Open DoorLEARNING CENTER
Word-of-mouth outreach through Facebook {a guide}
{1} Why Facebook?
{2} Roles and Expectations
{3} Making the most of posts
{4} Inspiration around you
{5} Inform, Inspire, Engage
{6} Inform examples
{7} Inspire examples
{8} Engage examples
{9} Responding to positive and negative comments
{10} Outside inspiration
{11} Social media guidelines
REACHING FAR AND WIDE Because Facebook is a free platform with 1 billion registered users, we have the potential to reach a lot of people for very little money. Thanks to the exponential math of social media networks, the Open Door – Lake Street page is currently “liked” by just 79 users but reaches approximately 28,000 friends and friends-of-friends of these supporters.
LOW RISK, HIGH REWARDUsing Facebook is a low-risk/high-reward marketing strategy. Facebook allows Open Door Learning Center to experiment with social media. We can’t know what existing and potential constituents might or might not respond to until we put it out there. Our strategy: simply try things and see what works. Then, do more of whatever works and abandon or modify what doesn’t.
CAPITALIZING ON WORD-OF-MOUTHWord-of-mouth has always been an important marketing tool for the Minnesota Literacy Council, and the advent of social media makes it even easier for constituents to spread the word about us. Building communities of supporters that influence one another is key to marketing our work. As Katya Andresen, chief strategy officer at Network for Good, says: “Organizations need to recognize that they are not their best messengers anymore.” Posts should empower supporters to take our messages and run with it.
{1} Why Facebook?
{2} Roles and expectations
It’s a free way to reach thousands of people.
If we make a mistake today, we can try something new tomorrow.
It gives us another way to boost word-of-mouth.
<< leads at the program level
<< leads at the site level
<< assists the site leader
at-a-glance version:
FACEBOOK COORDINATORThe literacy council’s Community Engagement VISTA will serve as the Facebook coordinator for Open Door Learning Center. Each month, he or she will send a post idea calendar and analytics. The coordinator is the go-to person for questions or support.
SITE LEADEREach Open Door site will designate a Facebook outreach leader who will coordinate 3-5 Facebook posts per week, ensure all posts are consistent with Open Door’s key messages and respond to both positive and negative comments. He or she can choose to do all the posting or delegate responsibility among other site staff, volunteers or interns.
OPEN DOOR STAFFAll Open door staff should assist their Facebook site leader in writing or curating posts each month. Sites can create their own roles for staff.
ALIGN WITH KEY MESSAGESThe literacy council’s strategic plan and the key messages of Open Door Learning Center serve as a great guide for posts.
Each should implicitly align with one of our organization’s strategic goals:• model organizational performance excellence• boost awareness and accessibility of our expertise• drive the standards in our field• create impact through measurable outcomes• pioneer visionary and innovative strategies
or one of Open Door’s key messages:• We welcome you.• We give you individual attention.• We make you feel at home.• We teach you skills to succeed at work and in life.
TONE IS IMPORTANTBe careful about how you say what you think. Sarcasm and innuendo may get lost on some Facebook users because of the nature of written communication. Only use humor when you are sure no viewers will take offense; otherwise, use the kind of language you would use if you were speaking in person to all the people who might view the wall post. Speak as Open Door Learning Center rather than as an individual, using words like “we,” “they” or the “Open Door” rather than “I” and use clear explanations rather than attempting to be clever.
STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWDPhotos and video will stand out most in our users’ newsfeeds. Whenever possible, include a visual with your post (photos from your site, photos of art or projects, etc.). Remember to capture learners’ permission for photos/video using media release forms. Another strategy to test is creating post categories that you’ll use on a regular basis and use a brief headline, like OVERHEARD or CONGRATS, to label posts in those categories.
CONSIDER THE PRIMARY AUDIENCEIt is important to consider the primary audience for each message. For whom is this information most relevant? Current students? Potential students? Volunteers? Write and post to that audience while being mindful of the fact that everyone else can read and interact with that post. Communications that are respectful, informative, and entertain-ing—regardless of subject matter or target audience—will engage all constituents on some level.
{3} Make the most of your posts
Show off Open Door’s welcoming nature and its impact on the community.
Favor clarity over cleverness. Humor and sarcasm can be misinterpreted.
Use photos, videos or links whenever possible!
Having a clear audience in mind leads to clear messages.
at-a-glance version:
CALL TO ACTIONWhenever it’s relevant, include (or imply) a call to action with your post. Ask yourself: What do I want our followers to do after viewing the post? Calls to action can be explicit, such as driving people toward our website, inviting them to an event or asking them to contact a legis-lator. Others might be implicit in the way that posting a news article might motivate people to learn more about the article’s topic or how a volunteer testimonial might inspire other volunteer’s to post their own thoughts.
ENCOURAGE INTERACTIONSocial media can help us build an engagement community at Open Door Learning Center. As such, posts should foster inclusive conversation and interaction. The best way to do this is to capture and/or create unique, timely, and meaningful user-generated content by learners, volunteers, teachers, community partners or other stakeholders.
FREQUENCYOpinions abound on how often organizations should post on Facebook. But the general consensus seems to be that one post per week is not enough to foster an engaged audience; more than six posts a week can overwhelm users, and in turn damage audience engagement. In light of this, we recommend that each Open Door page posts 3-5 times weekly.
Give users something to do after reading your post.
Try to get our “friends” talking!
Post 3-5 times a week.
at-a-glance version:
{4} Inspiration around you
LINK TO: • Event announcements• Upcoming curriculum announcements• Interesting videos that relate to literacy or
volunteering• News about literacy• Celebrity quotes related to literacy or our classes• Trivia related to literacy, English learning and
language, citizenship, and other ABE content areas
TAKE PHOTOS OR VIDEOS OF: • Learners (use media releases as outlined in policies)
• Volunteers• Artwork or projects by learners• Realia or white board sketches used in lessons
To help with posting 3-5 times a week, take advantage of content that’s all around you: a newspaper article you come across, class projects hanging on the wall, conversations after class, etc.
WRITE/TRANSCRIBE*:• Excerpts from learner’s writing• Learner testimonials (can also be done via video)
• Volunteer testimonials (can also be done via video)
• Learner accomplishments• Volunteer accomplishments• A statistic about literacy• An open ended question (like: What book are you
reading right now?)• Best thing that happened today at the center• Announcements about school breaks or
upcoming curriculum topics, etc.• A thank-you to community partners
*If possible, add a relevant photo and/or link to make the post more engaging
{5} Inform, Inspire, Engage
Inform• share news• provide tips• give reminders Inspire
• tell a story• celebrate success• give thanks
Engage• start a conversation• inspire involvement• invite to an event
Through our Facebook outreach, we want to inform, inspire and engage our community. These three goals provide a handy framework for planning your posts:
{6} Inform examples
{6} Inform examples, continued
{7} Inspire examples
{7} Inspire examples, continued
{7} Inspire examples, continued
{8} Engage examples
{8} Engage examples, continued
{9} Responding to comments
Create Guidelines, and Stick to ThemIt’s up to us to foster an environment that facilitates conversation. “Create a set of guidelines for posting on your page, and provide links to these guidelines,” says Jeff Patrick, founder of Common Knowledge. These should be simple rules, such as no personal attacks or obscenities. (We’ll have a sample soon!)
Just the FactsIf a comment contains inaccurate information about us, play an active role in correcting it. Frame it as: “Thank you for your interest! We wanted to point out, however, that...”
Don’t Delete AutomaticallySay the issue of immigrant education heats up in our community. If people post angry rants demanding to know why we spend tax payer dollars on educating people that “aren’t from here”, our automatic instinct might be to delete the comment. But that may not be the right course of action. “It can seem fishy if you remove all negative comments,” says social media strategist Farra Trompeter of Big Duck.
Delete when needed, then informSometimes responding to a negative comment can escalate a situation. If a comment is downright inappropriate, and there’s no chance to educate, delete it. Use private messaging to let the person know why you deleted the comment and site your guidelines.
Defend Your PositionPerhaps someone has put down our learning center but backed it up with a coherent argument. Why not take an opportunity to reiterate your position? Because you’re saying it publicly, it’s a smart way to get our message out there.
Don’t Fight Your Own BattlesAnother option when the flames get hot? “Engage your ambassadors to respond for you,” suggests Jo Sullivan, Director of Creative Direct Response Fundraising Group. “You may even find that your loyal supporters automatically come to your defense.”
Be HonestWe all make mistakes—and if someone calls you on yours, you might want to just own up to it. “If the comment is true or if the person is on to something, it may be worth keeping and responding to,” advises Trompeter. By being truthful and honest, you build up integrity and trust in your organization.
Don’t Take it Personally…just take it professionally. There will always be flamers on social networks. Don’t stoop to their level. Stick to the facts and conduct your social media conversations in a professional, respectful tone.
RESPOND TO POSITIVE COMMENTS“Friends” feel more connected to an organization when they get a personal response. If page administrators never reply to wall posts, fans may feel they are being ignored. Tell our friends that we appreciate their comments and suggestions and be sure to answer questions unless doing so would require personal or inappropriate information. Prompt responses demonstrate the care we have for our constituents. While you do not have to check Facebook every 5 minutes, it is recommended the Facebook coordinator at each site skims their page daily to respond to posts if needed.
RESPOND TO NEGATIVE COMMENTS Modified from content provided by: ASPROpro.orgWhen it comes to responding to negative comments, there’s no one right way to do it. Just think context, consistency and case-by-case. And if you need extra support, contact Open Door’s Facebook coordinator. Here’s what some social media pros have to say about responding to negative comments.
{10} Outside inspiration
Check out these pages if you need a little inspiration for your Facebook posts:
ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATIONhttp://www.facebook.com/HealthierGeneration
• Shares lots of visuals• Clearly shows the cause and what they are doing to address it• Talks about a broad array of successes• Provides very practical, accessible calls to action and tips
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION- CHICAGOhttp://www.facebook.com/AHAChicago
• Shares lots of visuals• Brings in true, heartfelt stories over multiple posts that keep readers following the ups and downs —
and offer their support — to patients and caregivers. • Joined a trending viral meme by creating a tasteful version of the “Harlem Shake“ that ended with a
call to action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3djFyr8uHs • Uses great branding of AHA key messages
HUBBS CENTERhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Hubbs-Center/283126745187
• Check out the student and teach spotlights• Great mix of inspiring stories and informative announcements• Fun stories about class activities
WOLF BEST BUYhttp://www.facebook.com/BestBuyWOLF
• Excellent example of how to use the “Inform” strategy• Speaks to a very specific audience—women leaders—so posts include a ton of excellent articles related
to being a top woman leader• Post includes either a brief two-sentence recap, a highlighted quote, or a specific reason why you
should read the article
YOUNG NONPROFIT PROFESSIONALS NETWORK - TWIN CITIEShttp://www.facebook.com/YNPNTwinCities
• Most posts contain links or visuals• Connects users with nonprofit resources and events• Uses short, fun explanations for why you should check out their links
{11} Social media guidelines
In addition to the guidelines below, please follow all applicable agency policies. For any questions, contact your supervisor and the communications team. Guidelines for your personal accounts can be seen in the full document on the shared server.
Professionalism• Be professional, use good judgment and be accurate and honest in your communications.• Do not post content that could be deemed as disparaging or offensive to the literacy council,
its constituents, staff or the community.
Content• Provide relevant and current information that aligns with our values and mission.• Solicitations of financial donations via social media require prior authorization and may be
done only using language and technology approved by the development director.• Refer to the social media strategy plan (to debut in FY13) for additional content guidelines,
ideas and tips.
Confidentiality• Do not use names for participants under 18 (exceptions made for video or audio recordings).
Pseudonyms can be used instead.• Use participants’ names only if you have a signed media release form. Use first names only.• Use participants’ photos only if you have a signed media release form.• Do not reveal private information.
Activity levels• To prevent overexposure to followers and friends, submit a maximum of three posts per day
(unless your special circumstance is agreed upon with the communications team).• To prevent stagnant sites, submit at least four posts per month (two posts per month is ac-
ceptable for blogs). The communications team may ask you to delete inactive accounts.
Creating new accountsBefore creating a new account, check in with your supervisor and the communications team to en-sure it meets the criteria for new accounts:
• New accounts should target an audience not already served by that type of social media.• The account shouldn’t duplicate the efforts of an existing account.• The program serving as account author should yield enough content for four updates (or two
blog posts) per month.
