HOW TO ROCK TIGHT SCHEDULE. social media on a ROCKING SOCIAL MEDIA HEARTSSPEAK.ORG FOR MORE TIPS, TRICKS, AND WISDOM, VISIT

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Alan Osborne
6 years ago
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1 ROCKING SOCIAL MEDIA HOW TO ROCK social media on a TIGHT SCHEDULE FOR MORE TIPS, TRICKS, AND WISDOM, VISIT HEARTSSPEAK.ORG

Hands up if your to-do list currently resembles the opening crawl from Return of the Jedi. Somewhere along our evolutionary journey from smoke signals to Snapchat, life got busy. Like, really busy.

Thankfully, knowing where and how to use your time on social media can help make it feel less like a time warp, and more like the magical marketing force it has the potential to be!

Devote a reasonable chunk of time to streamlining ideas, files, people, and goals now, and not only will everything run more smoothly as you power forward, you ll enjoy greater and more long-lasting

If you don t already have a designated social media manager, it might be time to decide who could assume this all-important responsibility.

2 Hands up if your to-do list currently resembles the opening crawl from Return of the Jedi. Somewhere along our evolutionary journey from smoke signals to Snapchat, life got busy. Like, really busy. And let s be real: sometimes social media can feel like both the cause of and solution to a hectic schedule. Thankfully, knowing where and how to use your time on social media can help make it feel less like a time warp, and more like the magical marketing force it has the potential to be! GET ORGANIZED Ever heard the saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment? It holds true for the development of marketing strategies, too. Devote a reasonable chunk of time to streamlining ideas, files, people, and goals now, and not only will everything run more smoothly as you power forward, you ll enjoy greater and more long-lasting social media success. Create a social media management plan Knowing who does what and when is helpful in any field, but it s vital when resources are limited. If you don t already have a designated social media manager, it might be time to decide who could assume this all-important responsibility. The size, setup, and needs of your organization will primarily dictate what qualifies as a good candidate for the role, but consider that it doesn t necessarily need to be a paid staff member. Brands and organizations that maintain a consistent and cohesive voice across their entire digital presence often secure the trust and support of the public more quickly. People like to know what to expect. To that end, put together a quick set of social media posting and communication guidelines so that everyone contributing to the strategy is on the same page about what language and tone are appropriate (and preferred), and the general dos and don ts.

Once you have someone at the wheel of your social media efforts and a solid set of guidelines and policies in place, you can begin layering on supportive roles as needed.

Is a shelter staff member the primary point person at off-site events and adoptions? Perhaps they d be open to tweeting the festivities in real-time.

puzzle), a lot can be achieved with a few carefully selected and well-informed people overseeing and contributing to the dayto-day.

3 Once you have someone at the wheel of your social media efforts and a solid set of guidelines and policies in place, you can begin layering on supportive roles as needed. Got a volunteer who s head over heels for Pinterest? Great! Assign them head pinner duties under the guidance of the social media manager. Is a shelter staff member the primary point person at off-site events and adoptions? Perhaps they d be open to tweeting the festivities in real-time. While having a paid full-time position devoted to social media is becoming more and more common (and warranted as social media marketing develops into such a dominant piece of the non-profit jigsaw puzzle), a lot can be achieved with a few carefully selected and well-informed people overseeing and contributing to the dayto-day. Maintain a monthly editorial calendar That sounds a bit daunting, but it s actually going to make planning out content a lot easier, and ensure that you don t miss the opportunity to capitalize on holidays, events, and happenings that can help your organization glide into the public eye. Visit the resource lirary at heartsspeak.org for a set of customizeable calendar templates you can print off and use to plan your month of social content! WORK WHAT YOU VE GOT Social media has not only become an integral part of marketing strategies, it s also at the epicenter of most of our personal lives. 2 billion people worldwide use it, in fact, so the chances are good that a few of those users are already helping your organization each week in other roles. They may not all be available to help with social media management tasks, but they definitely have special insight into the animals and people working and living within a shelter s four walls. That knowledge paired with an understanding of social media can make them wonderful assets in generating content, and could lighten the load of a social media manager considerably. Furthermore, if social media is not already a skill or interest prospective volunteers can check when applying to help your organization, consider adding it to build your army of potential social Crowdsource Set up a social media submission system to source content suggestions from those on the front lines of your mission. This could be an electronic form integrated into your volunteer software, or a good old-fashioned suggestion box in a common area. Either way the ideas are out there, and you have the opportunity to gather them! HOW TO ROCK SOCIAL HOW MEDIA TO ROCK ON A SOCIAL TIGHT SCHEDULE MEDIA ON A TIGHT SCHEDULE

Reuse and recycle One of the primary gripes of social media managers is how small a percentage of our audiences our content

Facebook and Twitter algorithms are a whole other topic to tackle, but the silver lining of that limited reach is that repurposing

Reminisce about a special adoption or fun event via throwback Thursdays (#tbt), reshare important info and updates via ICYMI,

If it s quality, people won t mind seeing it multiple times. CALL IN THE REINFORCEMENTS Not all social media helpers are human!

and then return only to realize it s now lost to the depths of your newsfeed, never to be seen again? No longer!

ahead Publishing a week s worth of content is considerably less daunting if you have some nifty scheduling tools to help you along

4 Reuse and recycle One of the primary gripes of social media managers is how small a percentage of our audiences our content actually reaches. Facebook and Twitter algorithms are a whole other topic to tackle, but the silver lining of that limited reach is that repurposing content is a perfectly reasonable time saver. Reminisce about a special adoption or fun event via throwback Thursdays (#tbt), reshare important info and updates via ICYMI, repost blog posts from your website using new images or excerpts, and educational pieces using new titles or call-outs. If it s quality, people won t mind seeing it multiple times. CALL IN THE REINFORCEMENTS Not all social media helpers are human! As social networks grow and new ones gain popularity, so too do the supportive tools that make managing them a little easier/less frustrating/more schedule-friendly. Find and save content from around the web Ever scroll past a fascinating article, get two paragraphs in before having to step away, and then return only to realize it s now lost to the depths of your newsfeed, never to be seen again? No longer! Install a comprehensive web bookmarking tool, such as Pocket or Feedly, and never see your inspiring content lost to the sands of time again. Create fresh, custom content Ever scroll past a fascinating article, get two paragraphs in before having to step away, and then return only to realize it s now lost to the depths of your newsfeed, never to be seen again? No longer! Install a comprehensive web bookmarking tool, such as Pocket or Feedly, and never see your inspiring content lost to the sands of time again. Schedule ahead Publishing a week s worth of content is considerably less daunting if you have some nifty scheduling tools to help you along and there are a number that fit within a non-profit budget. Free, that is. Set aside 15 minutes at the start of your week to queue up some posts and tweets, and you ll be thankful you did as your social media presence hums along while you re busy tackling other tasks. Check out Hootsuite, Buffer and Tweetdeck for some free and low-cost options.

KEEP TRACK OF WHAT S WORKING Slow and steady growth is the foundation of any social media development plan.

calculated adjustment form the basis of your social presence. A quick 10-minute progress check each week is a sound investment, and can help you maximize your time investment in a meaningful way.

likely to gather more exposure for your cause). Do image posts, links, or video get you the most likes, shares, or comments?

5 KEEP TRACK OF WHAT S WORKING Slow and steady growth is the foundation of any social media development plan. Not to suggest we don t hope you ll get lucky and rocket to fame with a viral video that is the dream after all but for the most part, you ll be digging in and letting consistency, research, and calculated adjustment form the basis of your social presence. A quick 10-minute progress check each week is a sound investment, and can help you maximize your time investment in a meaningful way. Use insights Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest all have robust, built-in insight tools which you can use to identify the types of content that are most appreciated by your audience (and therefore most likely to gather more exposure for your cause). Do image posts, links, or video get you the most likes, shares, or comments? Post more of what s working, and try creating some new content of that kind to communicate about your organization. Adjust accordingly If something jumps out in your weekly metrics as having been particularly successful (perhaps a specific video share, infographic, or piece of language), use that information to inspire your upcoming week of social content. Introduce similar pieces of content gradually so you can separate the flukes from the fail-safes. Tracking the performance of your content can also help you distribute your time and resources more effectively. If one of your social networks is suddenly growing by leaps and bounds and requiring more attention, refocus some more of your time there. GET IN THE KNOW Social media is an ever-evolving realm, and staying one step ahead means staying educated about updates. Visit the Facebook Newsroom Blog for information straight from the source. Try signing up for updates from social media marketing leaders like Hubspot, Socialbrite, and Nonprofit Hub, or following resources like Social Media Today and Mashable. Follow brands and organizations whose content you admire and enjoy, and who align well with your own organization. Not only is it good for your organization to develop social partners and collaborators, but you might feel inspired by their work or approach to social media marketing. vector icons courtesy of flaticon.com

INTERACTIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTERACTIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS Standout Subject Lines Get Open, Get Read, Get Results... 3 Grow Your Business with Email & Social Media Simple marketing strategy for small business & nonprofits... 3 Find