12. 800 m l l i on user s
i
130 Fr i ends
80 Pages, or ls,dw de
wEvent i
G oups
r
350 m l l i on access
i
f acebook t hr ough a
m l e phone
obi
AVG FB USER
3,500,000,000
3.5 billion pieces of content – web pages,
news stories, blog links – are shared each
share week on facebook. (HubSpot)
20. Define Your Objectives
• Who are you trying to reach?
• What is it that you want them to do?
• How often do you want them to do it?
• What are you doing well already?
• What does better look like?
22. Social Media Strategy
• Train the staff and key activists
• Create clear channels for moving ideas and
information (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
• Calendar and processes for scheduled and
unscheduled information
• Style and editorial guidelines for brand
consistency
• Guidelines for interacting with members online
• Gathering metrics to inform future action
Editor's Notes
Social Media: I’m talking but can anybody hear me?Developed by Michael Fedor, AFSCME Education & Leadership Training DepartmentJan 2012
We live in a fast paced, message saturated world. As a union activists and leader your goal it to ensure your members are hearing from their union, but all to often we are faced with a difficult question.
How to break through the noise to make the connection?
The fundamental rule in political action and organizing is to start where “they” are . . .That means to evaluate where your members spend their time, where are they most comfortable, and what is their current “view” of the world out there.
And so if 50% of Americans 12 years of age and older have a facebook account, chances are at least 50% of your members do, too. (http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-adults-facebook.html)
With 100 million twitter accounts active worldwide, what are you missing out on by not being there?Especially if your members use Twitter for news, information sharing, or a place to stay in touch with the union movement.
Google+ is new to the landscape, but is starting to permeate. Just like facebook and twitter it has its advantages and disadvantages. It can be a great space for virtual meetings, chats, and opportunities to connect.
If the number 1 place people go for political information is the Internet – namely social media sites second after search engines, why aren’t you there?Fully 73% of adult internet users (representing 54% of all U.S. adults) went online to get news or information about the 2010 midterm elections, or to get involved in the campaign in one way or another. We refer to these individuals as "online political users" and our definition includes anyone who did at least one of the following activities in 2010:Get political news online - 58% of online adults looked online for news about politics or the 2010 campaigns, and 32% of online adults got most of their 2010 campaign news from online sources.Go online to take part in specific political activities, such as watch political videos, share election-related content or "fact check" political claims - 53% of adult internet users did at least one of the eleven online political activities we measured in 2010.Use Twitter or social networking sites for political purposes - One in five online adults (22%) used Twitter or a social networking site for political purposes in 2010.1Again, 73% of online adults took part in at least one of these activities in 2010. As an example of the changing landscape for online politics since the last midterm contest, the proportion of internet users who viewed campaign-related videos online jumped from 19% in 2006 to 31% in 2010. Similarly, as recently as the 2006 election cycle just 16% of online adults used online social networking sites; today roughly six in ten online adults are social networkers, and these sites have emerged as a key part of the political landscape in the most recent campaign cycle.2
The internet continues to grow in importance as a source of political newsOne quarter of all U.S. adults (24%) got most of their news about the 2010 elections from the internet, and the proportion of Americans who get most of their midterm election campaign news from the internet has grown more than three-fold since the 2002 campaign.
We want to help you get there, but do it right. The only thing worse than having a bad social media presence is having none at all, but there is so much help in AFSCME to help you start on the right foot, so what are you waiting for?
The 900 lb gorilla of social media. Facebook.
Sure, watch the movie to learn part of the mythology of facebook’s start – but what you should know is that lots of people have personal facebook accounts.In fact, 50,000 new accounts are signed up every single day.The average facebook user has 130 connections and follows 80 pages, events, or groupsOn any given day, 50% of fb users are logged in.3.5 billion pieces of content are shared each week on facebook.And 350 million facebook users access their account through their mobile phone.
As a union activists you should start with a personal facebook page, but talk to a pro about privacy settings. The really important move is to get your local in the game with social media with a PAGE.Pages are great. They can be managed by multiple registered fb users. They allow you to detach yourself personally from the message and put the organization (union) forward as the messenger.
Pages allow you to build a brand, a voice, and a community. Members, fans, friends can LIKE the page and keep up to date with new, messages, events, photos, and happenings through their own FB accounts.The key here is to develop a core group that will be responsible for managing this account, posting at least daily if not a couple times a day . Sharing photos. Sharing posts from AFSCME IU. And remember a few dos and donts
The key here is to develop a core group that will be responsible for managing this account, posting at least daily if not a couple times a day . Sharing photos. Sharing posts from AFSCME IU. And remember a few dos and donts
DoBe freshBe activeBe positive Be openBe inclusiveBe thoughtful
The real power of Facebook is the explosion of mobile access. The ability to do most of the cool functions from a cell phone allow facebook to be a powerful, instant form of communication and connection.
When it comes to using social media to build activism, participation, and power, there is no treasure map to the buried treasure. We simply need to develop a thoughtful plan that can be thoughtfully executed.
Identify your Council’s mission and goals and align your social media approach to support those objectives.Know where your affiliates and affiliates’ members are spending their time today – Start there.Ask the affiliates and their members how they use social media and the best ways in which to reach them.
Here are a few dozen things you can do with facebookShare photos, receive donations for a campaign or nonprofit, share new stories, share links, tag people in photos, post updates, invite people to events, post messages and notes, create public discussion groups, create private and secret discussion groups, link to your other social media, post email sign up pages, post critical information for curious people, connect with lost friends, meet new friends and allies. Be part of the conversation.
