Transcript Social Media for Non-Profits

SOCIAL MEDIA
FOR NON-PROFITS
How to Use Social Media to Build Awareness of
and Connection to Your Organization
Kaliah Communications, Inc.
PART 1:
What Are the Social Media Tools
and Who Do They Reach?

Why is social media important?
o
According to an eMarketer Report, published in 2013, 1.73 billion people around
the globe use social media. One year, from 2012 to 2013, saw an 18 percent
increase in usage.*
o
According to that same report, that number was expected to rise to 2.55 billion
by 2017.
o
Social media is how we share news with our networks, make lifestyle and
spending decisions, stay abreast of current events and feel a part of our
“communities.”
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How many of you use social media?
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How many social media apps do you have on your smartphones?
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Can you remember what life was like without social media?
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In 2014, 67 percent of Americans had a profile on a social media site, as
compared to 24 percent in 2008. (Edison Research, published on Adweek.com,
4/2/14)
*http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Networking-Reaches-Nearly-One-Four-Around-World/1009976
How is Facebook different from LinkedIn,
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube?
Who Uses Them for What?

Facebook is the largest social media platform
with 1.35 billion followers/users, as of October
2014 - higher than the population of India and
roughly equal to China. Used primarily for social,
entertainment, and personal relationship building.
Trending older (30s-50s)

LinkedIn is for business-oriented networking,
job seekers, research on companies (for profit
and nonprofit) and business trend news.
Builds professional reputations.

Twitter is for news, announcements, updates,
what’s trending. 40-characters or less with links
to bigger stories. Generates followers among
the teens to 30s.
Who Uses Them for What?

Instagram (Twitter with pictures) is an
image/video only platform that uses hashtags
for analysis and tracking.

Pinterest is for album/experience-building, used
with lifestyle, retail, travel and personal sharing
with pins, likes and followers. Trends older.

YouTube sports 1 billion users as of April 2014.
Video is key and most video links take users to
YouTube, which is a repository for branding
campaigns, TV, movies, instructional videos,
music videos and just about everything else.
Create your own channel and build a following
of viewers to your own “news” station.
What is a Blog and
Why Should You Have One?

A blog is a digital news column. It’s your opportunity
to add your news to the online conversation and a way to
drive traffic to your site through strategic SEO (search engine
optimization).

A blog uses key words in articles that are relevant, original and
timely, which readers use to form opinions, share, or use to start
other conversations. (Q: What are some key words that you would
use to find your organization online?)

Blogs must be maintained with fresh content, much like a website
and an e-letter; otherwise, visitors will view the source as out of
date or “old,” and Google will rank the site lower in a search.
How Should Your Website Operate?
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Key elements to a successful website now are:
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About Us – a definition of your organization, mission, a brief
history, key people
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Links to social media platforms – Icons that take users to your
Facebook, Twitter, etc., so they can follow you

Video/Link to YouTube channel – Either original video or
rebroadcast TV coverage. Video is king.

Blog – Primarily for SEO purposes, but also as content for other
social media sites, i.e. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

Great images – The most compelling websites use fewer words
and more pictures to tell their story.
What other elements should you consider?
Eventbrite? ConstantContact? Onsite donation
capabilities?
Working with your webmaster, consider incorporating these additions to
your website if they can help make the online experience more efficient
and effective.

Eventbrite - Sell tickets to a lot of events? Eventbrite allows visitors
to purchase tickets using their credit card.
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ConstantContact – a well-known e-letter design and distribution
software program. Other clients have used MailChimp.

Onsite donation capabilities
PART 2:
What Do You Need?
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Match your social media needs to your organizational needs
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If you’re trying to build relationships with older donors with buying power – Facebook
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If you’re trying to establish a reputation among the business community – LinkedIn
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If you’re trying to connect with younger donors – Twitter/Instagram
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If you’re trying to tell your story visually – YouTube
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If you’re trying to build a following among shoppers/travelers – Pinterest
Match your social media needs to your audience
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Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest – trend older and more conventional
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Instagram, Twitter and YouTube – trend younger and more mobile
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YouTube and blogs reach everyone
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What’s new in social media – trend visionary and experimental
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Build what you can maintain well
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Most nonprofits face a challenge of resources.
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Pick 2 or 3 social media sites that you KNOW you can maintain with weekly
or biweekly updates – this should include your blog
Advertise or not?
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Advertising on social media helps users find you.
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If you build it, they won’t necessarily come. There’s too much to see!
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Sponsored posts and ads that click through to your site can be used strategically
to drive awareness to campaigns, contests, giveaways, membership drives and
special events.
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Most social media sites have easy-to-follow instructions and customer
support for advertising campaign questions.

Tie what you have together -o
SM can encourage e-letter subscription,
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Link to blog for more detailed information,
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Registration to events, or
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Views of media coverage.
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What you say on one platform – say the same thing on the other.
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Example: A digital analyst told me to pick my message for 2-3 months
and build my content around that message across all platforms so it’s
consistent and continuous.
PART 3:
How do you maintain it all? (11-11:30)

Assigning responsibilities: Social media needs to belong somewhere and with
someone, so the messaging is consistent and continual

Potential pitfalls of social media: Bad reviews, inappropriate comments, profanity
and spammers can be limited by understanding your settings. Sites allow you to have
limited feedback or no feedback at all. You also have the ability to remove comments
or hide them, unfollow friends and delete users. The best policy is policing your sites
on a regular basis and contacting Tech Support on user and privacy settings, if you
experience negative feedback.
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Have a simple social media policy that enables you to take items down
and/or avoid them.
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Anyone with user capabilities for your sites should be trained on how
to spot and remove negative posts immediately, from their home or
work sites.
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How to build an editorial calendar
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Map out ideas for stories and content at least 3-6 months in advance
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Who needs to approve content?
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Who is authorized to access the sites?
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Plan your SM content and blogs out as you would your PR and
regular eletters
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Create the pieces of a social media campaign –
content, photos, active links, video, organizational interaction,
fulfillment of promises
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Plan to take photos at events
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Ask staff to take fun selfies for internal news, like birthdays or new hires
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Check all links before you use them and make sure they’re working
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Get all video approved before posting
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Who is collecting contest entries, if there is a contest?
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Who is delivering prizes, if there is a prize due?
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Creating online partnerships with other nonprofits, sharing
information, tagging, making specific “asks”
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Just what is a hashtag? A method for tracking audience engagement
Keeping track of what’s next – Tumblr (micro-blog/SM site),
Kik, Snapchat, What’s App