Social media for non-profits on a shoe-string budget
Notes from a case study presented by Andrea Walker of Oxfam New Zealand, at “Engage your community” Conference at Massey University, Wellington on 12 November 2009.
30% of New Zealanders use social media on a weekly basis. Oxfam New Zealand use Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter to engage with people. Organisations should also consider using MyBlogLog - discover who’s visiting your site and connect with your readers; Jaiku - a microblogging site similar to Twitter. And advertise your events in Upcoming - an event calendar and social networking site.
Social media:
- allows a non-profit organisation to engage with a broader audience
- it’s personal - you can have a conversation and open up channels of communication
- you can get others to promote your work
- it’s free
- you gain visibility for your supporters.
How does an organisation know which social media portal to use? Don’t join too many and spread yourself thin. Look at what’s hot before jumping in. Also check who your target audience is. Check your site statistics and undertake some analytics work.
Tips and tricks - you must let go of control and embrace the culture of social media. Be authoritative and reflect on your organisation’s beliefs; be friendly and interactive; get involved and answer questions; keep the connection regular, but don’t overdo it. Include a link to your website in your messages. Promote yourself - people aren’t looking for you. Show your organisation to the world.
On Facebook, use a fan page rather than a group page. Facebook can show you statistics of page views, etc.
Think about Twitter as a conversation, not just as media releases. Be friendly, personal, and sometimes be mundane (e.g. tweet about what’s happening in the office at the time).
If social media is not bringing in money, what is it’s value? Brand awareness, and brand trust, sends traffic to your website. For example, the recent tsunami in Samoa saw both Twitter and Facebook as key drivers to the Oxfam NZ website, which in turn, generated donations to the cause.
“Is social media a fad?” This thought provoking video is by Eric Qualman who has also written a book on “Socialnomics”. A few points from this video - YouTube is the second largest search engine; 38% of bloggers post about brands - do you like what they are saying about your brand?; Wikipedia is more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica.
With Twitter, plan what you want to say during the week. Set this up as part of your communication strategy. It’s about commitment - it’s no longer a 9-5 job with social media.
Governance - there is no social media policy for Oxfam NZ, which is part of an affiliate. However, Oxfam NZ monitor what people are saying online as they are representatives of the organsiation. And the main concern is around the brand.
