Social Media for Charities in Ireland

Feb 2011

With Nathalie McDermott (@natmc)On Road Media

• Is an award-winning social enterprise

•We deliver training to voluntary sector organisations, communities and journalists

•We teach people how to podcast, make video blogs and to use social networks well

INCLUSION

Nathalie McDermott | On Road Media | @natmc

Why do charities have to be amazing at Social

Media?

“Facebook and Twitter have made giving to charity something to share, not to be done anonymously. Charities have to be brilliant on the internet. Part of the experience is people can see that you are giving. You give because other friends of yours have given”. Steve Moore

There are many ways to get your messages across

Static sites were web 1.0Blogs, wikis, podcasts, social networks...

...any site where people create content, network and socialise...

= web 2.0

LINKEDIN: 400,000 TWITTER: Around 150,000FACEBOOK...

Social Media in Ireland...

FIVE

How do I get to grips with social media?–...Start using it!–Find a peer who you’d like to emulate and ask them how they’re using it

–...Keep using it!–Be natural. Be yourself.–Experiment and play

How are charities using social media

well?

Avoid the “Marie Celeste” Factor

Think about the following things before you start:

• Audience (start with the people in your address book)

• Your brand - what sums up the work you do?- what is your unique background, experience, voice?- what’s your personality? (sarcastic, humorous, serious)- how do you want people to FEEL

about you?

Power and Control

• You won’t always be able to control things or place yourself at the centre of discussions.

• You will have to give up some control to gain more friends, followers and influence. This is a good thing.

Relaxing your grip• It’s the nature of social media that

not all information is exactly right but the bulk of it is generally right (see wikipedia)

• Not all comments will be favourable

• How you react to unfavourable comments says a lot about you

• Pick your battles and don’t be afraid to apologise when you’re wrong

Find the right tone: “Be cool”

• Let go• Facilitate conversations, don’t control

them• Involve your audience, don’t ‘own’ your

cause/subject• Try things and be patient• Aggregate content for your audience

Time Management

• Manage your social media profiles and still have a life? Yes you can! and still have a life? Yes!–You don't necessarily have to do

it all–What makes sense for your

brand?–Where is your audience?–What's your goal?

Make social media work for you!

–Cross-post content–Setup email alerts (for the most

important updates)–Develop a routine

• Spend 10-15 minutes reading• Spend 10-15 minutes posting

Promotion–Search Engine Optimization -

You want people to find your content!• You need links to your content

• Ask appropriate people to link to your website

• The more links to your websites (blog, twitter, facebook pages etc) the easier you will be to find in web searches

Understand why this is important

• It is fundamentally different from previous forms of media

• Social media platforms provide a framework for people to connect directly to each other – the architecture has permanently changed, though technologies will continue to evolve

• People are using social media to glean information from each other without relying on organisations or institutions

• This shift is permanent! Get involved or lose out!

This doesn’t mean we replace offline activity

Set expectations

• Social media isn’t a miracle cure• It may take a long time for your

social media investment to pay off• It might even never pay off in the

way you originally intended

Social Media is one tool

• Don’t overinvest in social media• Know your audiences (current and

future) and court them appropriately

• If you neglect conventional media, you might leave out your core clients or supporters

• Don’t underinvest in social media either

Put together a strategy & policy doc

• Spend a day • Think about all of the above and

get in down on paper• Circulate to your colleagues and

discuss

1. Development Objectives

2. Areas / Themes to be Addressed on MeroReport

3. Key Messages to Communicate via Site

4. Target Audiences

5. Reasons for users to use the site:

6. Ways to Reach out toTarget Audience

7. Facilities and resources available (including HR) and how they will be used

8. Measuring success

Keys to success

• Social Media is just one piece of the puzzle, don’t neglect the rest

• One size doesn’t fit all, do what’s right you and do what you enjoy

• Keep experimenting and always test

• You will give up some control – learn to live with it and learn to love it

Contact: nathalie@onroadmedia.org.u

kTwitter @natmc

www.onroadmedia.org.uk