How can you make your nonprofit press releases social and shareable?

Social media has forever changed how nonprofits and journalists distribute and consume news stories, yet the format of nonprofit press releases has not evolved at all. Almost every communication medium out there has been impacted by the rise of social and mobile media, but not press releases.

Enterprising nonprofits should be eager to try something new to help your nonprofit stand out from the hundreds of traditional press releases that journalists and media outlets are bombarded with on a weekly or even daily basis. There is no proof these tips will help your nonprofit get more media coverage, but at the very least they will help your nonprofit’s press release get more exposure on the Social Web.

More via 11 Tips for Making Nonprofit Press Releases Social and Shareable | Nonprofit Tech 2.0 Blog :: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits.

You're Doing Social Wrong. Your Teenager Does It Right.

It seems that everyone is freaking out about teens abandoning social media sites like Facebook. By "everyone" I mean advertisers. They’re racking their brains trying to figure out why it’s happening. If you’re puzzled too, read this lovely piece in Medium by Cliff Watson, who argues that the number one reason kids don't need Facebook is that they "literally don't need Facebook."

After running through a host of theories as to why, including the fact that parents (ew) and even grandparents are on Facebook now, he comes up with a much more reasonable reason: Young people are gravitating toward messaging services such as Kik, and in doing so, they’re recapturing the intended meaning of social: "Making contact with other human beings. Communicating. Back-and-forth, fairly immediate dialogue. Most of it digitally."

In other words, it's not a post; it's an exchange. Snapchat anyone?

Are you saying pretty please?

Dan Zarrella is a great thinker on social media. He mines massive amounts of data and bases his recommendations on hard science. This is relatively rare yet needed in the field of social media marketing, and so he’s well worth following.

He recently analyzed 2.7 million tweets and concluded the following that people retweet when they are asked nicely as part of the original tweet. Conclusion? If you have something you want people to spread, ask them - with a pretty please.

Does your nonprofit have a LinkedIn strategy?

Is your nonprofit a part of the LinkedIn phenomena? If not, it is time to have a discrete strategy for it's use. It is evolving fast. Are you?

We are seeing the evolution of the LinkedIn platform in a move that is positioning it to become a central node of professional collaboration beyond an online identity. The company wants to draw additional web traffic, and by looking at the numbers it appears to have succeeded. According to the web traffic analyzer Alexa, LinkedIn now ranks as the 10th-most visited website in the U.S. and fourteenth internationally. Many of us in the recruiting industry have considered LinkedIn no more than a glorified resume database … granted, a very large resume database! But this influencer capability seems to be a game-changer to me that is drawing even more visitors to the site, and changing behaviors of how professionals interact. The effect has only sped up the rate at which unique profiles are being created to more than 200,000+ a day.

via LinkedIn May Become the Central Home for Collaboration - ERE.net.

How to use Instagram at nonprofits

More than most other businesses, your audience wants to know who you are. They want to see your personality and meet the people behind the doors of your nonprofit. Your biggest strength is the passionate community you already have. Take advantage of it.



Instagram is a fantastic place for you to show your audience who you are and what you do. Take pictures of your staff doing what they do every day. Take pictures of your volunteers working hard for the cause. Go behind the scenes to show your personality and what you stand for.

As a nonprofit, you probably hold more events and fundraisers than other businesses. This is a great opportunity to show your supporters what they can expect from your events. It’s also a simple way to promote your next event.

Taking pictures of your event is great, taking pictures of people at your event is terrific, but taking pictures of volunteers in action is powerful. Have your event attendees take pictures and use a designated hashtag to group all of these images together or use your handle when publishing the image. That’s right…Instagram allows you to use hashtags! If you’re not familiar with hashtags, they’re basically a fancy term for the actual # symbol used in front of a word or phrase on Instagram. Hashtags help categorize photos so that they can be easily found.

What should you do to start the journey of constituent experience?

The effect of everyone jumping on the constituent experience bandwagon is a slowdown in the maturation of this new business discipline. Confusion abounds as does disbelief. No one wants to risk exposing their constituents (and their job security) to new engagement practices that might increase instead of decrease frustration and churn.

However, the growing confusion opens unique opportunities. Here are a couple of strategies to start action plans around.

• Creating a disruptive mindset by reimagining your business and constituent relationships in a digital world.


• Making trusted content the center of your business strategy and constituent experience.


• Infusing social constituent experience across all business functional and digital touch points.


• Repeatedly measuring and proving the financial results.

If you haven't begun the journey, now would be the time to start.

“Lithium’s blueprint is in direct response to customer requests for advisory and insight services to help them make their social customer experience strategy a reality.” He defines social customer experience as “unlocking the passions of your customers in the digital world in a way you can capture those insights, measure them and empower your organization to bring your customers along.” ~~Rob Tarkoff, Lithium Technologies President and CEO

Free eBooks for fundraisers and nonprofits from Network for Good

At the Network for Good, they generate lots of great, free content.

Their library of free ebooks for fundraisers is excellent. You can view and download the guides here. Learn about everything from mobile to social media to fundraising to behavior economics.

Some mistakes to avoid in online fundraising campaigns

An online fundraiser is an effective way to obtain money your charity needs to grow and thrive. Online fundraisers are more than just putting a big “donate now” button on your website and mentioning it a few times. Online fundraisers take work, and like everything else planning. Here are some mistakes you should avoid when running an online fundraising campaign.

More here: 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Running an Online Fundraising Campaign | Business 2 Community.

As a nonprofit leader, do you understand the benefits of personal use of social media?

As a nonprofit leader, do you understand the benefits of personal use of social media? There are many benefits both to your organization and professionally. While it may initially take some time to learn and acquire the habit, there are ways social media usage can make our time investment both more efficient and more fruitful.

“In my experience, I have found that by engaging on twitter, I have actually saved time. In the past, I made an effort to visit various blogs, websites, and other online information sources to stay apprised of my field (both philanthropy and the areas where the Irvine Foundation works). I have found that by following the right feeds, both institutional and individual, I get that same information more easily and, frankly, I am exposed to far more that I would never have found on my own. To be sure, it’s an investment of time, but I actually think it’s a more efficient use.” ~~Jim Canales, CEO of the Irvine Foundation

 

Should your nonprofit host a Twitter chat?

Did you know there are 400 million tweets generated every day and 50% of all Americans see, read or hear about a tweet daily? As you can Twitter has become a very popular and powerful social medium and can become a great marketing tool for a nonprofit. It can be used for customer service, public relations and a quick way to share key knowledge.

Another way your nonprofit can utilize Twitter is by holding a Twitter chat. By definition a Twitter chat is simply an interactive conversation ran on Twitter, held at a specific time on a specific topic.

To host a Twitter chat, you simply need a Twitter handle (eg. @yournonprofit), a hashtag, which is simply a dedicated hyperlinked keyword with the “#” in front of it (eg. #yournonprofit) and a pre-determined date and time. Aside from the time invested in planning and promoting them, Twitter chats are free on Twitter to do.

Twitter chats are a great way to have an organized conversation between a nonprofit and constituents on Twitter. They can be a great way to engage with donors and ask about their needs and wants and to announce a new service your nonprofit maybe offering.

For example, Apple may use the hashtag #iphone in a 30 minute Twitter chat to discuss with the Twitter community about new features on their newest smartphone and a way to have an open, transparent forum to discuss customer concerns and wants.

Twitter chats can be very affective in building loyalty on your mission or services but they need to be marketed ahead of time on other mediums such as in email blasts and on other social media channels. A spur of the moment Twitter chat probably won’t get the biggest following.

The Wilson Nonprofit Report for Thursday, April 18, 2013

The only thing worse for a marketer than giving fundraisers no leads, is giving them bad ones: According to 1to1 Media, the only thing worse for a marketer than giving fundraisers no leads, is giving them bad ones. Lack of information on prospects such as their organization size, industry sector, job title, or just simple contact information can stop a record dead in its tracks, even though it may be a quality lead. Marketing processes like lead scoring, which prioritize the most important leads, are dependent upon correct information at the contact, demographic, and company level. More …

What do good nonprofit supporter engagement strategies look like? Here is a great visual from the recent NTEN conference. More …

Who are the most generous online U.S. cities? When it comes to charitable giving, some U.S. cities consistently rise to the top in their adoption of digital giving channels. Blackbaud recently released its fifth annual ranking of the Most Generous Online U.S. Cities based on 2012 online giving data from Blackbaud customers. More …

How Nonprofit Leaders Make Time for Social Media: Get Started With Small Steps: As a nonprofit leader, the best way to get started on social media is to make the commitment to make the time – like anything new whether it be a new exercise regimen or a diet and especially for learning a new tool, habit, or skill. Pick something small and an easy win and repeat for 3 weeks. Maybe you want to get started with Twitter – start by summarizing an article you have read and want to share. Don’t say you have #notimetotweet. Just do it. More …

Your desk job makes you fat, sick and dead … Podio co-founder Jon Froda along with panelists Cali Williams Yost, CEO and Founder of Work+Life Fit Inc, Kate Lister from Telework Research & Richard Leyland, Founder of Worksnug explored the potential of ‘workshifting‘ and how working from anywhere has immense possibilities when it comes to productivity & work-life balance. More …

Are there risks to mobile CRM?: There’s no stopping the mobile CRM revolution, but those who rush into it headlong with an eye only to the many benefits may be in for an unpleasant shock. As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, mobile CRM is laden with risks, too — from getting on the wrong side of the customer to getting on the wrong side of the federal government. Then there are the myriad security concerns that go along with making sensitive data accessible on a device that may be woefully insecure. More  …

How to build a great nonprofit Board of Directors: Identifying and recruiting board members can be a daunting task, especially if an organization is new or reshaping itself. Either way, existing members of the board and community have a challenge ahead of them when identifying and recruiting qualified candidates. Blue Avocado, a nonprofit magazine for nonprofits, compiled a list of the Ten Biggest Mistakes Boards and Executives Make. Some of the mistakes mentioned can be avoided by trying out a couple strategies. More …

How Nonprofit Leaders Make Time for Social Media: Get Started With Small Steps

As a nonprofit leader, the best way to get started on social media is to make the commitment to make the time – like anything new whether it be a new exercise regiment or a diet and especially for learning a new tool, habit, or skill.

Pick something small and an easy win and repeat for 3 weeks. Maybe you want to get started with Twitter – start by summarizing an article you have read and want to share. Don’t say you have #notimetotweet.

Just do it.

5 Social Media Marketing Tips for Nonprofits

According to David Bakke, a contributor for Money Crashers, there are a number of ways you can market your nonprofit, one method you shouldn’t ignore is using social media. Social media marketing allows you to reach a worldwide audience, and is very cost-effective. However, there are several “do’s” and “don’ts” you must keep in mind.

More here: 5 Social Media Marketing Tips for Nonprofits | GuideStar Blog.

What is the real cost of email?

Tom Cochran  believes that email is the most abused method of communication in every office environment. And the widespread perception that it has no incremental cost is chronically damaging workplace efficiency. According to Tom, the challenge we are facing isn't an aversion to technology, but change. I think that sums it up very well.

Tom suggests there is an entrenched level of comfort with email, making it habitual and a communications crutch. We have to take a holistic view and see email as one of many channels for collaboration. Adopt a breadth of tools to connect people, teach them the appropriate use of each and encourage smarter use of the right technology.

I also find that an open office environment creates less of a dependency on email as "literally" walls come down and teams naturally collaborate.

More here: Email Is Not Free - Tom Cochran - Harvard Business Review.

Is Twitter just for people who like to say what they ate for lunch?

Is Twitter just for people who like to say what they ate for lunch? Is it a useless tool for self gratification?

I don't think so. Here is a great resource on who to follow for leadership ideas. Tom Peters is one of my favorites.

http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leadership/top-leadership-tweeters/

Twitter is set to grow it's income

Twitter is making some good progress. Much of this is coming from the mobile ad world.

Want to be more relevant? User experience is the key

It’s not every day you have Jesse James Garrett stop by to talk about the state of user experience (UX) and its role in the future of business. But, we were fortunate to have him visit the set of Revolution to talk about the importance of people and experiences and how UX deserves the attention of the c-suite.

The author of The Elements of User Experience and Co-Founder of Adaptive Path, Garrett has literally written the book on user experience. When we think of UX though, we often think of web, software and product product development. UX however, also represents the keys to relevance and innovation. In our discussion, Garret shares how research, psychology, behavior and design can open the doors to meaningful creativity for design and product experience strategies. But more importantly, he shares how executives across the organization can learn from the UX team to improve services, business models, and overall customer relationships.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QoYzFyp3Ezk#!

Related articles

• Why should you choose User Experience Design over Fluff Advertising? (experiencedesignideas.wordpress.com)


• User Experience: Remember, when it comes to UX, the U comes first. (digitalsurgeons.com)


• Three Ways Search Can Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy (greatfinds.icrossing.com)

Small Business Strategy: 10 Trends to Watch to stay on the disruptive edge

There is no doubt technology is disrupting the traditional business models. Customers are in charge and they are plugged in. No one of these may be right for you but you should be spending time researching which are the right ones and leveraging them. You can either disrupt or be disrupted.

 



 

So here is a good list to start with via Small Business Strategy: 10 Trends to Watch - Brian Solis..

 

1. Social Networks from Facebook to Twitter to Google+ and how they’re connecting to influencers and businesses (note: pay attention to nicheworks as well such as Path and Instagram.)

2. Geolocation check-in services such as Foursquare and Facebook location updates to share locations and earn rewards or opportunities for discounts

3. Crowdsourced discounts and deals including Groupon and LivingSocial and what’s valued and why

4. Social commerce services like Shopkick and Armadealo and how they create personalized experiences that are worth sharing

5. Referral based solutions like Yelp, Service Magic (now HomeAdvisor), and Angie’s List to make informed decisions and how shared experiences can improve your business, products, and services

6. Gamification platforms such as Badgeville and Fangager, and why rewarding engagement improves commerce and loyalty

7. How your consumers using mobile devices today and what apps they’re installing. Also, how they’re comparing options, reviewing experiences and making decisions while mobile?

8. The online presence your business produces across a variety of platforms such as tablets, smartphones, laptops and desktops. You must realize how consumers are experiencing the online presences you create and whether or not they deliver a holistic and optimized experience for each platform.

9. The consumer clickpath based on the platform consumers are using. Are you steering experiences based on the expectations of your customers? And are you taking into consideration the device or network where the clickpath begins and ends? Are you integrating Facebook F-commerce and m-commerce into the journey?

10. The expectations of connected consumers, what they value in each channel and platform, where they engage and how your business can improve experiences and make them worthy of sharing.

 

Related articles

• Small Business Strategy: 10 Trends to Watch (sazbean.com)


• Top Internet strategy, marketing and technology links for the week of November 10, 2012 (sazbean.com)


• Small Business Strategies: Seven trends you can't ignore (myculturalconversations.wordpress.com)

 

Social media and Presidential elections

Obama’s initial reaction to the news of his re-election was a three word tweet: "Four more years." alongside a picture of him and his wife Michelle in warm embrace. The message was retweeted more than 600,000 times, making it the most popular tweet in the history of the microblogging service.

The 31 million election-related tweets posted throughout yesterday, make Election Day 2012 the most tweeted political event ever.

With 327,452 tweets per minute, the activity peaked shortly after the first networks had called Obama’s re-election.



http://www.statista.com/topics/893/2012-election/