Optimizing Social media for non-profit organizations

100 million views in 6 days

“Ultimately, brands need to have a role in society. The best way to have a role in society is to understand how people are talking about things in real time.” Jean-Philippe Maheu

Social Media

• What is it?

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

• Over 105 social media websites in the U.S.

Social Media

• Collaborative projects, blogs, content communities, social networking, virtual game worlds, and virtual social worlds.

​

• All of these platforms are connected through User Drive Content
• Posting, commenting, sharing, linking all play a role in this process

​

• 7 building blocks
• Identity, Conversation, Sharing, Presence, Relationships, Reputation, and Groups.

​

• By analyzing these building blocks firms can monitor and understand how their activity function and impact their social market.

Social Media

• Cost Effective
• Free or little cost to use social media for advertising.

​

• Young Target-Oriented
• Half of users on Facebook & Twitter are age 25 and younger.

​

• Action-Oriented
• Users are active members in the process of creating and sharing media.

​

• Two-Way Communication
• Active/passive users updating, hosting, creating, and sharing content for brands.

Non-Profit Organizations

Non-Profit Organizations

• More than 1.8 million nonprofit organizations are registered in the U.S.

​

• In 2009, 60.8 million people (26% of Americans) worked with nonprofit organizations

​

• LIKE a business
• Bank Accounts
• Land
• Employees

​

Non-Profit Organizations

​

• Tax-Exempt
• 501(c) status: Tax Exempt
• 501(c)(3):Religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or prevention of cruelty to children or animals organizations

​

• Organized, Operated, Exempt Purpose
• Organized: Corporation, trust, or unincorporated association.
• Operated: Cannot be politically affiliated, lobbying, or benefit private shareholders or interests.
• Unincorporated Association: Educational, religious, Exempt Purpose.

​

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

• Regional Non-Profit Organization

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

• Facebook Est. Jan 2012
• Twitter Est. March 2011
• Use of Hootsuite & TweetDeck for ease and consistency

​

• Goals:
• Reach a younger age group
• Keep in touch with established audience

​

• Marketing Social Media
• Printing social media logos on all print media
• Word of mouth

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

• Early Challenges:
• Time
• Consistency

​

• Current Challenges:
• NPO holds high standards for all public media
• Competes against imitation social media pages for legitimacy and credibility

​

• Monitoring Progress:
• Tracking followers on social media
• Use of promotional offers to track social media following

American Red Cross

Social media in disasters and emergencies

Representative survey of 1,058 respondents age 18+

​

About half of respondents would sign up for technology alerts to receive emergency information

​

About half would mention emergencies or events on their social media

​

69% agree

"Agencies should regularly monitor their websites and social media sites so they can respond promptly to any requests."

​

​

​

​

​

American Red Cross

12% more likely

"Respondents between the age of 18 and 34 are more likely to mention emergencies on social media."

​

20% more likely

"Younger respondents are more likely to request help through social media"

​

Respondents age 18 to 34 expect a faster response from an organization's social media

Smithsonian

"For the Smithsonian to remain a vital institution at this important time in our history, we need to fully engage younger generations with our collections and our knowledge. We need to use new digital technologies to their fullest potential so that we can fulfill the Smithsonian's 19th-century mission- "the increase and diffusion of knowledge"- in a thoroughly 21st-century way for the benefit of all Americans and people around the globe"

-Secretary G. Wayne Clough, January 2009

Smithsonian

Goals to Accomplish Through Social Media

1. Mission- prioritize web and new media programs in proportion to their impact on the mission

2. Brand- Strengthen brand relationships throughout the Smithsonian

3. Learning- facilitate dialogue in a global community of learners

4. Audience- attract larger audiences and engage them more deeply in long-term relationships

5. Interpretation- support the work of the Smithsonian staff

6. Technology- develop a platform for participation and innovation

7. Busindess Model- increase revenue from e-commerce fundamentals

8. Governance- Design and implement a pan-institutional governance model

Smithsonian

Example 1:

Outsourcing- use of social media to track growth of trees and wildlife in various areas of the United States

​

Example 2:

Public input- use of social media to gather missing information on artifacts in the Smithsonian

Effective Strategies

Engagement Pyramid

Curators

Producers

Commenters

Sharers

A firm foundation is very important

to create a strong pyramid

Watchers

Effective Strategies

1. Transparency and Disclosure

• Transparency refers to the amount of information that is shared with users via social media websites

​

• Detailed history of the organization, links, logos and visuals to increase recognition of the organization.

​

• Complete disclosure promotes open communication between organizations and stakeholders

​

Effective Strategies

2. Usefulness

• Content sharing via the organization's social media can widen the lense for followers to understand and participate in activities and missions of the organization.

​

• Understanding and connection of users to services.

Example: Red Cross using text alerts to inform users of how to respond to recent disaster efforts.

​

Effective Strategies

3. Interactivity

• Interaction between both the organization and its stakeholders.

​

• Two-way communication

​

• Email/newsletter, open forums, alerts and notifications, shared content, etc...

​

• Building customer relationships and brand loyalty.

​

Conclusion

TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION

When Non-profit organizations strive for an open two-way communication street, they can capitalize on the effective and instant relationship social media can bring.

​

Brands should also use the building blocks to analyze their impact, and the effective strategies to continue their growth.

​

These tools can help the brand expand and utilize their social media presence, creating a better business overall.

Recommendations for Samsung and their Non-Profits

• Use tools for analysis and time management
• Using these tools with boost time management and track real time analysis on the effectiveness of the campaign.
• Be fan loyal (customer service)
• Using social media platforms as a tool for customer service can be the easiest way for consumers to get feedback from the organization and possibly save a customer in a way that traditional customer service platforms fail.
• Be aware of emerging trends
• Social media changes constantly and trends pop up weekly. Being aware of what is being used by your target market can make communicating with them easier.

​

​

​

Recommendations for Samsung and their Non-Profits

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art

• Connect
• Connect artists on exhibition to visitors and other artists.
• Keep patrons updated and involved with events at the museum

​

• Share
• Allow artists to share more of their work with viewers by linking social media to leeum.org

​

• Action-oriented
• Give website visitors a virtual tour of the museum
• Enable young artists and connoisseurs to connect with accomplished artists

​

​