like' it or not: 5 things your not-for-profit should be doing on social media
DESCRIPTION
In this webinar Heather Linford, Everyday Hero's Community Engagement Co-ordinator, looks at social media as a key tool for creating brand loyalty, building trust and credibility and as a precursor for creating lifetime giving. To view the webinar please visit: https://www.blackbaud.com.au/notforprofit-events/webinars/pastTRANSCRIPT
‘Like’ it or Not:
5 Things Your Not-for-Profit
Should Be Doing on Social Media
Heather Linford
Community Engagement Co-ordinator
Social media is about building relationships
Social Media is…
• An extension of traditional
marketing channels not a
replacement
• Complimentary to your
existing marketing strategy
• Is too important to miss out on
due to lack of understanding
Why should we care about being on social media?
“35% of charities with a
social media account had
increased donations over
the previous two years
while 66% stated that being
online helped lower
operating costs.”
Source: Booz&Co 2013
In the Australia alone, there are 11 million
people on Facebook and 2 million active
users on Twitter.
Source: Frankmedia.com.au
“…whilst many charities have
, there
are still some that seem reluctant
to take the plunge. This may be
due to a variety of reasons, from
lacking the and
to do so to being
of the overall benefits. But as a
tool for ,
supporters, fundraising and
information sharing, social media
could have been invented for the
third sector..”
Source: www.fourthsource.com
1. Get to know the social platforms
• Dip your toes in the water by
creating an account for
yourself on as many platforms
as possible
• Try out all the features you
can see and Google the ones
you’re not sure about
• Check out your competition, to
see what they’re doing and
what is working
Learn more about what each platform does
Visit: http://www.10webtips.com/articles/networking-sites.html
2. Get to know your audience
• Know who you are talking to
and on which platform
• Ensure the content you post is
relevant and engaging to your
audience (not just what you
want to tell them)
• Understand why they are
connecting with you, and what
they want out of the
relationship
Who are your Supporters?
Are they primarily male or female?
What is their motivation for supporting you?
What are they interested in?
How old are they?
When are they online?
What time of day is the best time to reach out to them?
What do they want from you?
• Your Supporter’s are not just
wallets – they have more to give
than money (time, voice,
networks)
• Use social media as a tool to
build relationships and loyalty to
your organisation, not for direct
solicitation
• Show your Supporters how they
have helped you make a
difference
Don’t Forget…
3. Have a strategy
a) What do we want to achieve?
b) What social platforms should we be
using?
c) What is our tone of voice?
Supporters see you as a single entity. Don’t confuse
them by changing the way you speak to them across
social platforms or days of the week.
Consistency is key.
4. Plan your content
• Each social platform is
different, requiring different
content, and posting at
different times of day.
• Over time you will see what
content gives you the best
engagement so make sure
you track
• Use a content schedule to
plan what to post and when,
and to prevent duplication of
content
Primary Users (Aus)
25-34 years old
46% Male vs 54% Female
(source:blog.marginmedia.com.au)
Frequency
1-2 posts per day maximum
Best time to post
Around noon and 7pm
Saturdays (highest activity)
Content Considerations
Short posts (200 characters max), visual content has higher engagement
– images/videos, post at the same time each day so your audience know
when to expect to see your content.
Primary Users (Global)
45-54 years old
38% Male vs 62% Female
(source: Mediabistro.com)
Frequency
Minimum 4 tweets per day
Maximum 1 tweet per hour
Best time to tweet
Between noon and 5pm
Wednesday and the weekends
(highest activity)
Content Considerations
Keep the character limit in mind (140 characters) and tailor content
accordingly. Great for quick facts, statements and images.
Primary Users (Global)
25-34 years old
28% Male vs 72% Female
Frequency
3-4 times per week
Best time to pin
Early afternoon (noon – 3pm)
Friday (highest activity and most re-
pins)
Content Considerations
Images, images, images! Pinterest is visual so your content should be
do. Overlay text on images to share facts about your organisation or
inspiring stories.
Primary Users (Global)
18-29 years old
47% Male vs 53% Female
Frequency
Once per day unless you are at an
event (2-3 times)
Best time to post
Around 8pm
Wednesday (highest activity)
Content Considerations
Include relevant hashtags so your images show up in search results (ie
#marathon), and make sure your instagram account is set to ‘public’.
Do
Engage in real time, genuine
conversations
Build relationships and trust
Post relevant engaging content
Be consistent
Double – check your content
before posting (grammar,
spelling)
Listen
Thank your audience for sharing
your content
Reward your most active
members
Create measurable goals
Have a plan
Be friendly
Use discretion
Learn from your audience
Don’t
• Spam
• Respond to posts from your
community without another
member of your charity
• Ignore criticism
• Sell continuously
• Overdo the hashtags (5 is plenty)
• Forget your audience
• Try think you can completely
control the conversation
• Offend or post negative comments
• Forget that once you have posted
something online it cannot be
removed – deleting content
doesn’t mean someone hasn’t
already taken a screen shot as
evidence
• Criticise your competition
“Giving your Supporters a voice is really important and
helps make them feel like they are a part of your
organisation. At any point where it makes sense,
involve them in your decisions.”
-- Elena Goodrum, Sift Digital (guardian.co.uk)
5. Measure. Review. Improve.
• Social media is not about ROI, it
is about engagement and
creating brand equity.
• Use tools like Sprout Social
(paid) and Hootsuite.com (free)
to track success
• Metrics may include:
- Reach
- Impressions
- Engagement
- Audience growth
Reach: The number of unique people who saw any content you posted.
Impressions: This the total number of times any user could have potentially
seen any content you posted.
Engagement: A great indicator as to how well you are communicating and
interacting with your audience. This is the number of unique people who
have clicked on your posts when compared to the amount of fans you have,
it is displayed as a %. The higher your engagement, the more valuable your
audience.
Conclusion
• Social media is complimentary
to your existing marketing
channels
• Use it to build relationships with
your Supporters and increase
brand loyalty not to ask for
money
• Don’t feel intimidated by social
media, start using it yourself
and get to know the platforms.
• Online is the future, don’t get
left behind!
Questions?