Ten Tips for Social Media Action

10 Essential Tips

Patricia TynanSage

Use #SageNPS

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Tip # 1 Claim Your Name

• You want to secure your name or your organization’s

name, even if you don’t plan on using it right away.

• Protect your identity and reputation.

At the very least so other individuals,

organizations or even businesses -

don’t claim your identity or squat on your

name for profit.

• Social networking identity theft is not

a crime, but it definitely is a pain.

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Start with most the most popular…

Or use a service like knowem.com that can help you claim your name in 550+ social

networks.

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Tip #2 Complete Your Profiles

• Complete your profiles – completely.

• Your profile is a virtual introduction make it authentic,

descriptive and unique. Be sure to include:– Photo – you will receive more friends, follows and likes. The

same is true for your organization’s profile. Include a visual

element that represents your organization’s brand.

– Headline or summary. Include a statement that describes

who you are. What do you do for your not for profit? Are you

the reconciliation whiz or fundraising guru? Give a few facts

about yourself, say what you stand for or identify your cause.

– Add links back to your organization to further awareness.

Your organization’s profile should include a link to your website

and a description of its mission.

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www.JazzFoundation.org

Connect on Facebook, Twitter and Your Tube

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Jazz Foundation on Twitter

Mission is incorporated into the headline and includes a link to their website.

Messages are on point and relevant, would benefit by increasing frequency of posts.

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Jazz Foundation on Twitter

Wendy Oxenhorn, Executive Director – may want to ask visitors to follow her at

@JazzFoundation

Joseph Petrucelli, Staff at the Jazz Foundation, Musician. Clearly communicates what

he is about.

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Tip # 3 Listen Before You Start

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood”

Stephen R. Covey

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Find Similar Organizations

The search above returns:

www.simsfoundation.org

www.music2life.org

www.musicontheporch.com

“Musician” “Support” “Nonprofit”

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How To Create A Google Account

Click “Sign In” in the upper right side of the Google Toolbar

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Google Reader - A One Stop Listening Outpost

To create an account, login to Google, select “More from the black Toolbar.

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Tip # 4 Old Etiquette Rules Apply

Social networking online is not so different

than face to face communications.

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Tip # 5 Who Are You?

Before you can truly understand how to communicate with

your supporters, you have to understand yourself.

I need to

define my

voice.

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www.facebook.com/markzuckerberg

Attended Harvard. Dropped Out. Created Facebook in a week with a little help from

his “friends”. He now has 750 million of them (actually 4.7 M).

What do we really know about him? His headline, “I'm trying to make the world a

more open place by helping people connect and share.”

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Tip # 6 Now Say Something

Interesting

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http://www.facebook.com/ladygaga

Lady Gaga has a sizeable Facebook following: 40,822,472. She has completed her

profile in Facebook - completely. She shares links to her content - music videos,

pictures, news stories. It’s interactive there are many “things” that you can do on her

site: signup for a newsletter, look up concert info, view photos in her albums,

participate in a discussion board ...

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Create a Facebook Page (not a profile) for your organization.

Pages and profiles are different. Unless you’re a brand like Lady Gaga.

Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to get started

It takes 10 minutes to create a Facebook page – REALLY.

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Tip # 7 Connect & Engage

Lady Gaga rocks Twitter sending messages that are

personal and meaningful to her and her fans. Maybe

that’s why she has almost 12 Million followers?

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Tip # 8

Build Relationships

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Gaga gives

thanks.

She responds to

questions from

followers – with

real responses in

real time.

Shares a bit of

news.

Shares fan

content &

acknowledges

her followers.

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Tip # 9 Organize

• Use a social media “dashboard” to listen, organize,

and manage your communications.

• Free tools that are available:

– www.Hootsuite.com – what we use.

– http://seesmic.com

– www.Tweetdeck.com

– http://ping.fm/

• Once you get the hang of it … it really is easy.

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Tip # 10 GREAT Content

• Social networks are similar to websites - they need

maintenance and content that’s current.

• Keep in mind content doesn’t always have to be

something you wrote or created. Sharing is a great

way to participate in social networks.

• Content that is relevant and useful: solves a problem,

shares a resource, tells a story, motivates or inspires

your staff and supporters, makes your followers and

friends smarter, better, richer…

• Content creates value by positioning you or your

organization as a reliable, valuable source of

information about your cause, industry etc.

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Gaga shares content via Twitter

Gaga shares content via Facebook

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Recap

1. Claim Your Name

2. Complete Your Profiles - Completely

3. Listen Before You Start

4. Old Etiquette Rules Apply

5. Who Are You? Define Your Voice.

6. Now Say Something!

7. Connect & Engage

8. Build Relationships

9. Organize

10.GREAT Content

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Resources

• Facebook

– http://www.facebook.com/nonprofitorgs

– http://mashable.com/2011/04/18/non-profit-facebook-guide

• Google

– http://www.google.com/nonprofits/

• Twitter

– The ultimate guide http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

• Other

– http://home.techsoup.org/pages/default.aspx

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Contact

• Email: Patricia <dot>Tynan<at> Sage<dot>com

• Phone: 512-861-3000

• Tweeting on behalf of @SageNonprofit

• Posting at Facebook.com/sagenonprofitsolutions