Open Thread: How does my nonprofit organization get started with social media? What should we do first? What's your advice?

Photo by Billerr

 

Every now and then I get emails asking for advice.  I don't have the bandwidth to answer each one or even blog them, but occasionally I like to post them here because it is great to hear what the very smart people who read this blog have to say.

I received this email recently:

Dear Beth:

I've been receiving your blog for a couple of weeks & find it fascinating reading.  I also read Seth Godin’s, Chris Brogan, etc. etc.  And therein lies my question. I work for a conservation organization and we’re arriving very late to the Social Media party. There is just so much great information out there; I don’t know how to begin. Can you share some advice? What is “square one?” How do we get started?

The first step for any nonprofit is to hit the pause button and ask whether it is appropriate for your organization to pursue a social media strategy.  Is it the right priority?  Next, it is important to think through all the questions related to outcomes, audience, and how your social media strategy relates to your existing overall marketing strategy.   

But after the strategic part, when the rubber hits the road - the most important next step is to start listening.  Chris Brogan has done a terrific job writing about the tools for listening and Liz Strauss has an entire e-book on the topic of listening

Listening is a core piece of your social media strategy. Listening must become a priority in order to use the social media successfully. Listening is a critical marketing practice and it just so happens that social media tools help facilitate listening.   And, it can give you some ideas that inform your strategy too, better understand what people are saying about your issue, and get a sense of what other organizations are doing as well.

The Zoomerang Study of Marketers and Web2.0 talks about the importance of listening as a first step:

"Smart marketers understand how important it is to engage their customers in a dialog…The advice for marketers looking to embark on a Web 2.0 strategy is to “shut up and listen…Your customers have a lot to say. Stop broadcasting messages they TiVo out anyway and hear what they have to say. Once you’ve done that, you can think about a thoughtful engagement strategy.”

In article about ego searching, Robin Good adds

If you can track what the rest of the world is saying about you or your products and services, you have a great deal of valuable information at your disposal. Knowing what others say and think about you is the best and most effective way to improve your profile, positioning, price without needing to hire any expensive marketing consultant.

Here's an easy first project - set up an a google alert with your organization's name and/or url.

Let's say you were leading a workshop or did a presentation, and someone the audience asked you, "What should we do first?"  What would be your response?  Or maybe you're a blogger and you've written a first steps for nonprofits in social media post.  Please share it.

Comments

[Dalene Bradford]

I've been thinking about this question a lot recently, prompted by the comments of a colleague who returned from a nonprofit conference recently all excited about the power of social networking to empower his clients to raise more money. (He owns a fund-raising consulting business.) He was going to immediately suggest that all his clients find ways to capitalize on the nifty things he'd learned about "causes", viral marketing and social networking.

This gave me the shivers and reminded me of the period in which nonprofits set up websites with "Give Now" buttons and sat back to watch the money roll in. As little did, they often gave up on e-communications, rather than trying to find out what the problem was with their approach.

I'd say, to anyone interested in getting started in social media, that you first have to experience social networking yourself. For younger folks, this threshhold may have already been passed.

Easy starting points for me have been LinkedIn (which seems to have reached a tipping point of general acceptability at lots of age levels) and Facebook. I also set up a MySpace page, but soon found that my friends and family were more Facebook-oriented. So I learned right away that, even for a nonprofit, one of the next things you're going to have to do is develop an awareness of which social networking tools your constituents are using.

By taking this approach I have learned about "Causes" on Facebook and have seen what it"feels like" when someone engages you that way. Now I'm experimenting with a cause I care about. I know that I have much more to learn before I'd be comfortable leading a
nonprofit down this path.

Another thing I learned about social networking is that it's fun.

[Dalene Bradford]

I've been thinking about this question a lot recently, prompted by the comments of a colleague who returned from a nonprofit conference recently all excited about the power of social networking to empower his clients to raise more money. (He owns a fund-raising consulting business.) He was going to immediately suggest that all his clients find ways to capitalize on the nifty things he'd learned about "causes", viral marketing and social networking.

This gave me the shivers and reminded me of the period in which nonprofits set up websites with "Give Now" buttons and sat back to watch the money roll in. As little did, they often gave up on e-communications, rather than trying to find out what the problem was with their approach.

I'd say, to anyone interested in getting started in social media, that you first have to experience social networking yourself. For younger folks, this threshhold may have already been passed.

Easy starting points for me have been LinkedIn (which seems to have reached a tipping point of general acceptability at lots of age levels) and Facebook. I also set up a MySpace page, but soon found that my friends and family were more Facebook-oriented. So I learned right away that, even for a nonprofit, one of the next things you're going to have to do is develop an awareness of which social networking tools your constituents are using.

By taking this approach I have learned about "Causes" on Facebook and have seen what it"feels like" when someone engages you that way. Now I'm experimenting with a cause I care about. I know that I have much more to learn before I'd be comfortable leading a
nonprofit down this path.

Another thing I learned about social networking is that it's fun.

[John Haydon]

Beth,

Great post - thank you so much!

A client asked me about social media recently which motivated me to post a "rules of the road" guide on my blog. Here's a snippet:

-------------
It’s all about the “social” - not the “media”.

Social networking initiatives should put technology aside and focus on the human-to-human elements of positive communication. This is the only way to build a lasting foundation to a powerful brand for your non-profit. For guidance, post a sticky note of these “rules of the road” in your cube:

* Be Positive: With all of your social networking communication, present a positive message. Think of yourself as the ambassador of your cause whose job is to spread hope. This is especially crucial during periods when there are thousands of reasons to be hopeless. Folks will respond positively to a person who is consistently encouraging.
* Be Open and Honest: Social networking is always two-way communication. Because of this, you will encounter folks that might ask difficult and challenging questions regarding your non-profit. Don’t be defensive - listen to what people are saying. Responding honestly will often transform misconceptions and negative attitudes into sincere support for your cause.
* Listen and Acknowledge: Sometimes we’re so busy “getting the word out” that we forget to listen to and acknowledge people when they post comments, link back to us, or send us e-mails. Remember that these folks have a desire to be heard. Responding thoughtfully to each person may take time, but create tremendous value in the long run. I posted a comment on a blog recently and received a personal e-mail from the author saying “Another useful comment. Thanks so much.” This e-mail, which took her less than 15 seconds to write, made me great and made her look like a complete professional.
--------------

Take care,

John Haydon
CorporateDollar.Org
Humanistic Marketing for Non-Profits

[Danielle]

As usual, wonderful advice. I think coming up with a social media plan before hand is a fantastic idea. Just make sure you have tangible goals that are measurable. I feel sure that if I had done that from the start, we would have a concise social media plan by now :)

[Will Hull - eAdvocacy/eCommunications Coordinator for United Cerebral Palsy National Office]

Great post. The best way to begin an adventure into social networking is by listening, absorbing and interacting by posting comments and finding out how things work. Then take on one social network at a time. Never bite off more than you can chew.

We have started our affiliates off by explaining what a blog is before we fully immersed ourselves into the blogosphere (http://ucpeople.blogspot.com/search/label/Resources). Feel free to take a look at how we did it.

[DaveMurr]

Hi Beth -

I've been following your blog for some time and it has been a great resource. It is good to see nonprofit organizations embrace social media. Their message can be the conversations that people are already talking about. And though it may seem like an easy fit, I was glad to see that you also stressed that social media may not be for every nonprofit.

Having interviewed with nonprofit organizations I have come to see how traditional nonprofit organizations can be. There appears to be a generation gap – with the Y’s and the X’s already playing in the social media space and the “older” generation not familiar with the medium.

A few months ago Aaron Uhrmacher put together a five part plan that I feel makes a great foundation for any organization looking to get involved in social media. My humble suggestions for any nonprofit would be to start here. Below is what I’ve learned and what nonprofits can take away from it.

1)LISTEN or RESEARCH. Start off by taking some time and research how social media and nonprofits are already playing. Think about your message and mission. Are people talking about it? If they are how are they talking about it? What is being said? How are other nonprofits using social media? Any organization needs to do their homework before playing.

2)PREPARE – one thing that became apparent with the nonprofits I spoke with was that they all recognized they wanted to play with social media and felt that they “should” be involved. It’s great to have that momentum, and though I would never dampen anyone’s initiatives, I feel it is important to wave the red flag here. Don’t rush into it!! Leave the parking brake on for just a little bit longer while you build an internal structure and support for your social media efforts. Find the evangelist(s) in your company who will carry your social media strategies. Its also a good idea to define your internal rules of engagement and determine what your social media strategy will be. Though social media is fun – it does take time, resources, and a lot of effort. Not many people realize how much work goes into it.

3)PLAY TIME – ok, after doing some homework – its time for some fun. Go out there and play on blogs, wiki’s etc. I’d start with Twitter. Its simple and you can find a lot of people who are in nonprofits and already engaged. Twitter can act like a beacon that funnels information your way while building your networking audience.

4)GET SOME SUN – don’t get stuck on your computer. Go out and talk with people. Find some conferences on social media. Blogworld is coming up this September and I credit that for being a huge starting point in my social media journey. Look for things called Tweetups – these are simply local gatherings of people who are on Twitter. The Social Media Club has groups and meetings nationwide – check to see if your state has a group and when they meet. See what is out there - again we are building our network audience.

5)HAND IN YOUR REPORT – now that you have done some research, prep work, playtime and networking – you should now have plenty of information at your disposal. Write it out in a report or document– the important thing to remember is that measuring what you have learned. What did you learn about social media? What did you learn about the people you will be engaging with? What are they talking about? What worked or what didn’t work?

6)DEFINE WHAT YOU NEED – if after all this you decide that social media is not for you – that’s ok. You haven’t wasted anything. Better to find out now. If you do decide social media will be part of your nonprofit, you should have a very good idea what your organization needs to make your social media campaign successful.

7)PREPARE PART 2 – prepare again. What does your nonprofit require to support your social media efforts? Do you need to hire people? Are there people already in your organization? How will social media play with your current marketing methods? Think of bees building a hive.

8)START SMALL – one thing I will point out, and this is from experience, is that you can (or should) start small. Remember you don’t need a shopping mall right away. Don’t get caught up building the coolest and hippest online community. A blog can be a community. Start small – lay a strong foundation and then build as necessary. You will thank yourselves – trust me!

9)REPEAT PROCESS – once you have done all this get ready to start over and continue steps 1 though 9. Websites and social media are not absolutes – they are organic mediums and are constantly changing. You may feel sometimes that you are running just ahead of the train and for the most part that’s true – but that’s the fun of it. Don’t get caught up in making everything perfect- just stay true to your message and listen. The rest as they say is cream cheese!

[Michele Martin]

Good question, Beth. When all is said and done, the most successful blogs are those that sound like a real person being authentic and talking to other real people. Even "institutional" blogs have real people behind them and these are people who can convey a "voice" that people want to interact with and hear more from.

Although I agree with the need to plan and think through why you want to have a blog, I think the first step in blogging for any organization is to have staff start blogging for themselves. Readers know when a blog isn't "real" or "authentic" and too much planning can end up bleeding out everything that might have been real about a blog. And ultimately it's going to take the dedication and skills of individual people to give that blog a voice, so by having staff play around with blogging on their own, everyone can begin to see what emerges. In those personal blogs may lie the seeds of something better.

[Jocelyn]

Hey Beth,

Here's a presentation I did TODAY called Online Strategies and Tools for Success, which might be helpful to folks.

http://www.slideshare.net/JocelynCHarmon/online-strategies-and-tools-for-success-81908-presentation

What this deck DOESN'T reflect are the 4 most important questions every organization MUST ASK AND ANSWER before doing any marketing - using social media or not.

They are:

1. what is the end goal of our marketing effort? what, specifically, are we trying to do? e.g. raise more money, recruit more volunteers, raise awareness for our cause issue?

2. who are we trying to reach? Again, be specific. Go beyond a demographic like "the community" so that you'll be able to streamline your efforts and achieve greater results.

3. what do they want from us?

4. where do they live online and how can we best connect?

In short, the choice about whether or not to engage in social media and which tools to use should be an empirical NOT a philosophical exercise. Instead of hypothesizing about which tools might or might not work best, we need to go directly to our "audiences" and listen to them and ask them what they want. These conversations will lead us directly to the right tools!

Jocelyn

P.S. Thanks so much for doing the interview. Elise has asked me to speak at BlogHer DC!

[Beth Kanter]

Love the four marketing questions - I'd add two more from the organizational capacity side ...
http://cutedogtheory.wikispaces.com/

[Michael Wesolowski]

Dive in. (For me it was Facebook and LinkedIn)
Make your first social network friend (Even it’s someone you know)
Bump around. (It’s not always clear what you are looking at: social networking communicate like you do but all-at-once, for example you get telephone calls, someone hands you a sticky note, you send email, you write in your calendar, watch a video all-at-once.)
Make more friends.
Read about it.
Get frustrated.
Bump around some more.
Make more friends.
It starts to get easier.
Make more friends.
It definitely gets easier.
Make more friends.
Then, new social network tools rollout…
- Repeat -

[Jennifer Caleshu, Bay Area Discovery Museum]

Great ideas in the comments - so I'll just add a few cents from another non-profit perspective - the children's museum. This is a section of the non-profit world that is very late to the social media party - there are very few of us out there blogging, flickr'ing etc.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed with the options - facebook? myspace? twitter? - but the best thing to do is find out where people are already talking about you, and participate there. In our case, that's flickr (parents LOVE taking pictures of their kids) and yelp (people LOVE to review on Yelp in the SF Bay Area). It's a lot easier to participate when you're contributing to a community that already exists, rather than trying to create one from scratch.

More on how to listen to your audience is on a guest post I wrote for Reach Advisors' Museum Audience Insight blog here: http://reachadvisors.typepad.com/museum_audience_insight/2008/07/are-you-listening-now-online-reputation-cultivation-and-management.html