Why Social Media is a Must

Heather Whalingheather@gebencommunication.com

prtini.com • @prTini

a fresh approach to community development:

Integrating Traditional and Digital PR

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2636903303/

innovate best practices

Our approach to social media:•Build an audience. Then, activate it.•80/20•If you’re not quick, you’re not relevant.

The basics:Program updatesBoard news & announcementsCommunity events

Dig deeper:IntentCustomer serviceCommunity relationsOutcomesCrisis communication

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”– Simon Sinek

[workshop]Why does your organization exist?Why do YOU believe in the mission?How can you convey they online?

Desired Outcomes:

Photo credits: Schoolhouse, Post-It, Line, Runner

activate &

accelerate

educate eliminate barriers

drive attendanc

e

start at the beginning: define the audience

Who? What? How?Why?Where

?When?

• Gender• Age• Education• Kids and their ages• Occupation

Who?

• Likes/interests• Reading materials• hobbies

What?

• How often do they want to hear from you?

• When are they online?• When are they reading?• When are they making a

buying decision?

When?

• Which online sites do they frequent?

• Where do they hang out with family/friends?

• Urban/suburban/rural/city?

Where?

• Simon Sinek “Start with Why”

• What do they want to hear from you?

• How does their intent align with Sports Medicine?

Why?

• How will you reach those people?

• What kinds of content will resonate with them?

How?

Personas•Name, face•Humanize through a photo•Write up a brief “story” that incorporates:

– Their persona – Value you provide to them– Their expectations of your organization

5-Step Social Media Strategy

“Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.”

Be Strategic

Step 1: Identify goals & purposeStep 2: Create SMART objectivesStep 3: Research and listenStep 4: Develop a networkStep 5: Integrate online and offlineStep 6: Measure ROI and ROE

Step 1: Identify Goals & Purpose

[workshop]What are your social media goals?

Step 2: Create Measurable ObjectivesSpecificMeasurableAttainableRealisticTime-sensitive

Photo credit: Knickerstwist

Step 3: Research and Listen

• Who are you trying to reach? How are they using social media?– What are people saying?– Where are they saying it?

• Free online monitoring tools:– Google Alerts– Addictomatic.com– Netvibes– Hootsuite, Tweetdeck– Search.Twitter.com/Advanced

“If you’re always talking, you’re not listening.” – Chris Brogan

Step 4: Develop a Network

Choose the right toolsStart interacting

Create interesting contentFocus on strategy

Cultivate influencersPromote othersBe creative Share, share, share

Step 5: Integrate Online and Offline

• Cross-promote content• Balance traditional communication

and social media• Enhance media relations

– Talk to reporters on social networks– HARO

• Use offline tools to drive online efforts … and visa versa

Step 6: Measure

• Insights• Engagement

– Twitter followers, lists, retweets and link open-rates– Blog comments, traffic, inbound links– Facebook fans, wall posts and

likes/shares/comments– YouTube views, embeds on other sites

• [workshop] How do you measure effectiveness?

Community Development

“You have to earn the right to sell something in the same way you earn the right to ask a friend a favor.” – Renegades Write the Rules

You have to BUILD a community before you can ACTIVATE it.

tweetable tip:

content creation

Look at Thisvs Look at Me

Facebook.com/SummitDD

Works because:•community•visual•useful

Facebook.com/MayoClinic

Works because:•statistic•sharable image•tagged page

Facebook.com/SpecialOlympics

Works because:•image•timely•appreciation

Facebook.com/MayoClinic

Works because:•question•engaging •link to answer

Facebook.com/Oreo

Facebook.com/Oreo

Facebook.com/ColumbusMarathon

Works because:•timely•noticeable photo•engaging

content creation

Types of Content

• Text• Photos• Video• Infographics• Links to “repurposed” content• Other?

Challenges•How do you know what to post? When?•How do you balance engagement with message deployment?

[workshop]What are your content creation challenges?

content buckets

5-Step Process

1. List words and phrases you want to be associated with.

2. Identify the overall messages that need to be conveyed.

3. Brainstorm other subjects and themes that will attract and engage audiences.

4. Determine “umbrellas” that can contain messages and broader content.

5. Identify bucket areas that align with messaging, but are broad to support additional content.

Example:

• Innovation that works.• Relationship-driven business.• Cleveland (Ohio) Rocks!• Paving the way through leadership

& education.• Madison: Up Close & Personal

• Innovation that works.– Sparks Innovation Center– New innovative products (ours and partners)– Innovation outside the industry that we can

learn from

• Paving the way through leadership & education.– Innovation Roundtable– Social media whitepaper– Speaking engagements & training sessions

• Madison: Up Close & Personal– Employee interviews– Behind-the-scenes photos

Example:

• Infuse creativity into play.• Downtown is a cool AND family-friendly

destination.• Work hard, play hard in your own

backyard.• Empower wellness in the heart of the

city.• Green, urban spaces strengthen

communities.

• Infuse creativity into play.– Imagination Playground– Activities, crafts to entertain kids at home

(Pinterest)

• Downtown is a cool AND family-friendly destination.– Concert series– Movies in the park– Family Fun Days– Downtown festivals, events, activities

• Empower wellness in the heart of the city.– Fitness classes– Recharge during the day– Fitness tips– Healthy lunch ideas

Rapid Fire: Content Creation Tools

Instagram.com@Instagram

Why? Fastest-growing mobile network; visual storytelling

Tout.com @tout

Why? 15-second videos to repost on Facebook & Twitter

MadewithOver.com @MadeWithOver

Why? Simple, beautiful textography

Pitchengine.com@Pitchengine

Why? Social media news releases

Disrupt the status quo. Build awareness.

Acquire customers. Excel in the social world.

Increase sales. Innovate best practices.

Heather Whaling • @prTiniheather@gebencommunication.com

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