Post on 25-Jun-2015
CL201 Using Social Media to Build Community
I’m Alexandra
I do digital media, including social media,
for NeighborWorks America
Goals for Today
1. Understand the value of communications planning
2. Evaluate if social media is right for your goals3. Plan your next steps
Setting Expectations
My goal is not to convert you all to using social media
My goal is to help you understand the possibilities of social media usage in your community
Agenda
Introductions• Part 1: Communications Planning• Part 2: Social Media OverviewBreak• Part 3: Making Decisions• Part 4: Planning session
Break into groups
1. Your name2. Where you’re from3. Why you’re in this class
Hello my name is:
Part 1: Community engagement
What does
community engagement look like in your neighborhood?
Engaging means two-way communication
– Starting the project– Continuing the project– Announcing completion of the project
Does your action plan have a communications plan for:
?
Who do you need to reach to make your project successful?
1. Fill out the profile in your folder2. Review profiles3. How should you adjust
communication to adjust for different people?
4. What do they have in common?
What actions should these people take as a result of your communications?
What do you need to say?
When do you need to say it?
How will you spread the message?
What is your communications strategy?
Part 2: Social Media Overview
Creative Commons license: Jason A. Howie
Time for Social Media Bingo!
Creative Commons license: Darwin Bell
What is social media?
A two-way form of digital communication between:
1. Peers
2. People and organizations
3. People and government
My definition of social media
Source: Neil Perkins, “What’s Next in Media” via SlideShare
The Social in Social Media
Why is this so important?
People are more invested when their opinions and contributions are valued
How have you done outreach in
the past?
Have you used online tools?
Which of those tools enable two way communication?
• Knocking on doors• Posters• Leaflets• Telephone tree• Local events
Yes
No
“Social media” doesn’t just mean
Facebook and Twitter
Source: Creative Commons, Yoel Ben Avraham
Some tools are specifically for
community engagement
What social media can do
• Enable real-time, two-way communication between neighbors
• Help build momentum for change• Track progress or concerns on issues• Include people who are shy or physically
disabled
What social media can do
Example Success: GivingTuesday
Case study: Debra Askanse, The Power of the NetWork Weaver, slide 35
Example 2: NeighborWorks Week
NeighborWorks Week on Twitter
NWW Photo Contest 2013
75 photos entered
955 votes
263 new Facebook fans
#1: Mobile is continuing to grow
The number of people accessing the internet via a mobile phone has increased 60.3% to
818.4 million in the last two years.
Creative Commons
Key Social Media Facts
#2 Older users are getting into social media
On Twitter the 55-64 year age bracket is the fastest growing demographic with 79% growth rate since 2012.
The fastest growing demographic on Facebook’s and Google+ are the 45 to 54 year age bracket at 46% and 56% respectively.
Source: GlobalWebIndex study via JeffBullas.com
Key Social Media Facts
It’s not just the kids
http://www.nw.org/network/SocialTechResources/tgordonaarp.wmv
Who’s using what social media?
Source: Pew Center for Internet Research, via DocStoc
Caution:
Social media is not
magic
Social media pitfalls
Some things to keep
in mind before
getting started
Social media pitfall #1
It requires internet or a data plan
- People with lower incomes are less likely to use most social media
- When they do use it, it’s often on a mobile phone.
Social media pitfall #2
Social media doesn’t replace face-to-face interactions
or shared experiences
Social media pitfall #3
• People need to be using it already for it to work– Don’t talk into the void– Join the party
“Communities already exist. Instead [of creating a new one], think about how you can help that community
do what it wants to do.”Creative Commons
Social media pitfall #4
It only works if you’re working it! – You or someone on your team needs to monitor
your social presence and be responsible for regular updates
– Social outreach needs to be a part of your overall communications strategy
Part 3: Making Decisions
Let’s take a step back.
Creative Commons license
What tools will actually work for your project?
Who are you trying to reach?
Source: Waggener Edstrom
The Social Media Funnel
Copyright 2013 CommunityOrganizer2.0
It’s not about you
Engagement and Trust
Engagement and Trust
It’s about the community
Engagement and Trust
Listen
Involve them in the cause
Participate in their conversations
Love your supporters – respond quickly
What actions should people take?
What tools will you
use?
Select the tool(s) based on your goals
Source: FrogLoop.com via Allyson Kapin “Which Social Media Platforms Are Worth Your Time and Energy?”
Select the tool(s) based on your audience
Source: Pew Center for Internet Research, via DocStoc
Part 4: Planning time
Creative Commons license
Get out your Communications Planning Worksheet List which tools match to which of your action plan communications needs
How will you divide your time?
Listen, Communicate, Create, Track
Time on Social Media
Listening
Communicating
Creating/Experimenting
Tracking
30%
30%
25%
15%
Source: Danielle Brigida, National Wildlife Fund, Portland NTI symposium
1. Listening Tools
Search hashtags and trending topics Google Alerts
Comprehensive blog searches on topics or organization names
More resources on bethkanter.org
2a. Communicating by participating
Go to where your people are
Join the discussions on your topic
Balance your storytelling with responding to others
2b. Communicating with effective messages
A Attract attention People are flooded with information. Your message should attract attention quickly
I Generate interest Get your audience to relate to and care about your message or issue.
D Encourage a desire to respond
Your communication needs to motivate and persuade people to act by convincing them that what you say is true and important.
A Prompt action Recommend a clear, specific action and be sure it is something your audiences feel they are able to do.
Source: Adapted from: Kingham, T. & Coe, J. (2005) The Good Campaigns Guide: Campaigning for Impact, NCVO Publications, London.
3a. Experiment with MessagingWhat messages work well?
-Are you sure? Did you test them?-Do some groups of people respond differently?
Experiment with Messaging: ExampleOxfam International wanted to create a message that would encourage people to pressure their governments to invest in education in developing countries.
Source: Message in a Box Tactical Tech
"Basic education helps break the cycle of poverty“
Vs."Education is every child's right"
Group huddle: practice your core messaging
Try posting similar messages at different times of day or different days in the week
Try slight changes to your message depending on the tool you are using to distribute the information (Twitter vs. Facebook vs. flyers vs. blog)
3b. Communicating experiments
Listen, Communicate, Create, Track
Time on Social Media
Listening
Communicating
Creating/Experimenting
Tracking
30%
30%
25%
15%
Source: Danielle Brigida, National Wildlife Fund, Portland NTI symposium
We are here
4. Tracking
TwitonomyTweetReach
Facebook Insights
Hootsuite
Internal metrics
1. Frequent posts2. Posts promote core business activity3. Posts thank partners4. Post engage followers5. Channel shows regular growth
Criteria for effective social media
1. Frequent posts:Posts should occur at least twice a week
Ideally: • Once/day for Facebook• 2-3 times/day for Twitter
Effective social media
2. PromotionPosts should mention what your cause will offer the community
Why?• Show your cause/organization’s value
Effective social media
3. Partners
Posts should acknowledge/thank partners and funders – build the relationship online and offline
Effective social media
4. EngagementProof of audience through a like, comment, retweets, mentions, etc.
Effective social media
5. GrowthNumber of followers should increase regularly
Tip: Growth may be slow until you hit a critical mass. It will relate closely to how often and how well you use social media.
Effective social media
Final section: Recap and
closing thoughts
Goals for today – How did we do?
1. Understand the value of communications planning
2. Evaluate if social media is right for your goals3. Plan your next steps
How can we make
time for social
media?
Send me any questions at:achaikin@nw.org
Follow NeighborWorks America social media on:
Good luck!
Further Reading/Resources
•NTEN – nten.org
•Beth Kanter – bethkanter.org
• Debra Askanase – communityorganzer20.com
Online Resources
•Social Tech Symposium – bit.ly/SocialTechNTI
•The Networked Nonprofit
•Measuring the Networked Nonprofit
Books