http://www.spiral16.com Social Media for Nonprofits: Listening, Setting Goals, Storytelling from Spiral16's Eric Melin will help nonprofits think about how best to figure out a social media strategy that meets their fundraising or advocacy goals. With a couple practical case studies, a look at Livestrong's social media presence through online monitoring, and some practical advice on social media applications for nonprofits, this presentation will set you on the right path to social media success.

1. Social Media for
Nonprofits:
Listening, Setting
Goals, Storytelling
Eric Melin
@Spiral16

2. Spiral16 Overview
Spiral16 provides a robust software platform with services
for Internet tracking, analysis, and reporting.
Spiral16 gives companies the key insights they need from the
web and social media to make smarter decisions and gain a
competitive edge.

3. Nonprofit Opportunity
• Online fundraising continues to
grow with 73% of organizations
raising more in 2011 than 2010
• Online giving continues to grow
fastest for small organizations
• Advocacy continues to play a
key role in online engagement
- 2012 Convio Online Marketing Nonprofit Benchmark Index™ Study

4. - 2012 eNonprofit
Benchmarks Study, M+R
and NTEN

5. - 2012 eNonprofit
Benchmarks Study,
M+R and NTEN

6. Start With What You Know
You’ve identified your
organization’s goals already.
Nonprofit goals Social media program Success
Now think about how you can
achieve those goals through a social
media program.

7. 3 Things to Remember

8. Social Media is a Component
Use it to support your existing
organizational strategy.
• Create a structure for your program based on the
unique needs of your nonprofit.
• Build it from the ground up.
• The more customized, the better.
• Social media does not support every goal effectively.

9. Social Media Isn’t Free.
It takes valuable time.
You need human resources for:
Planning
Content creation
Monitoring
Measurement
Analysis
Creative insight
…and more.

10. Tools Are Not Strategies
• Twitter
• Facebook Being active on
• Blogs these platforms is
• Forums only important
if
• YouTube
using them helps
• Foursquare/Gowalla
you reach your goal.
• Image-based sites
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn

11. Where Do You Start?

12. The First Step is Listening
• Monitor mentions of your
organization, common abbreviations
• Look for mentions of your events
• Monitor keywords around your cause or issue
• Find mentions of your executives
• Identify how far your other campaigns’ reach is
• Learn from language, strategies of similar
nonprofits

13. Insights From Listening
• Where are people talking about you and what
are they saying? Identify advocates.
• Is there a community built up around your
events? Should you create one?
• Who’s talking about your cause? Can you forge
a partnership?
• What is the sentiment surrounding your CEO?
• Where have you or others’ similar campaigns
succeeded/failed?

14. Data Drives the Strategy
Listening allows you to identify opportunities.
Knowing the online space will inform how you
build every facet of your social media program.

15. examples to start with

16. Practical Applications for Social Media
- Blackbaud , Social Media Learning Series: Marketing Communication

17. Research Community Around
Your Issue/Topic
Using keywords that relate
to the issue and NOT the
organization, the client could
see where to prioritize
engagement.

18. Research Your Digital Footprint
Using organization-
related keywords, the
client was able to
compare the volume of
the issue vs. the
organization itself.
They found that online
forums contained tons
of discussion.

19. Prioritize Engagement
Blogs made up 46% of online
activity. The challenge for any
organization regarding blog
engagement is TIME.
It’s important to figure out which
blogs merit the effort and time of
the team. While every blogger is
important and every voice
counts, some voices are more
powerful than others.

20. Recommendations
One recommendation for this nonprofit was to monitor forum
activity closely for both brand management and issue research.
Another was to engage influential forum users and start a niche
community.
Since their events were so popular, another suggestion was to
utilize a simple mobile video app around events and start an
event-branded YouTube channel.

21. 6 Steps To An Effective Social
Media Program
1. Identify organizational goals.
2. Align goals with social media program.
3. Establish benchmarks.
4. Set realistic targets.
5. Measure KPIs to determine success.
6. Look at results, find ways to improve.

22. Social Media Case Study
Spiral16 collected and analyzed relevant Livestrong web
results for 18 months.
Livestrong makes a compelling case study on how to
successfully engage people online for its cause.
This study looked at Team Livestrong—the community
outreach arm of the charity—and two key fundraising
events, the Livestrong Challenge Series and the Ride
for the Roses Weekend.

23. Social Media Profiles Are Authentic and
Personal
Every member of the Livestrong organization is a passionate
user of social media communicating the organization’s message.
CEO Doug Ulman is a cancer survivor with over a million Twitter
followers.
Ulman doesn’t just broadcast the
Livestrong message—he engages
everyday with the Livestrong
community, setting the bar for social
media use and engagement for the
organization.

24. Referrals Come Mostly From Twitter
More than 60% of Livestrong’s inbound website traffic comes
from social media.
Twitter is the #1 tool to communicate with the community, with
referrals three times higher than those from Facebook.

25. Main site is
most
influential, with
multiple
branded
channels
spreading
content, being
linked to, and
being used as
sources of

26. Clear Content and Sharing Strategy
Six of the Top 10
most influential
web pages are
from the official
Livestrong
organization,
while the
remaining four
were created by
passionate
Livestrong fans.

27. Community of Advocates Drive Web Content
Supporters are in charge of the message online—not the news
media.

28. Advocates Help Sentiment Remain Positive
Despite accusations of drug use, Lance Armstrong stayed in the
spotlight, keeping to his schedule of charity events, bike
rides, speeches and endorsements.
In the midst of an
investigation, Armstron
g stayed in the public
eye, constantly
updating his nearly
three million Twitter
followers, and
appearing at all of his
charity events.

29. Events Help Sentiment Remain Positive
Having a steady stream of easily shareable events …
and online assets supporting these events helps increase
goodwill

30. Sharing, Storytelling Connects Emotionally
The Facebook landing
tab inspires
storytelling.
Facebook wall has
become an online
community for cancer
survivors to share their
candid experiences.

31. Stories Convey Passion

32. Stories Are
Inspirational
Stories Connect
People to Your Cause
Stories Raise More
Money and More
Awareness

33. steps to tell great stories

34. 1. Connect the string of facts to find the
story.
2. Push beyond the facts. Tell a simple
truth of your organization and/or
humanity. Get creative.
3. Think of the difference you make as a
movie—with a beginning, middle and
end.
4. What is catalytic? What brings people
together?
- Dan Portnoy, The Non-Profit Narrative

35. Effective Storytelling
“The Force” Volkswagen commercial

36. 1. Facts: Passat demo – nice
house, family, children of the 70s.
Benefit: remote start.
2. Push beyond the facts: Passat makes
people feel good about themselves, can
create special moments with your family.
3. Beginning: Kid with imagination. Middle:
Kid struggles to feed imagination. End: Kid
succeeds and is stunned!
4. Truth about being human: Imagination
rewarded: Moments like this bring people
closer together.

37. Social Media Case Study
Storytelling & Call to Action
The Goal: The Hurdle: A two-step
Win the contest registration process & single-
to open for vote limit.

38. Social Media Case Study
Storytelling & Call to Action
Goal: Get more online votes than the other four bands.
Strategy: Mobilize friends and family to spread the word on
Facebook/Twitter
Assets: Links to our music, blogs on my site, band site
Problems: Voters have to register as a FoxFanatic first and
confirm through their email. Then they could only vote once.
Not easy to explain, too many steps, not easy-to-share
instructions.
Bottom Line: We needed to tell a story that would resonate
enough to make strangers want to register, vote, and share.

39. 1. Facts: The Dead Girls are big KISS fans
and would make an excellent opener.
2. Push beyond the facts: They are all
huge KISS fans, have been since they
were kids. Help make a dream come true.
3. Beginning: 7-year-old kid dresses up as
KISS. Middle: KISS inspires him to play
music, which he does for almost 20 years.
End: Give the story a happy ending.
4. Truth about being human: As cheesy as
it sounds, you can make a dream come
true.

40. Visuals Make the Story
Eden Prairie, MN at Granny’s House
We had yet to hear KISS'
music, but I knew them
from the KISS cards I had
gotten at the grocery
store.
So we lip-synced and
mimed our "instruments"
to the only 45 record I
had--Glen Campbell's
"Rhinestone Cowboy."

41. Tapped Into Nostalgia
and Basic Human Emotions
We knew the Space
Ace, Catman, and
Demon, but no one
wanted to be Paul Stanley
cuz he only had a star on
his face and we didn't
know his name (It was
Starchild!).
Our cousin Julie had to
take his role, it was
decided, and we called
his character
"Poopyman."

42. Put a Face on the Campaign
(Or a Blank Slate Anyone Could Identify With)
Placemats for
/
drums, crayons for sticks,
Lite Brite logo: ready to
rock!

43. The Result? Dreams Do Come True
/

44. Thank you from
Let us know how we can
help!
Eric Melin
@Spiral16
@SceneStealrEric