#mcc12 Session Recap - "Building a Winning Social Media & Digital Marketing Strategy"

By: Nancy Phatsaphaphone - @PhatNancy

To start off my second day at MyCharityConnects was Andrew Schiestel of tbk Creative. Schiestel (say that 5x fast) gave some really interesting facts and points that all non profits need to implement or at least consider in their social media strategy.

First off is that blogs are still alive. There has been some talk in the social media world that blogs are not worth the time, money and energy because some companies/brands are not seeing a ROI. Schiestel disagrees with this and so I do. Blogs are worth it. Blogs give us a special view in the world of your organization, a unique voice…but it has to be unique. The problem with many blogs is that that are not unique, they are words gathering dust. Make yours unique, interesting, funny, outside the box.

If content is a problem in your organization Schiestel suggests that you should write words that best describe your organization and chose the best 3 and build around that. Also that you must create content that adds value to the audience i.e. recognize them, demonstrate values and that wheat they are doing whether it is volunteer or monetary value is doing something really beneficial.

Also email marketing is something of a topic in the social media world that people are questioning whether they are effective. Schiestel says they still are, even if they don’t read the newsletter, THEY SEE IT. They see your organization and it is in their subconscious.

Throughout the talk Schiestel gave many tips as to how your organization maximizes their social media campaign.

Schiestel's Tips

• create infograph on the progress your organization is doing
• people don’t read so use PICTURES
• have more Donate Now buttons on your website
• use professional photography (many will do it at a reduce rate for charities)
• consider pop-up buttons
• have an editorial calendar
• the world is going to mobile and so should you
• consider Pinterest if you have a lot of women volunteers and donors
• communicate brand promises
• photo albums have 31% higher click through

These tips will help you with you organization's social media campaign.

 

#mcc12 Session Recap - "The Art of Content"

By: Janice Maguire - @RealJaniceCo

This seminar on content was very compelling and, reminded us, once again, that  traditional communication have either died or is dying.  Brands trying to “one way communicate” with their audience and trying to keep control of their message will not succeed.  Welcome to the world of social media.
Great content and conversational marketing work in this world, so if you cannot have a grass roots conversation, then forget about using social media.  People (your fans) want to know the people behind the brand.

If you want people to make purchases, give donations, grow your subscriber base,  you have to engage them by being approachable, human and have terrific content.  This means having stories to tell about your brand.

So how do we do this?  Seeing that conventional marketing is dying, marketers are rapidly migrating to online initiatives without thinking it out.  What is the tone of the conversation? How do you use the tools? What defines success?

No matter what, it is all about connection.  Whether you are speaking to the government, planning events, asking for donations or raising funds, you need to know how to reach out to people…and that is creating excellent content.

Content is tied up with the brand and this is a manifestation of the story you tell.  Yes, you have to have great products or great causes but to get attention there has to be a good story and content tells that story.

Where to find the content?  Some organizations have lots, some have little, but all have some.  Identify employees or early adopters in your organization who might be interested.  Put our a general request and crowd source, asking for those who would like to blog, Twitter or post on your nonprofit Facebook page.

Do not impose from the C Suite as you want people to cooperate.  If you show not tell, you will be more successful finding the people who can help you create content.

Most importantly emphasis people over the process, your relationship is more important with the people to ensure good content or your will be doing this on yourown.  If you can, work with outside suppliers such as Hubspot, Workpress or Drupal who can develop and manage content for you.

Mark provided some tips for those who are already communicating in the social media world…there is an inconvenient truth that you overestimate the connection you have with your audience.  Based on his experience, nonprofits assume they have a strong connection with their audience, and that their audience consumes anything  you create.  Just as an example of scale, there are over 450,000million blogs in the English world…..more reason to have compelling content.

In summary, just dip your toes and get started,  make content that appeals to a broader range of people, keep it fresh, be slightly controversial (take a position or say something advocacy based) and finally do not over think it.

#mcc12 Session Recap - "The Power of Storytelling"

By: Antonio MG - @rantoniomg

“A story won’t save the world, but we cannot change the world if we don’t change our stories.”

People choose to give to organizations from various reasons, among them, the desire to be part of a success story. Their decision-making process to give consists of a rational and an emotional component. Stories appeal to people’s emotions and thus have enough power to drive them to action.

Rather than providing your audience with facts and figures about your organization (which often will be quickly forgotten), tell them a story. Stories are memorable because they show, rather than just tell: stories give meaning and bring value to your cause. People can see themselves in stories or relate them to other personal experiences and stories of their own. Furthermore, a story puts your audience in a relaxed mood: people like being entertained a lot more than they like being recited information to or asked for money. A story can spread: people will tell and re-tell it, each time adding new flavour to it and thus they can last for years and keep inspiring people.

What kind of stories can organizations share? There are explaining and donor-centric stories. An explaining story brings facts to life and shows the human impact of what your organization does. Donor-centric stories, however, are the kind of stories that will compel people to act. These stories turn donors into heroes and show them the impact that even one person can have.

Successful stories tend to incorporate one protagonist or hero to which the audience can relate. These stories also involve an obstacle that may or may not be overcome, but in the process the protagonist undergoes a meaningful transformation. This last part is an important element that your stories should focus on: show your audience their future state, where will they be at the end of the process.

Planning which stories to share with your audience is an important step. Find out what stories resonate with your intended audience, what stories are more engaging for them. Equally important is keeping your stories alive. This involves acknowledging that not every story will be relevant to your audience, but you can encourage them to share the story with someone who might identify with it.