This document provides guidance for nonprofits on how to effectively use social media. It discusses developing a strategy with clear goals and identifying your target audience and which social media platforms they use. It emphasizes creating an editorial calendar to plan content across channels. Key tactics include using images with copy, engaging followers with comments and shares, and focusing on creating shareable content with clear calls to action. Success is measured by tracking metrics like inbound links, engagements, and most importantly, conversions to donations, sales or signups. The document stresses testing approaches without overthinking it and responding to all feedback.
2013 Social Media for New Braunfels Nonprofits for McKenna Foundation
1. Make Social Media Work
for Your Nonprofit
by Monica Maldonado Williams
Founder, GivingCity
monica@givingcity.com
GivingCity Austin
@GivingCity
GivingCity for Professionals
GivingCity Austin
2. “How can you squander even one
more day not taking advantage of the
greatest shifts of our generation? How
dare you settle for less when the world
has made it so easy for you to be
remarkable?”
– Seth Godin
3. How Millennials Learn about Nonprofits
• 65% websites
• 55% social media
• 47% e-newsletters
• 18% print
• 17% in person
Nonprofits must have a multi-channel approach: in person,
online
From The Millenial Impact Report
2012
4.
5. “Those who insert themselves into as many
channels as possible look set to capture the
most value. They’ll be the richest, the most
successful, the most connected, capable
and influential among us. We’re all
publishers now, and the more we publish,
the more valuable connections we’ll make.”
-Pete Cashmore, Founder of Mashable
6. “How can you squander even one
more day not taking advantage of the
greatest shifts ofour generation? How
dare you settle for less when the world
has made it so easy for you to be
remarkable?”
– Seth Godin
7. “Don’t have any meetings about your web
strategy. Just do stuff. First you have to
fail, then you can improve.”
- Seth Godin
8. STRATEGY:
1. What are your goals? Event, fundraising, volunteers?
2. Where is your audience? Which online space?
3. Discuss tone/messaging/content sources, choose who
posts, focus on images with copy in them
4. Create editorial calendar –what, time, where?
10. MEASURE:
1. Set baseline and mark regularly
2. Create tracking tools – incoming links, hashtags,
scheduling
3. Conversions to sales, donations, sign-ups
11. Look for...
1. Inbound links on your website
2. Google Analytics
3. Engagement
4. Brand mentions – “Social Mention”
5. Search Facebook, Twitter
6. Conversions!
12. Conversions!
Do not just sent them to your homepage. Create a “landing
page”
Elements of a good landing page:
1. Shareable – simple, compelling
2. Match messaging of social media to the content of landing
page
3. People love a crowd – testimonials, likes
4. Ask for email address
5. Link to “more” on your site. Encourage page views
13. OTHER GENERAL TACTICS:
1. One avatar, careful “about”, use person for photo
2. Vanity URLs, bit.ly, find friends tools
3. Photos share! Hootsuite, Over, Postagram, Instaquote
4. If you can’t use social media on mobile, it’s kinda
worthless.
5. Make it easy, worthwhile, fun to share!
14. “Focus on how to be social, not
on how to do social.”
- Jay Baer
15. WHAT MAKES A GOOD POST?
Content: sharable, photos, clear CTA
Timing: time of day, watch for disasters
Message: your org’s mission
Tone: take cues from the room
Frequency: regularly, but not annoying
SHAREABLE
17. “The beauty of social media is that it
will point out your company’s flaws;
the key questions is how quickly you
address these flaws.”
-Erik Qualmann, Socialnomics
21. IT WORKED!
1. “Thank you, X, for sharing”
2. LIKE a comment
3. Tweet handles and thank as group “Thanks
@mckenna @givingcity @cafb for sharing!”
4. Communicate progress “12 donors in the first 20
minutes!”
5. Tease how close you are “Only two volunteer spots
left! Is it you? Bring a friend!”
22. ENGAGING ON FACEBOOK
• Post links to other relevant blogs or
organizations
• Tag photos of volunteers or event attendees
• Use some copy in photos (for sharing)
• Post photos sharing a statistic or key fact about
the organization in one line
• BOOST or PROMOTE post or page
23. ENGAGING ON TWITTER
• Start with RTs
• Be a “curator”
• Make it personal and use humor when
possible
• Tease the link
• Invite to participate
24. EMAIL & E-NEWSLETTER
• One main story and call to action
• Links to read more on website
• Compelling visuals
• Shareable
• Always “thank you”
25. SO YOU CAN’T CONVINCE ANYONE....
• Do it without them
• Do it under your own handle
• Make sure early efforts are
MEASURABLE
• Make it sound fun – because it is!
26. Make Social Media Work
for Your Nonprofit
by Monica Maldonado Williams
Founder, GivingCity
monica@givingcity.com
GivingCity Austin
@GivingCity
GivingCity for Professionals
GivingCity Austin
Hinweis der Redaktion
THANK YOU. This is a big topic. By the time we’re done, everything on Social Media will be different. Start with principles that carry across all these channels... content, metrics, conversion A bit about Facebook & Twitter – the big ones QUESTIONS
How many of your organizations are on social media right now? Why did you sign up? Why haven’t you signed up? Here’s my opinion: You hear people all the time talk about people who Tweet what they had for lunch. Fine, it happens. But on Twitter, you follow who you want to follow. You opt-in to that content. You can always unfollow. That being said, most of my Twitter stream is from and for people who care about the world and giving. But sometimes I’ll see a Tweet about a recipe that uses peaches and black beans.... I think, What a waste! Nonprofits, you have a real obligation to Tweet, to rid the SM landscape of lunch photos and cat photos and Tweets about how people are having the best says of their lives, etc. YOUR TWEETS ARE IMPORTANT. Lunch, not so important.
Ages 20 – 35. Notice “newspapers” and “TV” aren’t on here. Not necessarily that papers and TV don’t cover it, just that they’re not taking them in the traditional way. Probably accessing their websites. Why Millenials are important – pipeline. looking for a cause. will soon have more to give.
Increase communications with clients Drive traffic to your site – don’t give the content away, tease it... Remind prospects of your brand – go where there go, let them see you there Improve your online influence – people will see you as experts in the field. Remember media and other influentials follow, too. Reach the friends of your prospects with your message – make your content SHARABLE Inform your audience of specials in real time – great for events, build-up, deadlines for challenges, etc. Increase your SEO ranking – so even if they’re not on Social Media, it can help others find you MISSING: Raise Money, Enlist Volunteers, Sell Tickets.... we’ll talk about those soon
For years, nonprofits have had to fight to get their stories told. Local TV, local newspapers, national.... Press releases Now you can be your own channel – you can push your own content, your own quotes, your own data... reach the people who care about what you do and help them share what you do. Story of GivingCity – 2007 – blog, tweet, FB... found one person – influential – got me a job, funding...
CATS. The housecat is the official mascot of the Internet. Many options for you. How to choose? Do you have a personal account on any of these? (You already know them, so start there) Can you tell your nonprofit’s story in photos? (Kids, not so much. But events, animals... volunteers, donors! – yes! FB, Pinterest, Instagram... Who are your friends and follower IRL? Women, men, students, wealthy, San Antonians, Spur fans, Austinites, local, farmers...) Do people convene at your physical site? Are “check-ins” useful? Do you have a video story? Can people post reviews about your services? (Search “Yelp for Nonprofits” a Women’s Community Clinic)
You will instinctively know where to go. Great thing about social media is.. you can tell right away if you’re doing it right.
Talk to your ED, maybe your board. Only the people who support your move into Social Media. Because no one else will understand it. STRATEGY – MEASURE – CONVERSION - ENGAGEMENT
Elements Theme that gets messaged in different channels, channel drives type of content, when, how often. IT CAN CHANGE AND WILL... In fact, this is not a “set it and forget it.” You can’t tweet about a party when everyone else is talking about a shooting or a death.
People will ask you, “Is it worth it spending time on social media?” WHAT #1: Track number of likes, fans, retweets, etc. Track them to your Editorial Calendar. WHAT #2: Get to know the times your followers are online. Post then. WHAT #3: Bring them in – you want their contact information PERMISSION MARKETING! WHAT #4: Donations, volunteers, sign-ups...
Simple things like Twitter re-tweets or Facebook Shares.... CONVERSION! Donations, sales, sign-ups.
Simple things like Twitter re-tweets or Facebook Shares.... CONVERSION! Donations, sales, sign-ups.
All of this is to say that.... you don’t have to be perfect. In fact, social media hates perfect....
My take on social media: Everyone assumes YOUNG PEOPLE can do it. Teenagers and recent college grads. I’m going to tell you the truth about that: The are THE WORST. They don’t know. Have you ever seen a teenager’s tweet? It’s indecipherable! Here’s the key to social media: CONVERSATION Be interesting. Be yourself. Be interested in others. Be nice. (same things that will make you popular at a party, meeting new people. hence the word “social”)
What makes a good post? judge nonprofit based on quality of Web presence Look for: Unique, purposeful, and concise mission Easy to use navigation Clear call to action Photos that help show what you do
Shareability gets you out of “preaching to the choir” mode. Recent studies about why people share certain things on FB: A commercial for something that makes you feel young – people dancing with their reflections of themselves as babies.....
Why is this important? It’s the first step to your pipeline.... they’re thinking about you.
First reaction is to squelch it. You can’t, it’s out there. The crowd keeps everyone in check.
Get them so where they WANT to now. You’re building a pipeline. It doesn’t happen overnight.
This is rocket science. It’s about being polite. About being good stewards of your supporters, even online. It didn’t work? Be able to go back and identify the problem. Not enough followers? Content not engaging enough? Not visible enough?
THANK YOU! Social Media Policy Facebook Ads Video! .... happy to take your questions! I always learn a lot from questions.