Choosing Platforms and Establishing Social Media Goals
Presented By Frank MccinskyStrategic Images
Finding Purpose
Agenda
• Setting the stage• Platform breakdown• Now what? • Moving forward• Things to remember • Questions
Should we be using it?
• This is how organizations are reaching their communities
• 86.2% of non-profits have a commercial profile (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Most common reason for not being involved?
• Lack of internal expertise (44.3%)
Other Non-Profits
Source: Nonprofit Technology Network (n=980)
What should we use?
• Different answer for everyone• First, you’ll need to ask yourself a few
questions…
Ask yourself now
• What do I need to do?– Bring in new revenue (donations)
• 61.1% of non-profits do not fundraise directly
– Find volunteers, helpers, mentors– Create community connections and advocacy
• 80.5% use social media as primarily a marketing tool
More Questions…
• Who do I need to reach– Age, gender, income
• What information can I share more? • What information can I use more?
Write them down
Choosing Platforms
Choosing Platforms
Choosing Platforms
Choosing Platforms
• Facebook– Big Kahuna
• Twitter– Becoming popular among businesses
• LinkedIn– Development, larger donors, community leaders
• YouTube– Content king
• More than 400 million active users• 50% of active users log on daily• 35 million users update their status each day
Choosing Platforms
• March 2010:– Facebook topped Google as most popular website
in the U.S.
• Pros– Extremely customizable – Many tools to measure traffic, demographics, etc.– 3rd party applications allow different functions,
including direct donations
• Cons– Plenty of competition – Applications may require technical expertise– Easier for employees to get side-tracked
• 50 million tweets are sent a day• 1,400% growth in Tweets from Feb
2009-2010
• Pros– Easy to set up and get started– Many 3rd party tools can improve ease of use– Instantly identify opportunities to answer questions
and fulfill community needs
• Cons – Steep learning curve– System failures are more common– ROI is difficult to gauge (it’s getting better)
• 60 million members in over 200 countries• A new member joins LinkedIn approximately
every second• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies
are LinkedIn members
• Pros– Professional community– Large, established user base– Great for development
• Cons– Not nearly as customizable as others– Users are typically less active– Primarily a professional networking tool
YouTube
• The second largest search engine in the world
• 20 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube… every minute
• 72% of US video streams
YouTube
YouTube
• Pros– Free to post– Successful videos can achieve large amount of
views– Easy to use and cross-promote
• Cons – Volume of videos means lots of competition – While free to use, creating content to post requires
expertise
Now What?
1. Dedicate 2. Decide3. Define4. Delegate5. Develop
1. Dedicate
• Commit to using these tools • Embrace the learning process• Trial and error
2. Decide
• Pick the platforms that fit your needs– Questions that we asked earlier– Do you have the skills to use them?– Is your organization ready?
• Does staff support your mission• Are they ready to jump in?• Social media can be enabler and energizer
2. Decide
Source: Nonprofit Technology Network (n=980)
3. Define
• Clearly define your goals – “Increase the constant contact we have with the
community”• We need to become a community resource by posting
information daily and replying to every question that’s posted on our platforms
3. Define
– “Our web presence needs to grow” • We need to drive people to our website and increase
web traffic by X% during non-peak months
– “Help the impact of traditional marketing” • We need to get more impact from [recent campaign] by
posting it on social platforms and getting X more views
3. Define
4. Delegate
• Who will be helping maintain the presence?
4. Delegate
4. Delegate
• Be a part of it• Trust multiple employees
– Variety of content – Ease time dedicated by employees
• 87% of non-profits dedicated one-quarter of a full-time staff member or more
• Do not make it solely an intern/ new hire’s responsibility
5. Develop a Foundation
• Sign up for the appropriate accounts • Add basic information
• Location, web address, contact info, etc
• Upload content • Pictures, video, newsletters, etc• Repeat the uploading process
Moving Forward
• Promote yourself– Invite staff members to join– Encourage staff invite their friends– Cross-promote
• E-mail signature• Web resources • Other traditional media
– Include a call to action
Keep in Mind
• It’s a social network • Social networks provide an opportunity to
connect and create advocacy• Do not forget about your goals
Next Up
• Platform Development– Platform Specific Terminology– How to build on your foundation– What additional tools are available– Keeping up with current trends
Questions?
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