Social Media Interactivity – A Tool for Continual Growth

Web 2.0 Diagram

Web 2.0 Interactivity and Relationships

Now that we have covered a number of the tools available through social media it is time to consider how these tools can be employed in an interactive manner to attract support, both volunteer and financial.  First let’s take a look at a chart which to some degree demonstrates the interactivity we wish to achieve.

The chart indicates a worldwide pool of Internet users with your website at the center and various social media/web 2.0 tools positioned throughout the pool. These tools direct users both to other tools and to your website.  These tools and your website are designed to lead users to become supporters and lead supporters to engage in ongoing activity among the various tools.

The strategy is to attract as many users as possible to join your support base and then convert those supporters into real volunteer and financial support. To accomplish this you approach the situation much as a working fisherman does.  The more nets a fisherman has in the water, the more fish he is likely to catch.  Correspondingly, you should place as many interactive social media “nets” in the sea of Internet users as you and your team can properly handle.  Start with what you can handle and as your abilities allow, add more “nets”.

As you attract users the interactivity of these “nets” ultimately leads the users to your website, your primary point of contact on the web.  At your website you provide quality content and opportunities to support your organization in terms of volunteer activities and fundraising.  In order to establish an ongoing relationship with these users you want to induce them to subscribe to your monthly e-newsletter.  If you have partnered with Corande Publishing for free e-newsletter services, the simple act of subscribing provides you with the opportunity to raise funds for your programs at no cost to either your organization or the user.  You can tastefully present visitors with this painless means to support your cause on your website.

Each of the web 2.0 tools previously mentioned in this report provides supporters with the opportunity to further support your organization by interacting with family and friends through the various tools.  By doing so they quite literally cast your net into the pool of their friends and family who are active on the Internet and recommend they get involved.  In a sense, by providing good content through your e-newsletter and social media, and encouraging supporters to share this content with like-minded friends and family, you convert them into a self- reproducing body of volunteers, continually gleaning new supporters from their pool of contacts.

Utilize these tools wisely and consistently, and you can establish your organization as a leader in both your cause and in today’s nonprofit industry.  A recent survey has established that today’s donors want their organizations to utilize email and social media more.  They see destroying forests for the purpose of direct mail as irresponsible behavior.  They see organizations that don’t intelligently use email and social media as irrelevant in the real world they live in.

Get focused and get up to speed, the future is here and, whether you like it or not, your organization is going to have to function in it or falter. There are more web 2.0 tools available than virtually any organization could reasonably manage, but by being flexible, selecting those you can handle and using them wisely, your organization can grow and prosper.

About The Author:

W.R. (Rand) Cordle is founder and President of Corande Publishing LLC, a digital media firm that provides free e-newsletter services and free fundraising assistance to qualifying nonprofit and charitable organizations.  Free details on these services may be found at http://www.corande.com

February 15, 2010 | Rand | Comments Closed

Video – A Picture is Worth…

Do you need to employ video in your media strategy?  Almost everyone has seen at least one popular viral video either online or on television and can imagine the impact it could have.  But you should realize that viral video isn’t the only option you have available.  The business sector understands the broad power of visual communications and invests tens of thousands of dollars just to have a product or logo appear in the background of a feature film. Product placement is far removed from viral but unquestionably effective. (Millions still remember E.T.’s favorite candy from an 1982 film)

When it comes to moving people to action, video can be extremely effective; a fact that has been proven by the advertising industry.  If video didn’t have the power to influence you can bet that businesses would not be spending millions of dollars per year for the honor of interrupting your favorite TV shows with commercials.  Whether it is laughter or tears, video can move people. (Note: Happiness is more memorable than sadness)

This influential medium is now available to almost anyone thanks to reasonably priced video cameras, editing software, and online applications like YouTube.  In a very true sense, just about anyone or any organization can promote themselves on video and distribute it freely across the Internet at minimal cost.  An entertaining or funny video can spread around the world quickly through social media and carry your message to thousands, if not millions.  Even if you do not have a great idea for a viral video, here are some practical video applications you can work on while you wait for inspiration.

1)   It is not a coincidence that television news programs often lead off with a human interest story.  Human interest stories attract viewers and your nonprofit organization should be able to tap into this inclination.  Create a video recounting a success story related to your organization, post it on YouTube, and feature it on your website to give visitors an example of what your organization can achieve.  People like to identify with winners so make your video a story on how your organization serves as an agent for positive change.

2)   Create your own short simple commercials and feature them on appropriate pages of your website. A video can welcome visitors, introduce a new program, promote the opening of a new facility or highlight a fun fundraising event.   Make your video informative and sufficiently short to hold viewer interest.

3)   Video a personal message, a thank-you or an appeal from a leader or recognizable personality.  You can post it on your website or link to it from an e-newsletter and deliver it to your entire support base at almost no cost to your organization.

A few cautionary considerations you should consider when filming a video or preparing a video script:

a)   Be sure to get signed permission before you share someone’s personal story or change the details sufficiently so that the subjects cannot be identified.  (It isn’t a bad idea to do both)

b)   Always get permissions in writing and make sure everyone appearing in a video signs a release form.

c)   Take precautions to make sure your video doesn’t come across as an attempt to guilt-trip viewers into supporting your cause. No one enjoys  guilt trips.

d)   Make sure your facts are absolutely correct.  When you quote statistics double check them and identify your source.  If you quote manipulated statistics, it could cost your organization its reputation.  I recently read online a shockingly high statistic about violence attributed to a government survey.  When I looked into the report I discovered that buried in the small print it had used eighteen months of data to represent a twelve month period.  These figures had been intentionally inflated by fifty percent; probably to justify department funding.  The organization that used these figures is taking a chance on their reputation that could come back to haunt them.

There are plenty of instructions on the technical aspect of using video online available through websites like Mashable.com and in books available at your local bookstore.  Do some research, create a script, and shoot some video.  You don’t have to be an expert to shoot video because you can shoot as many takes as you need until you get something you like.  Experiment and encourage your staff and supporters to do the same and submit it for consideration.  You may soon find yourself with plenty of material to work with.

February 9, 2010 | Rand | 1 Comment »

Linkedin – Linking Ideas

There is a quote from Victor Hugo that has been paraphrased from its original French as, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”   The Web is an idea whose time has come and there are media companies who can confirm the truth behind this statement relative to their subscribers migrating to the Web for information.  Linkedin is a portal to ideas and ideas are important.

Some may not agree that Linkedin should be part of a nonprofit organization’s web strategy.  It is true that Linkedin does not offer the same sort of social cause-related atmosphere and interactivity that can be found on Facebook and the like.  I understand their perspective.  On the other hand, Linkedin opens up an array of groups and networks in such areas as Alumni Groups, Charity Groups, Conferencing Groups and others that can provide access to thousands of members and more important, the free exchange of ideas among professional peers on specific industry-related topics.

Through a group membership you can follow discussions, engage in discussions, and get discussion updates via email.  All of this is available free on Linkedin and it takes only minutes to sign up and start building relationships with your peers.

For example, I just applied to the Linkedin group “Future Social Media”, which examines how brands can promote themselves on emerging social media platforms.  While to some this may sound exclusively business-oriented in nature, you should understand that your nonprofit is a brand.  Your organization’s image and reputation, will directly affect its ability to fundraise and to speak with authority to issues related to its areas of concern.

Learning how to promote your brand should be of utmost importance to everyone who is, or wishes to be, in a leadership position in the nonprofit industry. Ask yourself the question, would it be good for your organization to have the brand recognition of Coca Cola?  Linkedin can provide you the opportunity to learn about many subjects through interaction with professionals and links to relevant information.

For these reasons I recommend that every leader of a nonprofit organization at every level be a member of Linkedin and/or similar groups and regularly engage in the exchange of ideas that takes place within groups affiliated with their profession.  It is networks like Linkedin that will spawn the ideas which may determine the success or failure of your organization in the future.  They are virtual idea incubators.

Belonging to Linkedin, or similar professional networking sites allows you to keep a finger on the online pulse of your industry or cause.  Knowing what is happening with peer organizations, what is working, what is not working, and how your organization’s web strategy compares with others in your industry is valuable information.

And while you’re at it, join your alumni group.  It can’t hurt to publicize your organization to a few thousand members, many of whom may be business owners and leaders.  Who knows, some may be looking for a worthy organization to partner with.

February 3, 2010 | Rand | 1 Comment »