Transcript Social Networking What We’ll Cover • • • • • • What is social networking? Examples Stats Metrics Convincing your boss Step-By-Step Guide.

Social Networking
What We’ll Cover
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is social networking?
Examples
Stats
Metrics
Convincing your boss
Step-By-Step Guide
What is social networking?
• Two-way
communication and
collaboration
• Interactive way to
connect with supporters
Differences
Web site
Social network
One way communication
Two way communication
Content generated in
house
Organization’s voice
Content generated by
users
People’s voice
Talking to people
Talking with people
Marketing
Conversations
Expect information
Expect interaction
From a Strategic Perspective
• Need to be where the people are
• Opportunity to expand your
“universe” and reach an
otherwise untapped audience
• Should be integrated into your
overall communications plan
A Supporter’s Network
• Supporters have
their own
networks that
they can tap
into
Image Credit: businessweek.com
Keeping Things in Perspective
• Not a silver bullet for your organization’s
communication goals
• Don’t have to be on every social network
to be successful
• Email program is still very important
Examples
There are a lot social networking sites out there!
Facebook: Group v. Page
Common Facebook Question:
What’s the difference between a Group and a Page?
Facebook: Group v. Page
•
Groups
– Better for organizing on a personal level
and for smaller scale interaction
– Only groups under 5,000 members can
send email blasts
•
Pages
– Similar to an individual’s page
– Better for brands, businesses, or movies
who want to interact with their fans or
customers without having them
connected to a personal account
– Able to exceed the 5,000 friend cap
Source: Howard Greenstein http://mashable.com/2009/05/27/facebook-page-vs-group/
Stats
• How popular are social networks?
• What do the numbers look like?
Growth Over Time
Highlights:
February, 2005 = 8%
August, 2006 = 16%
December, 2008 = 35%
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey December 2008 Survey
Demographics
Men = 35%
Women = 35%
White, non-Hispanic = 31%
Black, non-Hispanic = 43%
Hispanic = 48%
18-24 = 75%
25-34 = 57%
35-44 = 30%
45-54 = 19%
55-64 = 10%
65+ = 7%
Urban = 34%
Suburban = 26%
Rural = 23%
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey December 2008 Survey
User Cross-pollination
Source: www.andersonanalytics.com
Demographic Comparison
MySpace (June 2009)
Facebook (June 2009)
Change.org (June 2009)
Source: www.quantcast.com
Comparison: Monthly U.S. People
Source: www.quantcast.com
Comparison: Monthly U.S. Visits
Source: www.quantcast.com
Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report
• Conducted between February 20 and April 15, 2009
• 980 nonprofit professionals responded
• Some Key Themes
– Facebook is the most popular @ 74%
– Avg. community size: 5,391 members
– Time on Facebook: 94%, 2 years or less
– Time on Twitter: 94%, 1 year or less
Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report
• Staff and budgets (real but small)
– Four-fifths are committing at least one-quarter of
a full-time staff person
• Responsibility over the social network efforts
– Most likely owned by the comms and marketing
depts, followed by fundraising and exec mgmt
• Long term
– More than half intend to increase social network
project staffing over the next 12 months
Popularity of Social Networking Sites
Source: Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report - April 2009
(Sponsored by Nonprofit Technology Network, Common Knowledge, and ThePort)
Average Size of Communities
Source: Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report - April 2009
(Sponsored by Nonprofit Technology Network, Common Knowledge, and ThePort)
Side by Side Comparison
46.5% of nonprofits have a YouTube page, with 268 subscribers
43.2% of nonprofits have a Twitter page, with 291 subscribers
26.1% of nonprofits have a MySpace page, with 1905 subscribers
Metrics
• Different types of metrics to look at:
– # of friends, fans, members over time
– # of new names
– # of donations
– # of video / photo views
– # of blog and wall comments
– # of voting participants
– # of blogs linking to or covering the stories
(consider quality)
– # of friends recruited
– $ of donations
Metrics
• Examine the numbers
– Quantify tangible AND intangible results
– Compare time & money spent against results
– Benchmark against other contests and other
nonprofits
If Your Boss Needs Convincing
• Go under the radar and try things out
• Present results that are tied to specific
goals
• Get them on the network if they’re
willing
Step-By-Step Guide
1. Create a Plan
2. Create Content
3. Make Friends
4. Track & Engage
1. Create a Plan
• Why are we joining a social network?
• Which social network’s demographics
most mirror the group that you want
to reach out to?
• Who's going to maintain/update the
social network?
1. Create a Plan
• Set priorities & goals
• Decide which metrics you want to
use to measure success
• Dip your toe in and start small
2. Create Content
• What information are you sharing?
• What are you asking supporters to do?
• How can people get involved?
• Is the content on your social networking site in sync
with the content on your Web site?
3. Make Friends
• Stack the deck (start with your base and your own
friends)
• Be super-responsive to questions that are posted
• Reach out to new communities
• “Friend” and network with other related orgs
• Give supporters a way to invite their friends
4. Track & Engage
• Monitor your initiatives and track the progress
• Experiment and learn from your own lessons
• Keep engaging your supporters with content that is:
– Interesting
– Meaningful
– Updated
– Relevant
Contact Info
New Organizing Institute
(202) 558-5585
[email protected]
www.neworganizing.com
www.twitter.com/neworganizing