Did our previous blog entry convince you of the importance of using social media to not only show your respondents how to optimize their job hunt, but to raise the profile of your organization via an increased presence on social media? If so, fantastic!
Are you still wondering where to start? Fret not, for this is perfectly normal. The following article will assist you in creating a plan of action that will outline your needs, priorities all the while remaining feasible in terms of your target audience and available resources.
In order to adequately evaluate your social media strategy, it will be imperative you lay out a plan. However, nothing is set in stone, and this outline is not so rigid that it must be completed in its entirety before you start. You must constantly survey your online activity in order to adjust and optimize your strategy as you go along.
A. Assess your online presence.
All stategizing begins with an evaluation of the resources you're currently working with. Before launching a social media campaign for your organization, ask yourself the following questions in order to better assess your online presence:
Are you reaching your clientèle online (including via email)?
Do you have a website?
Do you have a blog?
Do you have social media profiles for your organization (on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc)?
Do you own any other online properties?
Is your organization listed on Wikipedia?
Is your organization listed on arrondissement.com (Montreal only)?
What are the results when one looks up the name of your organization on search engines such as Google?
As far as social network profiles are concerned, make sure you ask your employees whether the organization already has open, possibly inactive social media accounts. In the eventuality that user names and passwords have been either lost or forgotten, contact the social network in question and ask them to reset your login information.
Once you've done your IT inventory, you should look into whether you are putting the solutions you have already invested in to good use. The first element you should prioritize is the creation or maintenance of a website containing all pertinent, up-to-date contact information. If despite this you are still struggling to turn up in search results, consider starting a Wikipedia page for your organization. However, do make sure you abide by their guidelines when writing an article, particularly when it comes to citing your sources. A blog is also an excellent tool for community organizations. In order to keep your readership interested, try to upload new content at least once a week or risk having people tune out.
There is also the possibility that you are using the tools at your disposal to the best of your ability, but that these are simply not the right tool for your organization. The most relevant social media in the community sector are, in my opinion: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and Flickr. If you already have any number of these, you are on the right track.
B. Locate yourself at the heart of your team and in the face of new technology
You also have a few questions to ask yourself pertaining to your human resources:
Who is in charge of maintaining your website, blog, communication and information materials?
Is one of those people comfortable with managing your social media accounts as well?
If not, would any of your colleagues be up to the task of maintaining online profiles of your organization on social media?
Are they willing to undergo training to better acquaint themselves with social media?
An activity you could do with staff that is both fun and instructive is to classify yourselves according to the following list, which contains archetypes of roles and attitudes when confronted with technology:
1. Digital native.
You grew up in a digital environment. You are very comfortable with the usage of online platforms and the adoption of new ones. You also keep up-to-date with recent developments in the digital realm.
2. Savvy technologist.
Without having necessarily been around it your whole life, you are nonetheless comfortable with social online platforms and digital tools. You approach new platforms with caution and let others take the first steps before following suit.
3. Reluctant user.
You are aware of the digital realm and social media but are reticent to engage with them. You do not intend on using these tools more than absolutely required and generally resist incorporating them into your daily life.
4. Digital contrarian.
You are adverse to the digital world. You've probably heard of social networking but think it is but a passing fad. You use emails for work because you have to, and you avoid it in your non-professional life. You'd much rather phone calls.
5. Digital newbie.
Unlike the contrarian, you are not opposed to digital tools but rather lack experience in using them. You get by just fine without them and have no intentions of changing your habits, but are not against it either.
(source: Radian6, http://www.radian6.com/resources/library/social-media-strategy-for-the-retail-industry/ )
It is possible some are in between two archetypes or does not identify with any of them, and that's OK. What matters is that you have now raised the pervasive attitudes of your team on technology to the surface, which in turn allows you to determine what course of action to take. For instance, if the person in charge of communication is only comfortable with email and the phone and does not want to update the blog or social media hubs, then perhaps it would be wise to assign those tasks to someone else. If someone in your team identifies with the first or second archetype, they are most likely your best bet.
It is possible that you will have to rely on an intern or wait to have the necessary funds to create a new position, especially if no one in your team is willing to undergo training in order to learn how to manage social media for your organization.
C. Orient towards a social media strategy.
Now that you've assessed your online activity as well as the pervasive attitudes your personnel has towards new technology and social media, you must think about what advantages you wish to draw out of using social media for your organization. Essentially, you must target what matters most to you, as the options are nearly endless.
Define needs and objectives
What are your goals in using social media?
Do you want to render the information concerning your activities and programs more accessible?
Do you want to increase interaction with your clientele or community?
Do you want to reach new demographic segments, such as the youth?
Are you looking to instate a new way of gathering feedback?
Are you looking to increase visibility for your organization?
Do you want to modernize your online presence by making your site more interactive?
Identify your target audience
Which communities, populations and groups of people do you wish to reach?
What is their grasp on new Internet technologies?
Which social media outlets are they msot active on?
P.S. In the eventuality that your center offers social media training to their participants, such as the Networking 2.0 project, it would be relevant to have an online presence on every social network you offer training for.
In order to reach your clientele, you must know on which social networks they dwell. Ask your users what their Internet habits are. Many are probably already on Facebook and are familiar with YouTube. If you are actively promoting a cause or issue, a timely, well-constructed YouTube video may increase your visibility enormously and effectively raise awareness of its viewers. If you work in the employment sector, Twitter is one of the best means for you to share job offers with your participants. If you work out of a multicultural center in which many languages are spoken, using photo (Flickr) and video (YouTube) material to get the message out becomes much more effective than simple text (i.e. blogging), upon which you could use your blog, Facebook page and Twitter feed to promote your media content and make them more accessible.
It is not mandatory to know everything in advance. Develop a couple of key objectives for your social media strategy by consulting your team first, later by delegating that task to the person responsible for managing your online presence. Once that's done, you'll be ready for action!
For more:
Part Three
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