform on a regular

basis and setting it up in a way that clearly represents your brand, then what is the point? Don’t do it just to do it.

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Don’ts

Believing one size fits all• All social media sites are not created equal. You must consider

not only the type of interaction that typically happens on a given platform, but also the audience you are trying to reach with that platform. If your social strategy for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all exactly the same, you may want to reconsider your plan.

Letting your relationships stagnate• Sure, your supporters have signed up to receive updates on your

organization, but is that really enough? If your ultimate goal is to gain them as new volunteers, donors, advocate, etc. it is important to have a personalized and meaningful flow of communication with subsequent steps in the relationship.

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Don’ts

Facebook• Use to research if any groups or events mention you.• Use to keep up with what similar organizations are doing.

Twitter• Use to research if any individuals or businesses are talking

about you. • Use to keep up with what like-organizations are doing to.• Use to learn more about your cause.

LinkedIn• Use to learn more about your donors.• Use to recruit board members, employees, etc.

Other Ways to put Social Media to Work for Your Organization

Resources

WEBSITES:

PR Daily: www.prdaily.com• PR Daily provides public relations professionals, social media specialists and marketing

communicators with a daily news feed.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: www.philanthropy.com• News source for charity leaders, fund raisers, grant makers and others involved in

philanthropic enterprises.

Association of Fundraising Professionals: www.afpnet.org• Professional association of individuals responsible for generating philanthropic support

for a wide variety of nonprofit, charitable organizations.

The PR Coach: www.theprcoach.com• Website with 7,500+ links of public relations tips, insight and resources.

The Nonprofit Technology Network: www.nten.org• NTEN is the membership organization of nonprofit professionals who put technology to

use for their causes.

Resources

BLOGS: Beth’s Blog: www.bethkanter.org

Nonprofit Tech 2.0: www.nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com

Kivi Leroux Miller’s: www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/Katya’s Nonprofit Marketing Blog: www.nonprofitmarketingblog.comSocial Media Club Blogs: www.socialmediaclub.org/blogs

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS/GROUPS:Social Media Club: www.socialmediaclub.org Association of Fundraising Professionals: www.afpnet.orgPublic Relations Society of America: www.prsa.org

Resources

LINKEDIN GROUPS: Social Media for Nonprofit Organizations: This group is for anyone interested

in how nonprofit organizations are utilizing social media. Members can post resources, share information and/or ask questions or seek advice.

Social Media Marketing: This is the largest and most active social media marketing group on LinkedIn.com with over 460,000 members. It is intended for interactive advertising and marketing professionals who are actively engaged in social media and community-oriented websites around the world.

Nonprofit Marketing: A to Z Marketing for Your Non-Profit: Direct Marketing, Public Relations, Fundraising, Grant Writing, Social Media & Digital Engagement and more.

PR Daily: PR Daily is your one-stop shop for news and discussions about public relations, marketing, social media and more.

Social Media Club: This group is a professional & educational oriented community where fans can share their passion for social media and where Social Media Club can interact with those who seek to expand their knowledge of social media and connect with local chapters

Resources

TWITTER CHATS – tweetchat.com

#mmchat – Mondays at 9 p.m. ET: This chat features a special guest who discusses a relevant social media topic and answers questions from participants.

#blogchat – Sundays at 9pm ET: Helping companies improve both corporate and personal blogs; themes range from SEO to building a team of bloggers.

#smchat – Wednesdays at 1pm ET: The weekly topics are focused on mobility, customer service, marketing, social change and key social media trends.

#BWEchat – Thursdays at 2pm ET: New media, blogging, and social media marketing topics.

#Likeable –Sunday at 10pm ET: Social media marketing chat that commonly draws over 100 participants.

Resources

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media; the question is how well we DO it.”

– Erik Qualman