A New Era in Nonprofit Marketing: Why Winging It with Social Media No Longer Works
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The document outlines the importance of a strategic approach to social media for nonprofits, emphasizing the need for internal buy-in and collaboration across departments. It advocates for moving beyond superficial engagement like 'likes' and 'follows' to foster meaningful relationships that inspire action and contributions. The key takeaways include embracing social media's potential, creating engaging content, and measuring success through relevant metrics.
A New Era in Nonprofit Marketing: Why Winging It with Social Media No Longer Works
- 1. Sponsored by: A New Era in Nonprofit Marketing: Why Winging It with Social Media No Longer Works Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE June 4, 2013 Use Twitter Hashtag #npweb Part Of:
- 2. Sponsored by: Protecting and Preserving the Institutional Memories of Nonprofits Since 1993 www.cjwconsulting.com (866) 598-0430 [email protected] Part Of:
- 4. Sponsored by: Today’s Speaker Claire Axelrad Principal Clairification Hosting: Cheri J Weissman, CJW Consulting & Services, Inc. Assisting with chat questions: Jamie Maloney, 4Good Part Of:
- 5. A New Era In Nonprofit Marketing – Why Winging it with Social Media No Longer Works You’re nobody’s fool! So stop fooling around. The train has left the station, so…
- 6. No More Tip-Toeing Your prospects are here already - empowered to have ‘real time’ conversations. In multiple places. At multiple times. On their own terms. Your donors expect it. They have a voice that’s louder than at any point in history. Get in the room and listen. Social media was made for cause publicity – letting folks spread the word about things they care about. Generation “C”.
- 7. Put Hip to Arm Hop on board!Understand the impact social media already has on your organization + the impact it can have. Internal supportSecure buy-in to develop an institution-wide social media strategy to reach more people and raise more dollars. Plan Develop a social road map that integrates with other marketing and fundraising strategies. Action Go beyond ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ to inspire value-for-value exchanges and meaningful action. Resources Determine and find the resources you need – preconditions to success. Measure Learn to measure “Return on Interesting” (meaningful ROI or ROE)
- 8. HOP ON BOARD! Why you should invest more resources in social media 41% of nonprofits attribute their social media success to having developed a detailed social media strategy. Source: Avectra
- 9. 47% of Americans learn about causes via social media and online channels. Source: Avectra
- 10. 56% of those that support nonprofits on the Social Web confirm that compelling storytelling is what motivates them to take action on behalf of nonprofits. Source: Waggener Edstrom
- 11. Social media engagement inspires further action Source: Waggener Edstrom
- 12. People are giving more through social media. Source: MDG Advertising
- 13. INTERNAL SUPPORT How to get the rest of your organization on board 1. Secure buy-in from the top.People fear “to go where no one has gone before.” Show them that’s not the case. You can’t do this alone. Don’t count on a “grassroots” effort to establish a social media program that will change the culture. The “top” holds the purse strings and sets the strategy. 2. Drip data to persuade.Don’t spout “Reddit, Tumblr, Foursquare, StumbleUpon, Digg … it overwhelms! -- Find solid campaigns you admire; call them up and conduct a research interview. -- Share articles; case studies; infographics; facts that show impact. -- Pair them with folks they respect who are already on board. 3. Take your ‘boomer’ by the hand.
- 14. Move Social Front and Center 3. Build a social task force. Everyone gives and gets in a networked nonprofit. Cut across departments. Include stakeholders from all relevant functions – HR, Marketing, Development, Programs, IT 4. Frame it as virtual word-of-mouth. Ask, what’s most effective marketing strategy? Tried-and-true most effective form of marketing now has a virtual stage. 5. Lead with relationship-building; not technology. Social media is inherently social! The power to engage and connect is the greatest gift of social media. It’s not something you do to folks (seems time-consuming; unnecessary; pushy). Managed effectively, it’s something folks do for us (as influencers, advocates, askers and givers). Mindset transformation – Developer of relationships Invitational – Asks who’s interested? Wants to go along? Transformational – Way to build constituent-centered relationship-building machine! Move
- 15. PLAN Integrate social media with other marketing and fundraising strategies Stop the random acts of marketing. Engagement moves from observing… to following… to endorsing… to contributing… to owning… to leading. Social media lends itself well to the first four – a great entry point. It’s tempting to just dive in and start posting; Don’t. Honestly assess your organization’s goals—and how social media’s unique strengths – encouraging dialogue -- can help further them Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod
- 16. Understand your Market People come before technology and tactics Research and target different audience segments. Use personas; picture who you’re writing to – -- Demographic? Lifestyle? Interests? -- Who influences them? -- Personal goals? Understand your own persona.
- 17. Build a Content Strategy 1. Promotion channels Blog Email Social channel(s) . 2. Start small. Grow slow and steady. Avoid a passive profile like the plague (i.e., anything that isn’t on a consistent schedule). 3. Schedule specific time to produce. 4. Engagement RCA - content must be: Relatable, Conversational, Actionable 5. Keep a running content ideas file. 6. Create a content calendar.
- 18. Be Smart about Content Begin with highest yield; lowest cost
- 19. Build a Promotion Strategy Build your email list. Yes, email is #1 online media tool and most direct way you communicate with folks. The thing that will hold you back most is lack of prospects. Systematically capture leads – if you don’t have a well- designed opt-in form with a headline describing the benefits of joining your mailing list – then this is the #1 reason your promotion strategy sucks. Promote where your folks ‘hang’.
- 20. ACTION Inspire active engagement. Not transactions, Relationships OLD: 1. ‘Likes’ and ‘Follows’ 2. Passive 3. Push; broadcast “wherever” NEW: 1. DAR and CTA 2. Actively feed your ‘influencers’ Give them something interesting, useful, engaging, shareable 3. Pull from where your audience ‘hangs’ Stop counting ‘likes’ and ‘follows’
- 21. Anti-Social = No Action Principle of Reciprocity: Telling = Monologue Sharing = Being useful; Creating emotional experiences; Giving Don’t ignore Actions Social Media Mantra: Unless I intend to engage I won’t do it.
- 22. Get Creative to Inspire DIYsilverware mirror recycled from Goodwill Mission-related cookies from Surfrider Food Board Social networks are becoming more visual. I love Pinterest! Record a 60-second personalized video thank you using V-snap on Twitter
- 23. Creative Engagement Ideas Quozio turns words into images in seconds
- 24. More Creative Engagement Google+ to create circles, communities and hang- outs – way to become trusted authority. LinkedIn Groups build relationships and demonstrate your expertise. Launch discussions or contribute (professionals, aka supporters, tend to ‘hang’ here). Contests on your blog or Twitter (e.g., name your favorite justice movie and win a water bottle). Tell remarkable story on FB; ask folks to share their stories
- 25. RESOURCES The resources you need. How to find them. A PRECONDITION to getting into the social media game. Enough human and monetary resources to (1)develop, (2) implement and (3) measure your plan’s success. But just like with Goldilocks, you want to get it ‘just right.’
- 26. How Much do you Need? Social media is like a puppy. If you’re gonna get one, you gotta care for it or it’s gonna die. Don’t overdo it. Don’t adopt new ones if you can’t care for the ones you’ve got. Strike a balance. If your puppies aren’t thriving, consider whether to give to someone else (hire/outsource) or seek a trainer (consultant). Do you want us all? We dare you! Who’s driving? Them or you?
- 27. Nothing takes care of itself Figure out roles and responsibilities: Who does what? Insource with existing staff? New staff? Outsource? Social capital (board members, volunteers, other connections)? How many hours (per week or month) is it expected to take? What training is necessary to build necessary skills? Determine the needed budget: How much is it going to cost?
- 28. MEASUREMENT What success looks like for you. How to measure your return. SMART OBJECTIVES are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Cartoon, Hugh MacLeod, Gaping Void
- 29. Specific meaningful measurements of activity Before launching a campaign put tracking codes into each social media platform and initiative. There are many metrics from which to choose.
- 30. Measure the right things Short- vs. Long-term metrics Goal Mobilize support for online advocacy campaign and rally/event Target Audiences Donors, Former staff, Members Tools FB, Twitter, Blog Short (transaction) -- # of ‘likes’on FB page -- # of ‘likes’ for FB post -- # of RTs -- # of folks who view blog -- # of comments on blog Long (transformation) -- # of users signing online petition -- # of users taking action (e.g., attend event) Results; not activity. Loyalty; not transactions.
- 31. Attainable: start small With an easy-to-handle project to measure. Shares Conversions to subscribers Responses to your post’s CTA (e.g., emailed Congress person; donated; volunteered)
- 32. Realistic: Return On Interesting If it’s not realistic to measure "return on investment" in a strictly financial sense, don’t. ROI = Engagement that will increase probability of sales/donations, and is an essential part of your marketing mix. You’re investing in a journey to get folks aware, interested, engaged and, ultimately, invested. If you’re interesting, folks will engage. Keep interesting and engaging with them, and the donations will come. Creating interesting content requires knowing your target really well.
- 33. Timesaving Use measurement to save time. Don’t waste energy measuring things that don't get results. Counting ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ may show you’ve been busy, but it won’t show you’ve been smart. Use what you measure to get better results in the future. Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod, Gaping Void
- 34. Take-aways 1. Hop on board the social media train. Prospects are already there. 2. Technology is just a tool. Use it to deliver value. Use it to connect. 3. Constituent-centered. Look into their eyes; not your mirror Cartoon, Gaping Void, Hugh MacLeod
- 35. Take-aways 4. Engage to inspire action. Don’t just slap up a FB page. 5. No more winging it! Learn. Invest. Plan. Measure. 6. Don’t get discouraged.
- 36. Sponsored by: Find listings for our current season of webinars and register at: NonprofitWebinars.com Part Of: