Keeping up with social media is a key aspect of marketing for nonprofits. But it can also be an overwhelming task considering how quickly new social media outlets come on board and how much information passes through them each day.
In 2014, Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) hosted the Social Media on Purpose conference, focusing on how nonprofits can leverage social media to effect change. Recently, SSIR posted a podcast from the event, featuring Caroline Barlerin, head of Twitter for Good, and Sammie Rayner of HandUp. The conversation focused on five principles nonprofits can use as a framework to design effective social media outreach programs:establishing brand, key partnerships, engaging content, amplification, and measurement. Within each of these areas, Barlerin and Rayner share examples of programs that grew from grassroots social media to global campaigns, as well as resources and strategies that can be implemented immediately in many organizations.
Barlerin bills this talk as more “101,” and she notes that using social media effectively is a journey. To achieve the results you desire, you need to start with getting the basics right. On that note, both Barlerin and Rayner suggest some simple strategies nonprofits can implement to get their social media journey off to a good start, including:
· Create a social media calendar, highlighting relevant events, dates, holidays, etc. that are important to your organization
· Develop a social media “Cheat Sheet” for your board members and other influencers, and ask them to push information out to their networks
· Understand that the real work on social media begins after an event/program ends as you need to continue the momentum in a meaningful way
· Use an analytics tool such as HootSuite or Google Analytics to help track the impact of your social media outreach
For PDFs of presentations for the above podcast and other speakers, as well as additional resources, click here.
