SocialMedia for Special Event Success

Presenter: Mary Beth Harrington CVA, Passionate Nonprofit Expert

501c³ - Taking Nonprofits to the Third Power972-839-9960

mbharrington@nonprofitpassion.comwww.mbharrington501c3.com

Spoiler Alert!• Target Audience: Donors, volunteers,

sponsors….• Current Tools: Billboards, direct mail,

advertising• These tools take time and money but limited

audience• Social media, saves time and money by

allowing you to touch your audience and everyone that they know!

• Social media is a conversation not advertising!

Social Media Marketing:What is It and Why Bother?

What is Social Media?

Social Media Marketing is…

Building your social network of fans,

followers, and connections, using relevant

and interesting content that is shared,

allowing you to reach and engage more

people and drive more people to your

organization.

The Cookie Jar

• Facebook – Launched in 2004

• Twitter - Launched in 2006.

• LinkedIn – Launched in 2003

• E-Mail Newsletters

The Recipe

• One person posts information on their

organization’s Facebook page and

Twitter account

The Recipe

A few friends share or retweet…

That Reaches a few friends!

The Recipe

However, if the first person, empowered

everyone they know to post on their own

Facebook and Twitter accounts…

Not only would they reach the people they

know…

The Recipe

…But the people they do not know!

THIS is the real POWER of Social Media!

The Dough

Concerns…

Using inbound marketing tools sound great, but … I never have anything good to write.

Paying attention to what’s being said on

social media sounds useful, but …

I’ll never have a dedicated staff to do it right.

I hear about new tools everyday, but …

I just don’t have the time to stay current.

You can successfully market your special

event because you have …

❖ Loyal, happy stakeholders

❖ An excellent customer experience

❖ Interesting and important things to say!

Building Brand Loyalty

Cookie Sales!

Marketing 101

At its core, marketing is

about eliciting a

physical and

measurable response.

Your Shopping List

• Registration Page – drive everyone here!

• Event Theme

• Organization’s Website

• Facebook Event Page

– When they join the event, it’ll show up in their

friends’ news feeds.

– they can invite their friends with the click of a

button

Your Shopping List

• Build a List of Key Connectors

• Post Regularly

• Use Mostly Pictures and Videos

• Invite Participants to RSVP

• Tag!

– VIPs, attendees, partners & others so that

their friends will see the post

Social Media Strategies

The “Top” Social Media Networks

Create an Event Page

Facebook

Post this:

How often?

Reach large audiences, advertising platform

Benefit

What is it?Largest social sharing site for users and organizations

Text, links, photos and videos that engage, inform and promote

1-2 X per day

LinkedIn

What is it?

Post this:

How often?

Content about your event, your expertise, curated content

At least 2 X per week

Social networking

Establish your expertise,

network within your industryBenefit

Twitter

Links to news and blog posts, photos, videos

What is it?

Post this:

How often? At least 5 X per day

Social conversation and information sharing

Fastest way to reach your

audience, customer service

Benefit

Pinterest

Instagram

Photos and videos of your event, products and people

What is it?

Post this:

How often?

Benefit

At least 1 X per day

Mobile app for photo and video sharing

Followers get to know you and your biz through images

50%30%

20%Share interesting and entertaining

event posts. Offer helpful information.

Promote or

advertise

Repurpose and Reuse Content

Expand Your Network

Invite your email list

Add social icons to …

• Website

• Email campaigns

• Outgoing email signature

• Business Card

• Printed collateral: mailers, flyers, invoices, etc.

• Voicemail

#Hashtags

Event Mascots!

Giving Days

• #GivingTuesday 2015 raised 63% more

than 2014.

• Donors are 34% more likely to give on

responsive websites.

• Email fundraising accounts in 1/3 of all

revenue raised online

• 60% of millennials donate an average of

$481 to nonprofits each year.

Giving Days

Special Events Online

Comment

Listen!!!

Invite direction and

feedback, and really

LISTEN!!!

Is Email Dead?

What is Email Marketing?

What can it do for your event?

What can it do for your event?

Q: What is the #1 app on cell

phones?

Why Regular Email Doesn’t work

– Limited # of emails sent at

once

– No formatting control

– List break up more susceptible

to filters

– No cohesive branding

– Potential SPAM complaints

– No tracking and reporting of

email results

Email Marketing

How Do I Get Opened?

Where to Start…

When

should I

send

email?

What should

I write

about?

Where to Start?

When to Send?

Managing Your Time

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Event To Do List

1. Develop your timeline TODAY!!

2. Identify a similar event and ask what worked for

them

3. Check on and update your Facebook and Twitter

accounts.

4. Clean up your donor database to ensure

everything is accurate

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Event To Do List

1. Start soliciting stakeholders

to participate, maybe

schedule some trainings to

get them ready!

2. Frame your message and

start developing your

announcements

3. Set up your HootSuite or

other generic tweets and

posts

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A word of advice from Gail Goodman,

CEO of Constant Contact:

“Keep your time spent in check;

doing social media right

does not mean doing it a lot.”

It is important to stay active!

15 minutes a day, 3 times per week is more than most

small organizations.

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Event Time Management Tools

• Google Alerts

• HootSuite

• TweetDeck

• RSS

• NutshellMail

• MarketMe Suite

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After the Event

• Social media is not done - lay the groundwork for

the future.

• Start by posting all of your event coverage

• Post engaging event multimedia

• Use social media to spread the love to your event

volunteers and donors - tag them in the posts

• How has your organization used social media to

leverage your fundraising event?

Resources!

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Mary Beth Harrington, CVA❖ 10 years corporate marketing, public relations, advertising

(psychiatric hospitals, DFW Tourism, cinnamon rolls)

❖ Carter BloodCare, Marketing Director

❖ Dallas Zoo, Graphics Specialist

❖ Dallas Public Library, Volunteer Coordinator

❖ Volunteer Center of North Texas, Agency Relations Director

❖ Austin Public Library Foundation, Executive Director

❖ TANO, Community Outreach Director

❖ San Antonio Area Foundation, Curriculum Development Director

❖ 501c³ - Taking Nonprofits to the Third Power, President

❖ Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert

❖ Leadership Texas Class of 2015 Leadership America Class of 2016

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• Habitat for Humanity Intl.

• Texas CASA

• US Tennis Association

Meals on Wheels of

America

• Texas Association of

Museums

• Habitat for Humanity

Texas

• Arkansas Literacy

Coalition

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• Keep Texas Beautiful

• Literacy Texas

• Texas Library Association

• Healy Murphy Center

• San Antonio Nonprofit Council

• Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO)

• Florida Festivals and Events Association

Mary Beth Harrington, CVA

Passionate Nonprofit Expert

501c³ - Taking Nonprofits to the Third Power

mbharrington64@hotmail.com

www.mbharrington501c3.com

972-839-9960

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