Still waiting to get in the social media game?

By

Let’s Go Boilers!

It may be hard for some to imagine, but here in the Midwest there are lots of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that are still standing on the social media sidelines. Some are attempting to get on the court, but most are just waiting to see whether social media is a short-lived fad or not.

My frustration is that when an NPO does decide to attempt a foray into social media, they do it with no planning or strategy. While I applaud the effort, it’s unlikely to be very successful. And it’s not like they don’t know how to plan and implement a strategy. It’s just that they don’t think about it in this context. As a starting point, I suggest the following major areas need to be addressed before an attempt is made to “do” social media.

Before you embark on your planning session, invite a team of people (staff and volunteers) in your NPO that will help you develop the plan. You’ll not only harness their energy but enlist their help in creating content. Then, work your way through the following steps.

  1. Define your objectives.
  2. Create marketing personas to inform your decisions.
  3. Determine what content you already generate.
  4. Find content gaps.
  5. Write down your social media strategy.
  6. Develop specific tactics.
  7. Determine who’s going to create the content
  8. Allocate resources to content generation process.
  9. Decide on content distribution methods.
  10. Pick a few key metrics to measure.
  11. Create six-month content calendar (spreadsheet).
  12. Develop and report results on a regular, consistent basis.

If you don’t know how to start the process or need help with any of the steps, give me a call.

Note: All of this is outlined (more or less) in a book I’ve mentioned before: Social Media Road Map available at SMObooks.com.

Where are you with social media? Sitting courtside? Getting ready to go in? You tried it and it didn’t work? Let me know what you think.