A Networked Approach to Social Media: Strategy and Learning Are Key

Photo of Iavor Ivanov, Web Experience, United Way (national)

Meet Iavor Ivanov, the Director of Web Experience for the United Way (National).   Wondering where he got that awesome T-shirt?

Visit the United Way's LIVE UNITED™ site and run your mouse over the map.  What you'll discover is that LIVE UNITED™ is more than a slogan on a T-Shirt.   It's the agency's campaign designed to inspire individuals across the country to help advance the common good through giving, advocating and volunteering in the areas of education, income and health.

I was curious how a large national network with local affiliates approaches a social media strategy in a networked way.  So, I interviewed Iavor Ivanov, United Way's director of Web Experience to learn more about their approach.  Iavor says they started with an over arching strategy, "We had to think through what we do as a brand in the social space and how it relates to our business goals so we could deploy social media strategically."

Last October, Livingston Communications partnered with the United Way to develop a comprehensive social media strategy for the campaign.  It doesn't stop at integrating social media into the external communications plan for the national entity, but includes training and support for local united ways to implement a social media strategy in their local communities.   This a terrific example of in working in networked way. 

According to Iavor, "Our role changed to a facilitator of conversations and content around the three key themes rather than a creator of messaging and materials."  Iavor points out that training (in the form of Webinars to be delivered by Livingston Communications) and content kits are critical.

He points out that the ability for local United Ways to learn from one another is valuable.  Iavor says, "Social media is still very new and we're experimenting.  We have a mix of experience, from the early adoptors who can share their vast experience to those who are new."

Iavor works closely with individuals responsible for social media and the web at Local United ways, right now via a listserv that serves as a just-in-time support network for social media and web.   Add to this the formal trainings, social media policy guidelines, and the ability for local united ways to cross pollinate, remix, and implement their local campaigns - and you have a networked approach to a social media strategy.

National's social media strategy implementation isn't confined to the Web department at the National United Way either.  As Iavor says,  "On a tactical level, we have to avoid silos.  If I’m working on a particular social media task, I get input from other staff members.     That’s part of our culture around here, we don’t operate in isolation."

Iavor is responsible for the implementation of the national United Way's social presence.  Iavor says, "We are working on the launch of a branded social network. I'm also maintain our social media outposts on Twitter and other social networks." 

He spends a portion of his time monitoring or listening to what is being said about the United Way.  This responsibility is shared with the PR department, although they listen for brand mentions and sentiment. Iavor is primarily looking for content to tweet about.   Iavor says he doesn't tweet about national United Way. He tracks content to share about local United Ways.  Here's an example

Like many social media strategists, Iavor has seen the boundaries between his personal and organizational social networking presence become blurred.  "My personal profile is my work identity.  The other day I mentioned one of our goals on my status and my friends started to discuss it.  I couldn't ignore it"

Finally, Iavor offered some advice for those looking to roll out a networked approach to social media strategy:

• Understand where your community is and what they are ready to learn or do and start there
• Understand what they are doing in the social space and their comfort level
• Facilitate the content creation, you can't control it,  but make sure you have a solid overarching strategy
• Guidelines or best practices that are flexible are important

Qui Diaz, Live United: A Big Target

Comments

[Becky Carroll]

Thanks, Beth, for sharing this. It will be great to show my next Marketing via New Media class at UC San Diego, as we work with a different non-profit each term to create a SM marketing plan.

[Beth Kanter]

http://www.uwsem.org/news/index.html