Social Networking

What We’ll Cover

• What is social networking?• Examples• Stats• Metrics• Convincing your boss• Step-By-Step Guide

What is social networking?

• Two-way communication and collaboration

• Interactive way to connect with supporters

Differences

Web site Social network

One way communication Two way communication

Content generated in house

Content generated by users

Organization’s voice People’s voice

Talking to people Talking with people

Marketing Conversations

Expect information Expect interaction

From a Strategic Perspective

• Need to be where the people are

• Opportunity to expand your “universe” and reach an otherwise untapped audience

• Should be integrated into your overall communications plan

A Supporter’s Network

• Supporters have their own networks that they can tap into

Image Credit: businessweek.com

Keeping Things in Perspective

• Not a silver bullet for your organization’s communication goals

• Don’t have to be on every social network to be successful

• Email program is still very important

Examples

There are a lot social networking sites out there!

Facebook: Group v. Page

Common Facebook Question:What’s the difference between a Group and a

Page?

Facebook: Group v. Page

• Groups– Better for organizing on a personal

level and for smaller scale interaction– Only groups under 5,000 members

can send email blasts

• Pages– Similar to an individual’s page– Better for brands, businesses, or

movies who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account

– Able to exceed the 5,000 friend cap

Source: Howard Greenstein http://mashable.com/2009/05/27/facebook-page-vs-group/

Stats

• How popular are social networks?

• What do the numbers look like?

Growth Over Time

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey December 2008 Survey

Highlights:

February, 2005 = 8% August, 2006 = 16%December, 2008 = 35%

Demographics

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey December 2008 Survey

White, non-Hispanic = 31%Black, non-Hispanic = 43%Hispanic = 48%

Men = 35%Women = 35%

18-24 = 75%25-34 = 57%35-44 = 30%45-54 = 19%55-64 = 10%65+ = 7%

Urban = 34%Suburban = 26%Rural = 23%

User Cross-pollination

Source: www.andersonanalytics.com

Demographic Comparison

Source: www.quantcast.com

MySpace (June 2009) Facebook (June 2009) Change.org (June 2009)

Comparison: Monthly U.S. People

Source: www.quantcast.com

Comparison: Monthly U.S. Visits

Source: www.quantcast.com

Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report

• Conducted between February 20 and April 15, 2009• 980 nonprofit professionals responded

• Some Key Themes– Facebook is the most popular @ 74%– Avg. community size: 5,391 members– Time on Facebook: 94%, 2 years or less– Time on Twitter: 94%, 1 year or less

Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report

• Staff and budgets (real but small)– Four-fifths are committing at least one-quarter

of a full-time staff person

• Responsibility over the social network efforts– Most likely owned by the comms and marketing

depts, followed by fundraising and exec mgmt

• Long term– More than half intend to increase social network

project staffing over the next 12 months

Popularity of Social Networking Sites

Source: Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report - April 2009(Sponsored by Nonprofit Technology Network, Common Knowledge, and ThePort)

Average Size of Communities

Source: Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report - April 2009(Sponsored by Nonprofit Technology Network, Common Knowledge, and ThePort)

Side by Side Comparison

46.5% of nonprofits have a YouTube page, with 268 subscribers

43.2% of nonprofits have a Twitter page, with 291 subscribers

26.1% of nonprofits have a MySpace page, with 1905 subscribers

Metrics

• Different types of metrics to look at:– # of friends, fans, members over time– # of new names– # of donations– # of video / photo views– # of blog and wall comments– # of voting participants– # of blogs linking to or covering the stories

(consider quality)– # of friends recruited– $ of donations

Metrics

• Examine the numbers– Quantify tangible AND intangible results– Compare time & money spent against results– Benchmark against other contests and other

nonprofits

If Your Boss Needs Convincing

• Go under the radar and try things out

• Present results that are tied to specific goals

• Get them on the network if they’re willing

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Create a Plan

2. Create Content

3. Make Friends

4. Track & Engage

1. Create a Plan

• Why are we joining a social network?

• Which social network’s demographics most mirror the group that you want to reach out to?

• Who's going to maintain/update the social network?

1. Create a Plan

• Set priorities & goals

• Decide which metrics you want to use to measure success

• Dip your toe in and start small

2. Create Content

• What information are you sharing?

• What are you asking supporters to do?

• How can people get involved?

• Is the content on your social networking site in sync with the content on your Web site?

3. Make Friends

• Stack the deck (start with your base and your own friends)

• Be super-responsive to questions that are posted• Reach out to new communities• “Friend” and network with other related orgs• Give supporters a way to invite their friends

4. Track & Engage

• Monitor your initiatives and track the progress

• Experiment and learn from your own lessons

• Keep engaging your supporters with content that is:– Interesting– Meaningful– Updated– Relevant

Contact Info

New Organizing Institute(202) 558-5585info@neworganizing.comwww.neworganizing.comwww.twitter.com/neworganizing