10 Step Guide: Developing a Social Media Plan

1. Spur |Communications Match images from front of website 10 Step Guide: Developing a Social Media Plan

2. Social Media is HotEverybody is talking about it • Is it just for kids? • Should we get involved? • Are we missing something if we don’t participate? • Can this work for our organization? We get asked these questions all the time. The answers are No, Yes, Yes and Yes.

3. Social Media is HotEverybody is talking about it • No, it’s not just for kids • Millions of people from all generations are participating • Yes, you should get involved • Yes, you are missing an amazing opportunity for your organization • Yes, social media will help advance your business goals Let’s get planning …

4. Step 1Look, Listen, Learn • Observe the lay land • What tools are out there? • What do/don’t you understand about the tools?

5. Step 1Look, Listen, Learn • How do people interact? • Primarily professional or social? • Does the conversation change by time of day or day of the week? • Do individuals communicate or do brands? • People tend to follow individuals • You need to have a branded presence too

6. Step 1Look, Listen, Learn • Ask questions • A great way to get information and learn quickly • Lots of people are willing to help and share knowledge

7. Step 2Define Your Audience • Search for your base • Using multiple channels • Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc • Where are your donors? • Where are your prospects? • Where are your advocates? • Where are those you serve? Go find them.

8. Step 3Develop a Plan • Set a goal or goals • Why are we doing this? • What do we want as a result? • Who will we serve? • What is a victory?

9. Step 3Develop a Plan • Possible Outcomes • Learn something we didn’t know • Tell our story to new people • People sharing information about us • Gain experience with two-way communication • Create a community of advocates

10. Step 3Develop a Plan • Develop a strategy • Rationale for how you will meet the goal(s) • Strategies can be long term or short term

11. Step 3Develop a Plan • Possible Long Term Strategies • Educate the target audience about the cause by identifying, sharing and discussing pertinent online content • Increase traffic of those we serve by injecting ourselves into conversations to provide solutions and mitigate confusion or complaints

12. Step 3Develop a Plan • Possible Short Term Strategies • Gather information about the benefits a new facility should provide by asking questions and engaging in conversations regarding best/worst practices, people in need, similar services and organizations • Mobilize a constituent base to back/block a piece of legislation by starting a viral conversation

13. Step 3Develop a Plan • Define your tactics • Tactics are specific actions you will take to execute the strategy • Who? • What? • Where? • When? • Why? • How much?

14. Step 3Develop a Plan • Possible Tactics • Marketing Coordinator to write and post 3 blog posts per week following the editorial calendar • Marketing Coordinator, Director of Development and Marketing Manager to use Twitter when new blog entries are posted • Twitter feeds link to main Facebook page • Deploy 5 emails to the A, B & C mailing lists over a two-week period • Emails to include a PURL (personalized URL) that drives traffic to landing pages that recruit people to your cause • Include landing page URLs in daily Twitter Tweets

15. Step 3Develop a Plan • Determine your success metrics • What does success mean to you? • How will you measure and record progress? • Keep it simple (KISS)

16. Step 3Develop a Plan • Possible Success Metrics • The number of advocates you add over a defined period of time • Change in the engagement level of advocates in that period of time • Increase in number, size, frequency of donations • Time it takes to mobilize X number of advocates regarding an action

17. Step 4Staff Your Team • Internal • Your biggest cheerleaders and enthusiasts • Not always the higher ups with the titles • External • Get help • Extend your network • Paid participation ensures it gets done • Expertise is invaluable

18. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Core Tool – Your Blog • If you don’t have one (or more) you need one, now • Fastest, least expensive means for you to distribute timely information about your organization and its efforts on a regular basis

19. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Create an editorial calendar • What will you say and why • What should people do in response • How will your constituents use this information?

20. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Search for lists on blog topics (there are lots of them) • Write a Top 10 Reasons post • Interview a thought leader • Highlight an issue related to your cause • Hold a contest • Discuss other blogs

21. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Leverage Social Media • Pull people to your cause • Continue conversations • Build trust – the first step in a relationship

22. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Creation Tools • YouTube • Flickr • SquiDoo • Use to tell visual stories • Post only relevant material • Link back to your blog and/or website

23. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Sharing Tools • Facebook • MySpace • Twitter • LinkedIn • Plaxo • Use to engage with others • Post only relevant material • Be helpful, add value • Link back to your blog and/or website

24. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Critiquing Tools • StumbleUpon • Digg • Reddit • Use to bookmark and vote • Mark only relevant materials • Choose material that is helpful and adds value

25. Step 5Deploy Your Tools • Posts that are outside your blog or website create links • Links provide incoming traffic • Links are used by search engines • Links improve your search rankings • Links infer authority

26. Step 6Participate and Engage • Execute your editorial calendar • Invite questions and comments • Respond and thank people for their participation • Respect differing opinions • Befriend like-minded individuals and their friends • Walk away from fights — don’t engage

27. Step 6Participate and Engage • Develop a voice and brand • Be consistent with what you say, how you say it • It’s okay to be human, but you’re not here to be the life of the party • It’s like networking at a cocktail party — some are there to drink, you’re not, be professional • Don’t be a zealot • Advance your cause in a calm, rational manner

28. Step 6Participate and Engage • Establish a pattern of use • Match your use to that of your constituent base • Divide up the day with your team • Don’t get consumed • Set limits to how much time you will spend each day • Stick to your limits

29. Step 7Convert and Capture • Convert your visitors and capture prospect data • Give them something that they want • White paper, presentation, guide, T-shirt, membership, etc. • Require they give you contact info in exchange

30. Step 7Convert and Capture • Use any and all methods to drive traffic to the offer • Email and landing pages • Twitter and landing pages • Links from other sites • Google Adwords and landing pages

31. Step 8Measure Results • Google Analytics • Tracks blog/website traffic and Adwords campaigns • Adwords campaigns add to your search results • Inexpensive and controllable

32. Step 8Measure Results • Email and landing page analytics • Track opens, bounces, conversions • Track A/B tests of copy, layouts and images • Track clicks on both graphics and text links

33. Step 9Integrate Followers • Onboarding • A defined process for welcoming new followers to your organization • Create a plan to touch new followers at defined intervals • Pre-develop the onboarding messages • Execute a multi-touch campaign for each new member • Automate the effort to ensure it happens consistently • Provide planned human contact as well

34. Step 10Empower Advocates • Creating connections between people is more important than adding people • Facilitate connections and many small groups will form • Each person you add creates opportunities to create many more small groups because there are more links than people

35. Step 10Empower Advocates • Provide advocates with tools • Online conversation & meeting tools — celebrate progress • Dashboard with downloadable templates for signs, ads, etc. • Online editing capabilities for customization (This empowers ownership) • Make it easier than starting from scratch • Track what is used — make it better • Reward those who participate

36. Step 10Empower Advocates • Generate activities for groups • Meetups, Tweetups, Twestivals, Fundraisers, a-thons, contests • Use groups to foster friendly competition • Celebrate everyone’s participation • Encourage groups to be creative on their own • Share what they do with others

37. Step 10Empower Advocates • Solicit funding from your followers • Accept online donations • Ask for and accept small amounts • Thank donors immediately and often • Tell them where their donation went • Tell them what their donation did Then, and only then, can you ask them again.

38. Now What?What to Expect • Social media done right is harder than it looks • You will probably spend more time and money than you planned • Your ROI will be far greater than you hoped • Your organization’s base will grow exponentially • Your organization will be forever transformed

39. Spur Communications It’s what we do! SpurCommunications.com - web SPURspectives.com – blog 6900 W. 80th St., Suite 201 Overland Park, KS 66204 Phone: 816.471.7373 x 130 Email: pmiser@SpurCommunications.com