Chosing platformsfull

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

Facebook

• 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.

Facebook

Facebook

• 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

Twitter

• 50 million tweets are sent a day• 1,400% growth in Tweets from Feb

2009-2010

Twitter

Twitter

• 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)

LinkedIn

• 60 million members in over 200 countries• A new member joins LinkedIn approximately

every second• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies

are LinkedIn members

LinkedIn

LinkedIn

• 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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