Why Bother? 2011 Kivi Leroux Miller NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 1. The Whys, Buts, and Howsof Managing Your Org suse of Social Media

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1 The Whys, Buts, and Howsof Managing Your Org suse of Social Media Why Bother? The Voice You Are Hearing: Kivi Leroux Miller / kivilm The SOCIAL WEB is mainstream. Half are Social Media Sites; the Other Half Offer Many Social Elements Online life is real life because it s all about connecting, sharing and conversation. AlexaRankings, October 13, 2010 Social networking use by 50+ nearly doubled in the last year. and news still rule for older generations, but social media is growing fast. NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 1

2 82% of Americans adults own a cell/smart phone. Social Media Works for a SNACK SIZED Culture 2/3 of them sleep with it. Cell Phones and American Adults by Pew Internet and American Life Project, September 2010 flickr.com/photos/coletivomambembe/ flickr.com/photos/ @n00/ A Very Different Kind of Goal Ultimate goal is to be seen as a TRUSTED MEMBER of a COMMUNITY. The 24-hour news cycle is now our cultural expectation... news from our favorite causes is no different Your ROI is that trust, which is incredibly powerful. Content + Conversation = Social Media Success But, but, but... flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/ NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 2

3 The Six Most Common Concerns Nonprofits Have About Social Media 1 Loss of Control REALITY: The Control Train has left the station and you aren t on board. Real conversations aren t scripted You can t possibly dictate everything that people will or should say. Flickr: Kris Hoet Everyone is a spokesperson. This is terrible if you can t trust most people to say the right things. This is fabulous if you can. Some Solutions Accept that you can t script every conversation. Balance responsibility and freedom. You do control your response. flickr.com/photos/conbon/ NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 3

4 2 Negative Comments flickr.com/photos/akhir/ Flickr: Adrian Miles REALITY: Most people are neutral or positive. Better to have a clue about all conversations, pos and neg. flickr.com/photos/brenbot/ Some Solutions Decide when to respond or ignore Know your talking points Notify your posse Refine your messaging 3 Fear of Failure NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 4

5 REALITY: We are all still learning. Experiments are rewarded. flickr.com/photos/telachhe/ flickr.com/photos/hunterwilliams/ / Don t give up too soon. flickr.com/photos/iamagenious/ Assess the risk and make a plan. Some Solutions Talk about the worst that could happen. Do your homework. Get buy-in. 4 Personal or Org Voice? NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 5

6 Personal and private are blurring. Personal no longer equals Private. Work and home lives collide all the time. Real privacy becomes even more important, but the lines are different for each person. Flickr: rpongsaj REALITY: Most people like the combo plate..flickr.com/photos/jooon/ Find the right mix for your org. flickr.com/photos/question_everything/ / A lot depends on the personalities involved. Some Solutions Talk often and openly about who s saying what; what s appropriate. Identify org voices by name. If staff like their jobs, trust them to get it right. 5 Waste of Time NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 6

7 Love (or engagement ) takes time, as it should. REALITY: There are plenty of ways to waste time at work. flickr.com/photos/cell105/ Some Solutions Set clear, but realistic goals. Measure where it makes sense. Set reminders/timers. 6 Info Overload REALITY: There s more going on than you can absorb. No one will come for you if you don t read all the tweets. flickr.com/photos/stopdown/ flickr.com/photos/ @n02/ / NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 7

8 Set limits. Some Solutions Use lists! Bookmark, clip, tag, file. Automate what you can. flickr.com/photos/pheezy/ Two Ends of the Spectrum Which brings us to your social media policy... Intel Promoting upside Guidelines What to do Encourages conversation, adding value, sharing expertise and excitement Wall Street Journal Preventing downside Policy What not to do No discussion of reporting process, only after publication No mixing biz and pleasure Source: Your Social Media Policy Options What happens, happens. Discuss it informally Create supportive guidance (Intel model) Create restrictive policy (WSJ model) Beth Kanter s Tweetable Policy Be professional, kind, discreet, authentic, and represent us well.... in only 67 characters! flickr.com/photos/globalx Flickr: lu lu NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 8

9 Start with These Two Tools Start with These Two Tools Tips for Writing Your First Social Media Policy Pick one audience. Refer to other org policies to keep this one focused. Forget about the tools. Write more Do s than Don ts. Copy from others who are making it work. Ultimately About Personal Choices Emphasize Personal Responsibility and Accountabilityfor actions. Spell out what happens after mistakes or infractions. flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg American Red Cross s Guidance You need to determine your own comfort level in discussing work in your personal communications. Just be responsible and remember that the NHQ social media team will see all mentions of the Red Crossand may contact you to praise your discussion, invite you to contribute to our corporate online spaces, or to give you guidance about how to talk about your work responsibly. Always follow our Fundamental Principles. Source: American Red Cross Social Media Guidelines for Chapters and Blood Service Regions. Red Cross Official Account We strictly to disseminate real time disaster info and preparedness tips. Emphasis added. NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 9

10 Wendy Harman, Red Cross Employee Personal profile, transparent about working for Red Cross, but a blend of personal and professional. Not branded as Red Cross. Can we make them follow our policy after hours? From NPR s Social Media Policy From EDF s Social Media Policy You must not advocate for political or other polarizing issues online. This extends to joining online groups or using social media in any form (including your Facebookpage or a personal blog)... Your simple participation in some online groups could be seen to indicate that you endorse their views. If you do join, be clear that you've done so to seek information or story ideas. And if you "friend" or join a group representing one side of an issue, do so for a group representing the competing viewpoint, when reasonable to do so. Be aware of how you mix professional and personal contacts. "I m sorry, I don t use Facebook for professional connections, but I just sent you an invite to connect on LinkedIn. Keep your professional image in mind. If in doubt, don t share. Keep in mind your friends power to share things, too. Explicitly tell your friends and family that you are maintaining a professional image on your profile. Expect people to see you as a representative of EDF Source: Source: Other Ways to Get At This Don t tell secrets. Get permission before including someone in a story. Always cite sources. Can t we just make them put a disclaimer on everything? Flickr: bejealousofme NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 10

11 Just How Big is the Risk? How likely is it (seriously) that things could go badly? And how would a policy mitigate that? Other Ways to Get at This When in doubt, be clear if this is personal or professional. If it gives you pause, pause. Never write anonymously. Don t embarrass your mother or child. Flickr: jeremybarwick Where to Look for Inspiration American Red Cross Bread for the World Environmental Defense Fund Easter Seals U.S. Air Force & Department of Defense Intel Delicious.com/ecoscribe/social-media-policy You post about work and your cousin completely disagrees with us/you You post something you wish you could take back Add Examples! flickr.com/photos/jurvetson Why: Frame It Call it customer service, donor acquisition, research Tip Toe: Listen, Then Respond Start by entering ongoing conversations flickr.com/photos/on1stsite/ / flickr.com/photos/brittanyg/ NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 11

12 Take It One Step at a Time Start small and do it well flickr.com/photos/adambelles/ Get Your Stop Signs Out of the Way and Green Light your social media strategy. Let s keep in touch! Blog: NonprofitMarketingGuide.com/blog E-News: NonprofitMarketingGuide.com Twitter: kivilm Facebook.com/nonprofitmarketingguide LinkedIn: Kivi Leroux Miller Slideshare: kivilm kivi@ecoscribe.com Office: (336) NonprofitMarketingGuide.com 12