Pass It On…
June 30, 2009
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Posted by Ken Okel
Mom’s Flock to Social Media
June 29, 2009A new survey shows that social media use among new Moms is growing while they are tuning out traditional media like TV.
The research comes from BabyCenter, which polled more than 25,000 mothers. The results found that 63% say that they used Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Back in 2006, that rate was at 11%.
After giving birth, the study found that TV viewing fell by 37% among women who say they are regular TV viewers.
What is the attraction of social media to these mothers? In my opinion, it’s the ability to connect with others at a time when the demands of parenthood may be making some feel isolated. It’s the ability to share video and pictures of your children. And it’s also the chance to find answers to common problems.
As a nonprofit, you should be thinking along similar lines. Use social media to build a community among your supporters. Let them get excited about your mission and feel proud of your accomplishments. In this economy, getting your message out through traditional media can be very costly. Why not align your marketing to include a social media strategy? A steady stream of nonprofit communication can united people around your common goal.
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Posted by Ken Okel
Fun With Facebook
June 26, 2009It’s a smart move for nonprofits to use Facebook. Yes, you may already have your own website but think about this: In an average day do more people visit your site or Facebook? Take advantage of the high level of traffic to deliver bite-sized chunks of information to your supporters.
For a person, on Facebook, you set up a profile. For any organization, you set up a page. They are two separate parts of the Facebook universe. “Friends” follow your personal profile. Pages have “fans.” Confused? I find this phrase helps me keep the two clear: “I’m a fan of your work and a friend of yours.”
Pages are created by a Facebook member. Consider them your nonprofit’s Facebook administrator. The information on their personal profile, will not appear on the nonprofit’s page.
But when you post a item on your nonprofit page, the update will be seen by everyone who is a fan of your organization. The news will appear in their news stream on their Facebook profile. This is big as it gives you an easy way to get in touch with people who like what you’re doing. Of course the challenge is making sure that your updates have good content, are to the point, and are enriching. Pictures, YouTube videos, and blogs can help get the job done.
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Posted by Ken Okel
Rally Your Troops
June 25, 2009Imagine that your organization is facing a serious challenge. Do you keep quiet about it, with the idea that bad news should not be shared with your supporters? Or do you use social media to get the word out and then mobilize them in favor of your cause?
In Ohio, state budget cuts are threatening to slash library budgets by $200 million dollars. The Columbus Public Library is facing the loss of half of its state funding. The organization has fully embraced social media as a tool to convince the public to force state lawmakers to reconsider the cuts. To see their, Save Ohio Libraries page, click here.
On the page the problem is defined very quickly. You then are offered several action steps through social marketing. One is a sample Facebook and or Twitter status update that you can copy and then post on your profile. The update is designed to tell people about the potential funding crisis and offer them a link to find out more. I’d love to see some video being used. Maybe they could set up a blog that could accept short YouTube clips where people could discuss why how libraries have touched their lives.
Readers are also encouraged to temporarily change their profile pictures on social media sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook to a special, Save Ohio Libraries graphic. This is a very easy way to raise awareness of the cause. In this economy, can your group afford to stay silent about your challenges?
I like the aggressive attitude being shown the librarians. Through social media, they’re able to get their message out very quickly and cheaply. They’re not having to spend money on expensive printing projects. They also don’t have to rely on media coverage for promotion, something that’s getting harder and harder to receive with so many jobs being cut at newspapers and TV stations. The group also does a good job of giving people action steps that are relatively easy to do. So people learn about the challenge quickly and then are told how they can make a difference.
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Posted by Ken Okel
Easy Blog Template
June 24, 2009If you are stumped at how to write your blog, try following this template. I’d encourage you to personalize it but I think it can help get you started.
What’s new in your organization? Tell me something that you’ve recently achieved, a new challenge that’s just come up, or an update on a previous situation.
Why should I care about this? I don’t mean to sound harsh but in today’s time challenged world, you need to make sure that people know that if they invest time with you, it will be well spent. Make sure I understand why this is important.
How can I help or become involved? If you need and want help, make sure to let people know. They are more likely to volunteer if they know it’s for a specific project.
This is good but we could do better. You may be reporting on a great achievement but is there still unfinished work in the community? What’s the next step in your mission? Celebrate your successes but make sure your supporters know there’s still lots of work to be done.
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Posted by Ken Okel
Don’t Treat Your Donors Like Gym Members Part 2
June 23, 2009Let’s continue our discussion of a major problem for nonprofits in the second part of my special report. You may remember how I compared your organization to a gym that is eager to make prospective members feel special. But once those people become members, the gym looses interest in them and takes them for granted. Management feels like they’ve got a customer for life.
That is until a new gym opens in town. Then you start to see a mass exodus to the new place. Suddenly you may see the old gym get a bit of a face lift with things like balloons. New membership offers will be promoted as a way to pull in more members. But as a current member, you’re not getting anything new or better out of the situation. So why should you stay?
A lot of businesses treat their customers like gym members. Don’t forget the people who helped make your business what it is and instead only focus on getting new customers. People will stay loyal to a place that they feel cares about them. But if you take them for granted, they’ll run to the next new thing in town.
When was the last time you reached out to a longtime customer and told them that they are appreciated? Do you ever go to them for advice or guidance? Do you communicate with them about exciting products and services that are coming in the future or is your only contact with them, a monthly bill?
In this economy, relationships matter more than ever. If you treat your customers like a dumbbell, then don’t be surprised if they drop you. You’ll be guilty of “no sweat stupidity.” How often to you reach out to your donors? As a rule, it’s good to have at least seven, “touches,” with them every year. A touch can be defined as any contact, including a newsletter, a phone call, a meeting, or social marketing.
The nice thing about social media is that it’s a low cost way to stay in touch with your donors. It’s also not very intrusive which can work well for those donors who want to know more about your organization but don’t like phone calls or meetings. Even if they just read the headlines, they’ll believe that your information is a sign that you’re continuing to do good work in your community. You can use Twitter to keep them in the loop on other developments in your area of expertise.
At a time when printing and mailing newsletters can be very expensive, why not consider shifting some of that outreach to social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and blogs?Of course you may want to continue doing things the way you always have. That’s fine but don’t expect your competition to do the same.
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Posted by Ken Okel
Do You Treat Your Donors Like Gym Members Part 1
June 22, 2009
A lot of nonprofits look at social media as a way to attract small, one time gifts. They may be missing a great opportunity to use tools like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and YouTube as a way to engage donors. People like to know that their money is being well spent and social marketing can make them feel like they’re part of a cause that’s getting things done in your community. By strengthening the bond between your nonprofit and your donors, you can open the door for larger contributions in the future.
Some nonprofits don’t do this and fall into a common trap that dooms a lot of businesses by taking their supporters for granted. In this two part special report, we’ll break down this problem and provide some solutions so your nonprofit will enjoy a stronger relationship with your donors.
Imagine that you go to look at a gym. You’re taken around by staff, shown all of the great features, and are made to feel special. Then you sign up and before long you notice that something has changed in the relationship. You’re surprised to realize that once you sign on the dotted line, the gym doesn’t care about you.
While this isn’t true for all fitness facilities, most are based on a business model that’s all about getting new customers. They want to sign you up, get any initiation fee, and take your dues every month. In fact, the gym would love it if you stopped coming but kept paying your membership.
You’re never asked for your opinion or suggestions for the facility. As a loyal customer, you never receive any special treatment. Management doesn’t care if equipment gets worn down or the locker rooms aren’t as clean as they used to be. They’re happy to take your money every month and they’re betting that you won’t leave. Why do you stay? Because getting out of your contract is a complicated process, you still want to make good on your fitness commitment, and there’s no other gyms nearby.
I want you to think about the last time you felt like you were treated like you were a gym member and how that felt. Is that how you run your donor relations? Read part 2 by clicking here.
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Posted by Ken Okel
What’s Your Plan?
June 19, 2009Imagine traveling from New York City to San Francisco without a map. You’d have a general idea of where you wanted to go but you’d likely take some wrong turns, waste time, and feel a lot of frustration. The same thing can happen when a nonprofit decides to become involved with social media.
Trust me, social marketing tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs can have a very positive impact on your organization. Creating greater donor engagement and awareness is priceless. But before you start, come up with three to five goals for each tool. Really think about the benefits you want to receive from social media.
Then work your way backwards and make sure you can support those goals with staff and volunteer commitments. Make sure that everyone understands and supports the initiative. You may need to bring in some outside and neutral help to assist you with this process. Sometimes an outside pair of eyes can make a big difference. I can help with that as can many others. The idea is to make sure that your nonprofit knows where it wants to go before it takes its first step online.
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Posted by Ken Okel
Video Without Video
June 18, 2009Let’s say your nonprofit has an event coming up like a groundbreaking or a luncheon. You want to have a video that you can share with your supporters on social media sites like YouTube, your blog, and Facebook but you either don’t have a video camera or can’t afford for someone to shoot the event. You’re frustrated that there is no way for you to make a video.
Actually, there is. You see you don’t need to have video to create a video. All you need is some sort of image and some sound. The two do not have to be connected. The images could be still pictures, Powerpoint slides, or graphics, which can be created with a video editor like Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.
For audio you could use music (just make sure you’re familiar with the music use rules in your community) or buy some royalty free music. You could use a digital audio recorder to capture a speech. More and more computers have built in microphones with which you can record your own narration.
For an example of this technique, click here. You’ll hear a short clip from one of my motivational presentations. I had the audio but no video of the event. As I want to share my work with others, I didn’t let this limitation keep me from using social media to help me achieve my goal. So I added clip art, graphics, and even drawings to give people something to look at.
Still want to make videos but aren’t sure how to do it? Then you may want to take advantage of my video workshops which I mention on my Consulting page.
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Posted by Ken Okel
At the Speed of Twitter
June 17, 2009The political protests in Iran are the latest example of Twitter playing a key role in defining a global event. 
Those who are watching can get information about the developing story in real time. In the past we would have had to rely on phone calls, smuggled letters, and second and third person accounts.
Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of the speed of Twitter as part of your nonprofit’s social marketing plan? You don’t have to worry about printing costs or a delay in the time it takes to get your message out.
Let’s say you have an emergency need. Use Twitter to ask for help. Maybe you need to rally your supporters against a proposed law that would hurt your organization. Use Twitter to mobilize them. Perhaps it’s raining an hour before your outdoor event is to start. Use Twitter to tell people if it’s cancelled or moved indoors.
If you’re not sure how to get started, download my program, Twitter for Nonprofits on my Shop page.
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Posted by Ken Okel
