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The Benefits of Social Media - VAL - Future Focus 15
The document discusses the importance and benefits of social media for organizations, emphasizing its potential to enhance communication, build community, and amplify messaging. It highlights the need for strategic planning in selecting appropriate platforms and showcases successful examples of social media use for social good. The document also provides practical advice on engaging audiences, measuring effectiveness, and integrating social media into organizational strategies.
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The Benefits of Social Media - VAL - Future Focus 15
- 1. 7th September 2015 VoluntaryAction LeicesterShire Paul Webster – Digital Skills Advisor & Community Builder Twitter : @watfordgap The Benefits of Social Media
- 2. Good afternoon ... Toooften you see this ... ... instead, please turn on your phones, tablets and other devices if you want to try out any of the social media websites.
- 3. Is your socialmedia living in the 90s?
- 4. Social media isonline media that starts conversations, encourages people to pass it on to others, and finds ways to travel on its own. Idealware - http://www.idealware.com
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- 6. Of 64.1million UKpopulation, there's 57.3million Internet users (76% access daily) 96% of internet users aged 18-34 are on one of more social networks Adults using the internet have an average 5.54 accounts and are active on 2.82 Use of social networks is 64% of all the time spent on the internet in UK Average time spent online per person everyday is 3hr 59mins (1 hr 52m from mobile) The main networks - showing active users as % of connected population Facebook – 27.5 million active users, 26% are Aged 25-34 (Comscore – Dec 2013) Twitter – 12.1 million users, 40% just read & don't post (Twitter – Sept 2013) Linkedin – 15 million (Linkedin – Mar 2014) (374k Engineers, also 5 mermaids!) YouTube – is the second most popular search engine Which is right for you? Now is always the right time … ... tomorrow isn't. Can't be ignored by charities!Rose McGory & 'We Are Social' Report Jan 2015
- 7. For messaging it's Snapchatand What's App. Don't just consider 'established' Social Networks. Look to the future. For interest sharing it's Instagram or Tumblr
- 8. There are many socialmedia websites! You could dive in, but... For maximum benefit first Think as a Social Organisation, Plan, then select the suitable websites & tools.
- 9. "We've got a'problem' with social media in our organisation" Where to start Knowledge Confidence / Fear Capacity / Resources Access Time Cost Scepticism Any more?
- 10. How to benefitfrom social media
- 11. Increases speed ofcommunication – fastest way to spread messages to get action through social networking. Less of financial cost, but the ‘expense’ may be time Widens awareness of organisation's message to people/groups that may be missed using traditional methods – ‘viral’ marketing campaigns hugely powerful creating awareness extremely efficiently. Friends tell their friends. Deepens relationships to build new and different networks and communities of interest to bounce ideas off and share experiences, increase commitment, connections and belonging for campaigning activity. Show understanding and start some conversations! Think of an activity you are doing ... How could social media be of benefit to it?
- 12. Generate Change byon-line conversations, promotion and awareness about the work or latest campaign by the organisation. Use RSS and Google Alerts to stay ahead of developments in your area of interest Joins together communities for Action who are interested in similar things, have the same likes or are striving for the same objectives. Tell your visitors and supporters about your work in a new way Consider all Five of these together and you have tools that are very powerful – Social Media For Social Good Commoncraft Video explaining Social Media Think of an activity you are doing ... How could social media be of benefit to it?
- 13. The most important reasons peoplehave for using social platforms (April 2015) https://app.globalwebindex.net/products/report/social-media-motivations-q1-2015 Note : The top 4 reasons are passive uses of social media “In today’s digital world a charity chief executive, a leader who represents an important cause, should be accessible and accountable to their charity’s supporters." (Guardian Voluntary Sector Network - April 2015) Unfortunately many aren't.
- 14. Your organisation is Famous Freepublicity!
- 15. Is your organisationon Social Media? No? Probably – Yes! Who is using Social Media? Does your organisation have a website … that is interactive? Have you got a blog? Do you use YouTube or Flickr? Are you on Facebook? Do you Tweet? Have you checked?! How are you being represented? How are others marketing what you do? Even if you've not started any social media activity, there may be others talking about you.
- 16. Have a plan Knowyour objectives and goals, have a clear message Provide advice or support for local communities in Leicester Research where your audience are – do you ask them? Listen to find out, work in spaces where your target audience are Tie together a strategy for the story – who / how Which voice is best to use – What style of conversation works the best? Choose tool to match audience and implement it Look what other organisations do & what works well Don't neglect your 'offline' spaces, use 'hooks' to this content Sustain the conversation and say thank you Encourage people to return, keep it new, links from websites Engage with people on line, be receptive, respond, react http://www.idealware.org/reports/nonprofit-social-media-decision-guide
- 17. Do some research It’seasier to go where people already are It can be difficult to get people to come to you Start with your website as the hub, your shop window. A Web Search is still most popular form of brand or service research ..so.. Do you know your audience & how they communicate? Build a social relationship first before asking for action. Could you tell your story in 140 characters ... or a blog ... or a video ... ? It's Social media, not Selling media
- 18. Media Channels Make itPersonable Your Website as a Hub with Social Spokes Use Mixed Media and combinations suited to your audience – Audio - Audioboo – Photos - Instagram – Video - Youtube Get a website – even just a FREE Wordpress or Weebly site to Tell your Story
- 19. Can you tella good story?
- 20. Listen to yourvolunteers, Tell a good story Is your story unique, personal, heart-warming and fun? Not a corporate message selling the organisation, but a social message. Do you have a picture or video with the face of a volunteer on your website that triggers emotion and connects to your story? Does it create urgency with something important at stake, something you 'really must' share with your friends? Does it have a call to action that will inspire more people to volunteer?
- 21. Telling your story- Never Seconds Blog Started by Scottish 9 year old Martha Payne in April 2012 as a school writing project about her lunchtime meals. Seen by social media users … but as not all reviews of the food were good the local council tried to close it down… which generated MORE interest! Martha appeared on TV & Newspapers and always replied to many comments on blog and featured worldwide meal pictures Chef Jamie Oliver supported campaign to get better school meals and link to the “Mary's Meals” JustGiving campaign raising funds for school food in Africa. A school kitchen costs £7,000 to build in Africa. A small target was set to support this campaign But...
- 22. Build your Narrativeand Build Success Initial target of £7,000 now £144,448 (August 2015) A book of the story has been published to raise more funds A local council changed it's social media policy The blog has over 10,000,000 hits But the important part... Children who would have been hungry in African schools are now being fed by 'Mary's Meals'!
- 23. 98% of usersare never more than 3 metres from their phoneThink Mobile
- 24. Stop! What aboutMobile Websites? In 2015 mobile will has overtaken desktop for web access (3.26 hrs / day) Make website responsive (test across platforms) & avoid excessive text, images & tiny buttons, Flash / Animations. Test here... https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ Make donor sign up very easy with clear call to action Make it 'Socially Sharable' Minimise data entry – no long forms Remember visitors may be on slow connection Check … have you viewed your website on a phone/tablet? -----
- 25. Audience for Mobile http://www.textsprout.com(2013) In 2013 : 900 million Android Devices 600 million iOS Devices Mobile use : 82% of all UK mobile phone sales are smart phones 21% of US web users use ONLY a mobile device to go on-line & is 17% of Global Web Traffic 81% never turn their phone off, 30% check web & social media when they wake up, make sure it's yours they see.
- 26. Choose the righttime http://flickr.com/photos/61718807@N07/7676798058
- 27. Immediacy and Response?- It's a 24/7 world Print 7 days 2 weeks Type News travels Reply within Email 7 hours 2 days Twitter 7 seconds 2 minutes Facebook / Blogs 7 minutes 2 hours Include time in staff work plans to build your social media presence and even reduce time needed for other communication channels. Social Media websites are organisations main 'shop window' – the place visitors check first. Average 'life' of a tweet is just 18 minutes. Don't 'walk away' from being social. Respond to immediate alerts and replies to scheduled content or if your organisation is mentioned
- 28. Time Planning -A Posting Schedule Every Day (30 mins) Once a Week (45 mins) Tweet, re-tweet, check Google Alerts, check RSS reader & reply to comments Write blog post, check analytics, monitor groups & find new people to follow About Monthly (60 mins) Add video to YouTube, share a resource on-line, create podcast & build profile Buffer & Hootsuite will help with post scheduling (but be alert to responses too!)
- 29. From Flickr –Claire Sutton and justinbaeder http://nptechuk.wordpress.com/sms-links/ Find the right tool for the task
- 30. Social Media –Shortens cycle Meet people where they are and on the platforms they are already on A generation like(d) mailed / e-mail campaigns Write or call … Get donation pack … Complete forms … Post to Charity … Cash Cheque … Wait for Clearance ... (From www.pinterest.com/markphillips/old-charity-ads)
- 31. Social Media –Shortens cycle Current 'Baby Boomers' use social media 'Millennials' have only known SMS and mobile as a way to communicate and engage! If your online presence doesn't allow 'share & connect' then it's invisible to many Thanks - @jon_bedford & JustGiving
- 32. Make profile 'followable' -Add current Pictures (avatar & header), Place to find you, descriptive Profile and web Page - DON'T leave blank, over- sell or push advertising See content of tweet, not tweeter, e.g. @valonline, @navca etc A small network of quality followers results in better conversations through shared links/knowledge than a large network of followers who rarely share content
- 33. ....if Facebook were acountry, it would be the third most populated in the world, ahead of the United States. Only China & India are more populated It’s where many, many people will already be networking and sharing
- 34. Facebook Awareness &Promotion Use Header space to promote your charity Embed Apps to external fundraising donation sites A Group for an invited network of supporters (can be secret) A Page for people to Like & follow updates
- 35. Facebook Actions -Donate & Engage Add a 'Donate' button - it's FREE for charities Use 'About Us' to link back to main website Have conversations with supporters Share pictures & videos of your story
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- 37. Consistency across allwebsites & social networks Link closely with offline promotion
- 38. Sharing Socially Sharing Buttonshelps visitors tell others on Facebook, e-mail or Twitter about your website Feeds from social media sites pulled in attracts visitors to click through to Twitter or Facebook
- 39. Monitoring and Measuring Monitoring& Analytics - Sparkwi.se, Tospy, Twitter Analytics, SocialBro, Social Mention - https://analytics.twitter.com/user/watfordgap/tweets Search and Discover - It's an extra pair of eyes and ears for your organisation - New people, new organisations ... and it's worldwide - Levels the conversation ... link with people before you meet Join in - It's about a conversation with people (not about the numbers) - It may happen around you, be 'a part' even if you didn't initiate it - Don't need to ask permission & it's not a one-sided broadcast - People tweet ... not organisations - but it shows your org is social - Getting your stories in front of the right people (local press etc)
- 40. Measuring Social MediaSuccess - Check how many times links are clicked on Bit.ly - Listen what's said about your organisation using Topsy - Monitor Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Wordpress visits - Measure Tweetreach, SocialBro, Social Mention, Sparkwi.se - Visualize Infographics on Visual.y, Infogr.am, My Social Strand BUT …. real success is not just about the numbers - Tell stories of real people and real changes - Build relationships by joining in conversations - Social media presence a reflection of your organisation - Engage press, funders, supporters with pictures and video Say Thank You!
- 41. How do youfeel about your use of social media now ? Start small … which one idea will you try out today?
- 42. Step 2 –Pick one goal to pursue 1, Free publicity for your organisation as people may already be saying good things about your activities. 2, Majority of social media websites are free (only cost is your time). 3, Everyone HAS a story ... Every Organisation IS a story. 4, It is like having an extra 'member of staff' - use social media to signpost on to campaigns & information about your work. 5, Your news is instantly on the smartphones and tablets that many of us (and our audience) already own. 6, Instant response to questions from supporters helps them feel more involved. 7, Drastic reduction in the 'call to action cycle' - saves time and money. 8, Facebook (and Youtube) Donation buttons are free. 9, Get noticed through matching your web page and social network page styles. 10, Your website at the centre with buttons to social media sites and links back to the hub. An integrated organisation using social media for social good. Summary - Benefits of Social Media
- 43. Connecting Care http://www.connectingcare.org/uk WeNurses http://wecommunities.org/resources/twitterversity Foundation forPeople with Learning Disabilities http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/ Idealware - Social Media Decision Guide http://www.idealware.org/reports/nonprofit-social-media-decision-guide Resources
- 44. ICT Knowledgebase http://www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk Community HowTo http://www.communityhowto.com/# KnowHow NonProfit http://knowhownonprofit.org/ Social Media Surgeries http://www.socialmediasurgery.com Media Trust - All Our Stories http://resources.mediatrust.org/allourstories/ Resources
- 45. Paul Webster Digital SkillsAdvisor & Community Builder Email : [email protected] Twitter : @watfordgap Tel : 07876743096 Any Questions?