This document provides an overview of social media and how non-profit organizations can utilize various social media platforms. It discusses what social media is, how mainstream it has become, and the importance of having an online presence and engaging supporters through social media. The document then gives recommendations on developing a social media strategy, profiling audiences and organizations, and provides examples of how to use tools like websites, email, blogs, video, and social networking sites to engage stakeholders and spread an organization's message.

1. Social Media and Your Organization Jocelyn Harmon Director of Nonprofit Services, Care2

2. Today’s agenda What are social media? So what? Who cares? How do you do it? Tools you can use Getting started Learn from the best

3. What are social media?

4. What Are Social Media? Social media are Internet-based tools to share information, learn and connect with others. Social media are SOCIAL! They enable user-generated content and feedback. Examples include, blogs, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter.

5. Different from mass media Mass media FREE (sort of) Easy to cut, paste and share Social More democratic Social media Expensive Hard to distribute One-way Inaccessible to most

6. Who’s online anyway? Men : 74% Women : 74% White, Non-Hispanic : 76% Black, Non-Hispanic : 70% Hispanic (English-speaking) : 64% 18 – 29 : 93% 30 – 49 : 81% 50 – 64 : 70% 65+ : 38% Less than $30,000/yr : 60% $30,000 – $49,999 : 76% $50,000 – $74,999 : 83% $75,000 : 94% Less than HS : 39% High School : 63% Some College : 87% College+ : 94%

7. What are they doing? • Send or read email : 89% • Use a search engine to find information : 88% • Look for info online about a service or product you are thinking of buying* : 81% • Check the weather : 76% • Look for health/medical info~ : 75% • Buy a product : 75% • Get news : 72% • Go online just for fun or to pass time : 72% • Watch a video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or Google Video : 62% • Read someone else’s online journal or blog^* : 32% • Rate a product, service or person using an online rating system : 31% • Share something online that you created yourself : 30% • Listen to a live or recorded radio broadcast online, such as a newscast, sporting event, or radio show : 29% • Categorize or tag online content like a photo, news story or blog post : 28% • Post comments to an online news group, website, blog or photo site : 26% • Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion : 22% • Make a donation to a charity online : 19% • Use Twitter or other status-updating service : 19% • Download a podcast so you can listen to it or view it later* : 19% • Use Twitter or other status-update service : 19%

8. Don’t forget about email and search… Send or read e-mail : 89% Use a search engine to find information : 88% These are the top-ranked online activities. Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project

9. So what? Who cares?

10. Social media is mainstream! 75% of Internet users participate in some form of social media, up from 56 percent in 2007. Source: Forrester

11. So what ? Who cares? It’s fast. It’s global. It can help you reach new and younger advocates. It can enable your best supporters to market for you. It’s measurable. It’s where your audiences are!

12. How do you do it?

13. Strategy first. Tools second.

14. Before diving in, do your homework.

15. Profile your audience Who are your stakeholders? Where do they “live” online? How do they interact with the social web? Who are your key influencers? How often do they visit our your website? What do they do when they get there? How else are you currently communicate with them?

16. Profile your organization Is your organization online? Do you have a website? Is it updated regularly? Do you have a newsletter? Do you have an email newsletter? How often do you sent it out? How does your organization handle the adoption of new technology?

17. Profile your organization What’s your communications capacity? Is communicating/doing advocacy in someone’s job description? Do you have a marketing/communications plan and strategy? What do you want our stakeholders to do – act, donate, share/spread news?

18. Tools you can use

19. • Websites • Email • Blogs • Video • Twitter • Social networking sites

20. Websites Your website should still be the hub of all your communication activities. Make it easy for people to engage with you by keeping your content fresh . However, also make it easy for them to repurpose your content. Remember, you have 1 minute to WOW !

21. Example

22. Example

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24. Email Your email list is one of your most valuable assets. Keep it clean and build it. Buy a commercial email services platform. Do not use Outlook for blast emails. Put an email sign up on every page of your website.

25. Example

26. Example

27. Blogs – Use them to: put a real face on your organization. enable you to communicate quickly. get found in Search. build, organize and share content – educate. control the discourse. get PR.

28. Example

29. Video – Use it to: Show vs. tell your story. (YouTube is the 3rd most trafficked site on the Web!)

30. Twitter – Use it to: See who is talking about your issue right now . Respond and connect. Enable people to follow an event, issue or conversation in real time via hash tags. Use your twitter feed to drive traffic to your website, blog, petitions.

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34. Social Networking Sites – Use them to: Build an audience, i.e. find new stakeholders. Increase brand awareness. Ask your supporters to support you. A caveat: Unless you have their email addresses your fans don’t really belong to you.

35. Example

36. If you build it. They won’t come!

37. Don’t forget to syndicate your content. “ If you don’t like the news…go out and make some of your own.” - Wes “Scoop” Nisker

38. Getting started

39. Getting started Clean up your website! Get your email marketing going! Set up Google Alert and start listening to what people are already saying about you online. Do a Google blog search on key terms. Search Technorati and Alltop to find the influential bloggers in your industry. Follow other nonprofits on Twitter to see what they are talking about.

40. Getting started Start a personal Facebook page so you can get a feel for the medium. Follow other nonprofits on Twitter to see what they are talking about.

41. Learn from the best

42. Resources for You! Pew Internet and American Life Project Alexa.com 2010 e-Nonprofit Benchmark Study Blackbaud Index of Online Giving BethKanter.org Frogloop.com Care2’s Social Networking Calculator – http://bit.ly/aV5idE

43. Connect with me! [email_address] 301-257-8526 @jocelynharmon