Building A Social Media Plan

Building a Social Media Plan June 17, 2009 For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Reminders You can hear us, but we can’t hear you Type questions in the Questions Box Presentation slides will be available on Slideshare Turn up your volume For the best webinar experience, close all other applications. For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Today’s presenter • Kirstin Beardsley Communications and Marketing Coordinator For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

CanadaHelps.org What is CanadaHelps? A public charitable foundation that provides accessible and affordable online technology to both donors and charities. For Charities A cost-effective means of raising funds online. For Donors A one-stop-shop for giving. CanadaHelps is a charity helping charities. For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Webinar agenda 1. Overview of Social Media 2. Social Media Planning 3. Build Your Strategy 4. Tell Your Story 5. The Plan 6. Let’s Get Started • Setup, Create, Confidence, Integration, Promote, Assess 7. Tips 8. Q & A For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL MEDIA For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 (Social media) Few Many Many Many • Web 1.0 was about publishing and transactions. • Web 2.0 is about networks and community.

Social media tools WordPress Delicious • Free blogging service • Social bookmarking service • Expansion features with fee • Let’s you find similar websites Facebook Twitter • Micro blogging service, • Social networking website • 140 character limit • Suite of features Second Life YouTube • Online virtual world • Video sharing website • Explore using avatar • Free to upload and share Flickr Digg • Photo sharing website • Social news website • Can comment on photos • People vote on news articles

SOCIAL MEDIA PLANNING For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

What is social media planning? • A plan to use social media appropriately to fulfill a specific goal • Integrating social media into your current marketing, fundraising, and programming initiatives For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Do I need one? • Social media can be confusing and time consuming without a plan • Risk losing sight of your strategic goals and objectives if you don’t plan For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Social media isn’t a strategy • Social media is a tool for accomplishing your goals • Start with the question “what are my goals?” NOT “I want to build a social media presence” For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

STEP 1: BUILD YOUR STRATEGY For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Define your goals and desired outcomes • What are your current marketing, fundraising or programming goals? • What desired outcomes do you wish to achieve? • Can social media tools be used to accomplish these? For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Define your target audiences • Who do you want to reach and engage? • Be as specific as possible: – Where do they live? – What do they do? – How are they currently using social media? For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Examples • Goal: Attract young professionals as volunteers and grow their engagement in our organization. – Social media tools are likely to help with this goal • Goal: Build stronger, personal relationships with our older annual donor base and talk to them about estate planning – Social media will likely not be helpful For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Understand your capacity • Internal – Do you have the internal skills, expertise and time internally to use social media effectively – Poll your staff and volunteers: you might have an expert blogger in your midst! • External – Are there people out there already connecting around your issues? For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Start your research • Research the tools • Listen to what is already being said about you – Set up a Google Alert and use Twitter search • Learn the language, customs and etiquette • Get ideas about what works and what doesn’t For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

STEP 2: TELL YOUR STORY For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Streamline your story • Adapt your story to an online platform: – Keep it simple – Easy to remember – Easy to retell • Adapt your story to your desired audience For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Starting conversations • Remember: social media is about engaging and building community • Don’t just talk at your supporters • Think of the conversations you want to start For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Tips • Don’t just write about your latest fundraising campaign – ask your donors to tell their story. • Don’t just publish a news release about government cutbacks hurting your cause – give your supporters the tools and platform to take action and share their passion with others

STEP 3: THE PLAN For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Choose your tool • We recommend starting with one tool at a time • Take a look at your goals, audience and message: what’s the best tool for the job? For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Choose your tool Tool Uses Blogs • News outlet • Blogger • Highlighting donors and partners • WordPress Media Sharing • Enhance visual storytelling • YouTube • flickr News & Social Bookmarking • Sharing online resources • digg • Finding like-minded people and organizations • delicious Social Networking • Expanding supporter base • Facebook • Another channel for calls to action • Twitter For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Still not sure? Try a blog! • A good first step into social media: – Use existing content – Start conversations – Get used to comments – Integrate other tools into your blog • Caution: Blogs do take time to create content and engage readers For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Adapt your story to the tool • Use the tool to its fullest • Show what you do with pictures and videos For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Sample plan Goal Audience Tool(s) Message(s) Timeline Resources Example Engage a University 1. Facebook Make an Sept – April University young students in 2. YouTube impact, volunteers to generation in our town 3. Flickr share your create fundraising success, content and campaign build a engage in movement conversation For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

STEP 4: GET STARTED! For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Get Started (finally!) Setup Assess Create Promote Confidence Integrate

Setting up

What do I need? • The tool – Signing up, learning the ropes • The people – Assigning responsibility • The timelines – Planning updates For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Creating Content

Turn your story into compelling content • Example: Fundraising event – Blog: interview an attendee and ask others to share their experience in comments – YouTube: bring your video camera and ask people to tell you why they came – Facebook: ask everyone who attended to share images/stories For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Turn your story into compelling content • Example: Capital campaign – Flickr: show people the direct impact they can have through images – Twitter: Tweet regular updates on success and how much support is still needed – Blog: weekly blog post during campaign about the impact of your organization (get various perspectives: Board, community, volunteer etc…) For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Gaining Confidence

• Get used to the tool and the conversations happening • Be trustworthy & consistent • Create distinctive content that fits with your organization’s identity and mission For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Integrating

Integration Into Your Workflow • Allocate appropriate time and funds • Make it part of your work routine – Creating content – Responding & engaging • Create guidelines For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Integration With Other Initiatives f t • Tie into other marketing, fundraising and social media initiatives • Be distinctive but cohesive with your story For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Promoting

Promote In Your Network • Use other outlets to promote a new initiative • Leverage your following and promote to whoever you can For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Assessing

• Is this tool helping to fulfill your goals? • Determine the return on investment • Think about the project’s sustainability For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Listen, Learn and Adapt • Get feedback! Ask: – What is working, what isn’t? – What else would you like to see? • Implement changes and keep trying For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Start again with tool #2! Setup Assess Create Promote Confidence Integrate For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

CANADAHELPS For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

@CanadaHelps on Twitter • Every step implementation step is visible – Set up, creating content, gaining confidence, integration, promotion and assessment For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Lessons • Archive your content • Go at your own pace • Try your best to respond to everyone • People like to talk to people • Most of the content is shared! • Take it offline – remember to build face-to- face connections as well For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Things to Keep In Mind TIPS For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Have a great website • Good usability • Easy to find information • Relevant content • Clear calls to action For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Learn from others Flickr + Facebook • See how other organizations started and see what they have done • Recreate their success For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Start With One Tool at a Time • Important if you’re starting out • You can integrate tools later For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Enlist help from interns/volunteers • To help with creating content or managing the tools For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Keep expectations realistic • Success takes time and effort • Starting up is easy, maintenance is the real work

Make it part of your routine • Making your social media plan part of your routine helps spread the work out

Remember: It’s a conversation • Listening is as important as talking • Don’t talk at your supporters, engage them and listen to what they have to say

Have fun! • Interact with different people • Make it personal • These are fun tools!

ABOUT MYCHARITYCONNECTS For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

www.mycharityconnects.org • Free online resources • Information about Next Webinar technology “All About • Demos TechSoup Canada” • More webinars! • Conference materials July 15, 2009 2PM – 3PM (ET)

Question and Answer You can hear us, but we can’t hear you Ask questions in Questions Log Ask away! For audio, turn on your speakers, or Call 516-453-0014, code 116-21-4367

Thank you for attending! Slides will be up on: www.slideshare.net/MyCharityConnects Check out www.mycharityconnects.org for resources! Questions, feedback, comments? Email Amy at: amyh@canadahelps.org Thanks to: