Presentation given by John Tonello, VP of Communications and Marketing for WCNY. Session 8 of Social Media Breakfast Syracuse, held on 26 September 2013 and focusing on social media for non-profits.

1. WCNY Social Media
Social Media Breakfast Syracuse
Sept. 26, 2013
I. Nuts and Bolts
II. Maintaining a strong social media presence
III. Using social media as social media, not something else
IV. Launch of the “Won’t You Help a Neighbor” campaign
V. Early successes
VI. Unintended consequences

2. Nuts and Bolts
What we use
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
Staffing structure
• Marketing team strategizes posts for the week
• One person does most posting
• Occasional other posters for special events
• Did away with volunteers
Why these platforms work
• We want viewers and listeners to know what’s coming
• We want immediacy
• We want interaction
• We want warm and fuzzy to translate to membership

3. Maintaining a strong social media presence
We use HootSuite to do timed releases
• Follows our weekly workflow
• Works very well with a small staff
Regularly promote programming and events
• Regular TV and radio programming
• Special programming (mayoral forum, Obama visit)
• Other
Thank re-Tweeters
• We want to appear ‘human’
• Reward followers (hitting the 2,000 and 3,000 marks)
• We want warm and fuzzy to translate to membership

4. Using social media as social media (not something else)
Early efforts did not grasp the uniqueness of social media
• Team Raiser
• Selfies
• Volunteer updates were inconsistent
• Posts were spotty
We overhauled our social media presence
• Identified who are audience was
• Wanted a far more natural approach
• Think FlashMob

5. Launch of “Won’t You Help a Neighbor?”
• Free service of WCNY
• Promote worthy causes
• Many are small without budgets
• Some are large, but have broad reach
• Objectively determine targets
• Share the value of the cause via social media, web, TV and
radio

6. Early successes
• Humane Association’s Drop-a-Thon
• Friends in Service Here (FISH)
• Salvation Army volunteering
• Check Out Hunger
• Baldwin Cancer Research
• CNY Reads One Book
• Rescue Mission Walk

7. Early successes – Rescue Mission

8. Early successes – CNY Reads

9. Unintended consequences
Good
• Strong, recurring media coverage
• New connections with regional organizations
Bad
• Ad agencies calling on behalf of clients looking for free advertising
• Some confusion with underwriting efforts