Beth BeckerProgressive PST@Spedwybabs

Alan RosenblattCenter for American Progress@DrDigiPol

Social Media: A definition

• Social: 1. pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly

companionship or relations: a social club. 2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly;

sociable; gregarious.

• Mediathe means of communication, as radio and television,

newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely

The way things were: Email Advocacy

Campaigns email activists (very few forward it)

Congress gets the email (but no

one knows for sure)

Activists send email to

Congress

• Email is a closed communication loop

• Email was the only online channel to reach Congress

The way things are now: Social Advocacy

Congress can’t ignore because

the world can see!

Campaigns email activists &

promote on social media

Activists send email to Congress & msg via social

media

Activists sent to email/petition page,

twitter petition, Facebook wall, etc.

Questions to Ask YourselfWhat do I want to say?

When do I want to say it?

Who do I want to say it to?

Who do I want my audience to repeat it to?

What areas of interest exist between us & our audience?

Where does my audience live?

How formal is my relationship with my audience?

Which social media platform is best to accomplish my goals?

What other pieces are there to this campaign and how can social media complement them?

Category Number

Worldwide Users 100 million +

% of Users Access via Smartphone 55%

Average # of Tweets/Day 230 million

Estimated % of Passive Users 40%

The Racial Gap 25% users African American, 16% Caucasian

Racial Gap part 2 Largest growth: Latinos at 33% monthly

The Age Gap Largest age group: 18-29 at 18%

Bridging the Age Gap Largest growth: 30-49 at 14% growth

Income Over 50% over %50,000/year

Geographic Location 15% Urban, 10% Rural

% of Internet Users who Admit using Twitter

13%

Know the Twitter Audience in General

Category Number

Worldwide Users 600 million +

% of Users Access via Smartphone 200 million +

The Age Gap 18-25= 35% of all users

Bridging the Age Gap 50 and older= 12% and rising 58% yearly

% of FB users related to overall web use 72%

Page Post Impressions % 10% of fans see any one update

Profile Post Impressions % 10% of your friends see your status updates

Gender Gap Myth 298 million male- 288 million female

Average time spent on FB/week 7.5 hours

Know the Facebook Audience in General

Social media reaches influencers

• Traditional influencers• Press• Policy Professionals• Policymakers

• New influencers• State/issue bloggers, organizers, e-newsletter

editors• Social network influencers

• Influencers extend & enhance your influence (trusted 3rd party validation)

Emerging Social Networks

Don’t be fooled

Engagement

Authenticity

Holistic

Engagement is everything

Audience

Engagement

Get followers, then deepen your connection1. Connect – Follow people you want following you

Following people who tweet about the same topics as you creates a 15-30% chance they will follow you back.

2. Engage – Reply to people you want following youNot everyone notices who follows them, but everyone notices who mentions them. Reply w/ information & links you know will interest them. Ask questions & converse.

3. Recommend – Retweet/#FF followers you wantRecommend people you want following you to your followers by retweeting them & w/ #FF (Follow Friend).

4. Repeat – Repeat steps 2 & 3 after they follow you back to deepen your connection.

5. Remember, it is about exchanging VALUE

Twitter Lists

Measuring influence: Twitalyzer dashboard

Measuring URL referrals & reach

Measuring audience growth: Facebook

Shortened & Customized URLs1

Measuring URL clicks