10 Steps to a Successful Nonprofit Social Media Strategy

Julia Claire Campbell Consulting 978-578-1328 [email protected]

@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

What is Social Media?Social mediarefers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas invirtual communities and networks. ~Wikipedia.org BUT its not where nonprofits should start! @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Dont Put the Cart Before the Horsehttp://seminars.idealware.org/eLearning/techpyramid/technology-pyramid.html

http://seminars.idealware.org/eLearning/techpyramid/technology-pyramid.html@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn


We Must Change the CultureThe key is to get a group of people thinking through a social media lens.We are all publishers.We are all storytellers.We need to embrace being more transparent and accessible.@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

We Must Address ConcernsLack of internal resources Lack of expertiseFear of the newNot convinced about the real value/ROI Lack of clear guidelines and policies Fear of negative reactions on social media accountsFear of loss of control@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Before You StartCreate a Social Media Committee. Who in your organization (staff, volunteers, clients) likes social media?Who is creative?Who has their pulse on the latest news?Who is well-connected?Who is passionate?


What Will They Do?Brainstorm content. Research blog posts. Take and post photos.Keep an eye out for good stories and news. Be champions online!Sharing, liking, tweeting.Train and motivate others.Create Social Media policies and procedures for the organization. @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

The POST Social Strategy

@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html

Step 2. Define Your Audience.What is the desired action?Who is most likely to take this action?What motivates them?Where do you come in? What do they already know about you?@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 2. Define Your Audience.What may drive them to take the action that you want?Where do they get their information?What else is important to them?Where do they spend their time online? @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Conduct An Audience SurveyAre you familiar with social media? Social media includes but is not limited to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, etc. If yes, which social media sites do you interact with? (List to top 10 - 12 social media sites and platforms)How much time to you spend engaging in social media per week? a. For personal use b. For professional use @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Conduct An Audience SurveyWhat would motivate you to interact with our brand in social media? (entertaining videos, helpful content, impact stories, etc.) What other brands or organizations do you participate with in social media? This could take the form of blogs that you read, Facebook fan pages, or Twitter feeds that you follow.@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 3. Define Your Goal. Why are you using social media in the first place?How will you know success at the end of your social media campaign?

Common nonprofit social media goals:Raising awarenessThought leadershipReaching new supportersEngaging/deepening connections with donors


Raising AwarenessYou want as many people as possible to know about you, your brand and your products and services.


Thought LeadershipYou want to be recognized as a leader in the field and a go-to resource for the community, stakeholders, and the media.


Reaching New SupportersYou want to build up your email list and your social media channels to reach new people who may give you money, or volunteer, or attend an event.


Deepening RelationshipsYou want to deepen relationships with your current donors as part of the donor cultivation process.


http://www.johnhaydon.com/2012/11/facebook-ladder-of-engagement/@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Social Medias StrengthsAs a foot in the doorAs a way to organically grow your in-house mailing listTo get supporter and stakeholder feedbackIncrease SEO (Search Engine Optimization)To interact with donors/community membersTo build trust and loyaltyShare helpful informationHelp people solve problems@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Social Medias WeaknessesPeople use it to drive website traffic but if you do not have anything valuable or interesting on your website, they will leave in droves.People do not like to be sold to on social media.Its not a sales first tool its about networking, information sharing, and relationship building. @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 4. SMART Objectives.Choose SMART objectives to match your goals. What can you measure?Increased email sign upsIncreased ticket salesNew volunteer sign-upsIncreased website trafficIncreased online donations @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Put Them TogetherGoalWhat is the purpose?How is it measured?What defines success?What is the purpose? Why is this goal important? What will be the benefit for your organization? How is it measurable? What are you able to measure that will give you knowledge about your progress? Identify a benchmark for each measurement that will help you figure out how well you did in accomplishing your goal. Raising awarenessTo get more corporate sponsors for our events, to recruit more individual donors, to acquire more volunteers and Board membersWebsite traffic, email sign ups, increase in social media fans/followers20% increase in 6 months


Step 5. Tools & Tactics.When you define what you want to do and who you want to reach, you can then decide what you will do:Start a video marketing programSign up for TwitterStart a blogRevamp the websiteStart email marketingGet an online donation page


Each Channel Is DifferentEach channel has its own etiquette, language, and set of rules.


5. Choose Channels.@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Choosing ChannelsIs your audience there?Can you add value? What can you provide that will be interesting and unique?Do you have the capacity to manage another channel?@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Managing A Channel Means:Daily creation of unique content that serves a purposeFinding good content to shareMonitoring topics and hashtags to stay tuned to what is trending and on peoples mindsCommenting on others contentAnswering questions and messagesAcknowledging people that share your content and commentKeeping track of what has been sharedMeasuring what works and doing more of it.


How Much Is Too Much?Goal #1Goal #2Goal #3Content:Expertise:TotalRankFacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInBlogEmail marketingVideo creation

@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn Content: How easy will it be for you to produce the necessary content?Expertise: How comfortable are you with this channel?

Rate on a scale of 1-5 1=Not Very and 5=Extremely

Step 6. Integration.Look at other departments and come up with ways that you can integrate social media with each department. How can they apply social media to their part of the organization?

@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn DepartmentSocial Media Use IdeasProgramsStart a private Facebook group for clients; take photos from the field and post on InstagramAdministrationAnswer questions on Facebook page; create and post a list of the most needed in-kind itemsDevelopmentUse LinkedIn for donor prospecting; post about the annual appeal; share stories about organizations impactMembershipShare stories of members and what membership means to them; post about annual membership drive; show benefits of membership

Step 7. Create Policies.Social Media Committee & HR can be in charge of policies.External Policy No spam, obscenity, etc. What will get people blocked from the page or the group? Can they post jobs or business opportunities?Can they share their own personal stories/experiences?What is encouraged?

Sample language: We are a family-friendly page and do not tolerate obscenity or hate speech of any kind. We reserve the right to delete a comment that we find hateful or that runs afoul of our policies.


Step 7. Create Policies.Internal Social Media Policy & TrainingBe smart about training employees on what they should and should not share online.Empower and educate before punish.Who are the administrators of the page? Who will take charge when this person is on vacation/out?What is the procedure for answering questions/comments what is the timeframe? 24 hours? Less?


Crisis Management!An actual tweet accidentally sent via @RedCross:


Red Cross response:

#gettngslizzerd was a Trending Topic (meaning it was popular on Twitter)


Dogfish Head Brewery response:

The Red Cross set up a designated page in connection with Dogfish encouraging people to donate a pint and use the hashtag to spread the word.


Step 8. Create & Curate Content.Start a simple Content Calendar for planning, scheduling and managing publication of content across channels.Blog postsTwitterFacebookYouTubeEmail NewslettersDirect mail Donor communicationsPress releasesEvents@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

So What Do I Post About?!Industry blogs, newsletters, websitesGoogle Alerts & New York Times alertsCompetitorsSuccess StoriesInspirational quotesReached a goalWant input on an issue@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

So What Do I Post About?!Events, anniversaries, celebrations, birthdaysEmail newsletterTie current events to your cause/issueTwitter searchFigure out whats working for other nonprofits and adapt it! @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn







Listen.Spend some time on each channel. Each network has its own culture, etiquette, and language. Listen to what people are saying what moves them? What are they sharing and retweeting?Listen to what other organizations are posting Is it falling flat? Getting engagement?Listen and get ideas. @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 9. Add Visuals & Video.@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Free & Low-Cost ToolsYou need a constant stream of compelling visuals, photos, videos, infographics. Canva.comPicMonkey.comWordSwag, Prisma, Boomerang, Ripl mobile apps@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Video Rules On Social Work to create a short-form video strategy.Videos under 1 minute, up to 30 seconds is good.Focus on impact one persons storyAuthenticity is incredibly important. Sound needs to be good. Can look amateurish (made with your phone). @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn




Step 10: Create Your Plan.Create a manageable plan. 15 minutes in the morning.15 minutes at lunch.15 minutes in the evening/afternoon.Estimate 2 hours per week per channel. There is no absolute right answer to the how much time will it take question.@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 10. Create Your Plan.Check out Social Media Dashboards & Scheduling ToolsHootSuite, TweetDeck, Buffer, PostPlanner@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 10a. Measure & Improve.Avoid only vanity metrics.Vanity metrics are things like how many people saw your Facebook post (reach) and how many views you received on your video. While important, did the attention/views help advance the bottom line?@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Step 10a. Measure & Improve.Make measurement a habit.Facebook Instant Post InsightsTwitter ReTweets, mentionsWebsite analytics and trafficBlog traffic and commentsEmail newsletter signupsGo back to the Facebook Ladder.

See what works. Do more of that.@JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn

Social Media Isnt Easy or FreeSocial media is free like getting a puppy is free! Success on social media means:Consistent content creation that gets likes, shares, or comments.Matching each post or tweet with a visual.Creating video, the type of content that works best across all channels.Social media advertising is now required (but must be used strategically). @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn


Questions?Twitter: @JuliaCSocial

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jcsocialmarketing

Email: [email protected] @JuliaCSocial @bostonfdn