Category Archives: Social Engagement

6 Ways Your Nonprofit Wins the Game of Social Media

First you get in the game. This should go without saying, but I still hear too many executive directors saying they don’t want to play. Folks: you gotta play to win. And it’s not the lottery.  Your chances of winning are really good.  It’s a game of skill, not luck.

Then you acknowledge that everyone is getting into the game.  So you won’t get noticed just because you’re on the field. An October survey of U.S. nonprofits by VerticalResponse found that more than three out of five nonprofits reported spending more time on social media than they did a year ago. Nearly two out of five reported devoting six or more hours per week to social media. Ninety-six percent of nonprofits said they were on Facebook; 80% of these organizations reported posting on the site multiple times per week. Twitter also gets significant attention from nonprofits. The site was used by nearly three-quarters of nonprofits, and the organizations were more likely to post several times a day on Twitter (19.5%) vs. Facebook (13.8%).

Just because you’re flitting and twitting around doesn’t mean you’re getting anywhere fast. It reminds me a bit of the big pile-up on the football field.  An amorphous mass.

Philanthropy; Not Fundraising: Why Online Marketing Revolution Demands Nonprofits End Business as Usual

Once upon a time I knew what I was doing. I attended The Fundraising School, discovered a host of tried-and-true techniques, mastered the art and science of fundraising transactions and went forth to apply the tools at my disposal. Money was raised.

Fast forward several decades, to sometime about five years ago.  I had a dawning realization. I no longer knew what I was doing. I had somehow entered “wing and a prayer” territory. The culprit?  Revolutionary and disruptive technology that, simply put, has ended “business as usual.”

What can you think of that has been done the same way for 50 years? For too many nonprofits the answer is fundraising and marketing (aka “development”).  And it’s beyond time for a change.  In fact, a sea change. It turns out Bob Dylan got it right.

If You Build it They Won’t Come – 10 Must-Do's for Social Media in an Inbound World

Just building it isn’t enough. Whatever it may be. A blog. A Facebook page. A Twitter profile. You name it.

Sorry.

They won’t call.  They won’t write.  They won’t wax on rhapsodically about your finer qualities. The most they might do is notice you out of the corner of their eye; then move on.

It’s on you.

To get real value from social media you must build it, get folks to come, get folks to talk and get folks to recommend you to others.

Here’s the kicker: You’re not 100% in control. Yeah, I know it kind of sucks.  Us control freaks just have to get over it.  Folks are going to be learning about you through others, and you won’t know about it. They’ll talk about you, and you won’t know what they’re saying.

Let me tell you a tale of two siblings, Outbound and Inbound.

6 Ways to Get Others to Promote Your Nonprofit Blog for You: Happy Talk – S.S.T.S. Series, Part IIIb

Talking is what builds your reputation and develops relationships with those who share the values your organization enacts. Talking is central to your blog – and entire social media – strategy. So… let’s talk!

In the first part of this two-part post about how to get others to promote your blog we discussed how to find your natural “sharers” – those folks willing to be spokespersons on your behalf, whether they be influencers or advocates.  Today we’re going to talk about how to get these boosters to spread your good word through digital word-of-mouth.

6 TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR TALKERS TALKING:

How to Find Your Nonprofit Blog Advocates vs. Influencers — S.S.T.S. Series, Part IIIa

To make your blog worth the effort, it’s got to be shared. And that’s what we discussed in Part I: Share and Part II: Shareable of this S.S.T.S. Series.  Great!  But how do you get folks to really TALK about you, rather than just shooting out one-shot shares?

You begin with content, of course. No one is going to share crap, no matter how easy you make it for them to do so. In the C.P.A. Series we talked about getting folks to open and read your post. Done! In the R.C.A. Series we discussed giving folks something engaging to talk about – relevant, constituent-centered and actionable content.  Done and done.

Now that you’ve got the good stuff, you need to get folks walking your talk!

You want more than short-term share transactions.  You want shares that drive desired action responses; you want transformation!

Why the Human Dimension is Key to Social Business Success

We’re really hung up on technology these days. And jargon. We use terms like “social media” to describe a range of practices – from digital communications to any form of customer-centered marketing that embraces the ways in which people interact, inform themselves, form communities and co-create within the current zeitgeist.  Then we it up…

How to Chat People up with your Nonprofit Blog – Coda to the R.C.A. Series

Still a bridesmaid? Or have you gotten engaged?  The R.C.A. Series is all about engagement. It’s the middle part of a three-part series. We move from values (philanthropy)…  to shared values (development)…  to action (fundraising).  Every tip in the series (as well as in the preceding C.P.A. Series  and the upcoming S.S.T.S. Series) also pertains to just about everything else you do in your nonprofit work. So read this even if you don’t have a blog. Yet.

Blogging is not a one-trick pony.  It’s a way of life that expresses who you are, why you’re of value, and how you and your ‘stakeholders’ — those who have a stake in the outcomes you produce — can work together to create positive change. (If this sounds a lot like the “case statement” of yore, that’s because it is!) Think of your blog as your content hub; the place from which all messaging emanates.

Blogging is a three-part proposition.  In fact, so is your entire marketing strategy.  And your fundraising strategy.  And your program strategy. Arguably, your entire modus operandi is a three-part proposition:

How to Create Nonprofit Blog Conversations That Engage. Let's Talk! – R.C.A. Series Part II

R.C.A.? Yup.  When building a blog, you want to be Relatable, Conversational and Actionable. In Part I   of this series I encouraged you to think like an RCA Victrola. You want your content to get people singing your song.  And, heck, you can’t sing unless you know the words.  So, today let’s put the “C”…

How Much Social Media Does Your Nonprofit Need, and Why?

Earlier this week I posted on the Windmill Networking blog about three essential building blocks to kick-start a successful online marketing program. For the time-challenged, however, here’s a brief summary:

Do You Make These 5 Social Media Mistakes?

It’s time for a fresh look. A clairifying look, if you will.

Many of you have questions about social media, so let’s start by blowing out a few cobwebs and clearing our heads.

Ready?

Because if you think any of these things (below), you’re making a mistake in today’s zeitgeist.

There’s been a digital revolution, and the way people learn about you and communicate with you has changed. Dramatically.

If you don’t know it, they do.

You can either get inside their heads, or stay inside your own.

You’re inside your own head if you think: