As a graduate student at Northwestern
focusing on foundation marketing, most managers know their corporate and
consumer donors are using social media to discuss their passions,
interests and needs. They also know their foundation does not have an
effective strategy to turn these discussions into donations and new
volunteers. This blog will begin to address this social media challenge
To create a successful social media strategy, a foundation must understand what outcomes will serve as indicators that they are using social media effectively?
· Are you tracking new donors?
· Repeat donors?
· Fundraising?
· Communicating your message effectively using the right platforms
Groundswell
lays out a
model that can be used to segment and
understand the consumers of the social media. As a foundation, you need
to
understand the existing and evolving social technographic profiles of
your donors, supporters and volunteers to choose appropriate social
media and engagement strategies
(listening, talking, energizing, helping, embracing). The model also
proposes a four-step process for developing a social media marketing
strategy - People, Objectives, Strategy, and Technology (called POST)
Below is an explanation of the process and framework:
P: People
Assess your customers’ social activity. That is current and potential donors, volunteers and beneficiaries.
Assess your customers’ social activity. That is current and potential donors, volunteers and beneficiaries.
O: Objectives
Decide what you want to accomplish. Is it increasing your brand awareness or donations? Recruiting volunteers? Reaching out to your beneficiaries?
Decide what you want to accomplish. Is it increasing your brand awareness or donations? Recruiting volunteers? Reaching out to your beneficiaries?
S: Strategy
Strategy is a plan for how relationships with donors, volunteers and beneficiaries will change depending on what you are trying to accomplish (objectives). The strategy must be a long-term relationship that will keep growing over time.
Strategy is a plan for how relationships with donors, volunteers and beneficiaries will change depending on what you are trying to accomplish (objectives). The strategy must be a long-term relationship that will keep growing over time.
T: Technology
Once you decide on the people, objective and strategy, then you can figure out if building a blog or starting your own community on Facebook or Twitter is the right thing for your organization. In essence, fit the technology choices to your particular people, objectives and strategy.
Once you decide on the people, objective and strategy, then you can figure out if building a blog or starting your own community on Facebook or Twitter is the right thing for your organization. In essence, fit the technology choices to your particular people, objectives and strategy.
Consider the action points below to create the winning social media strategy for your foundation.
1) Listen to the groundswell - gain insights from what is being written and said
2) Talk to the groundswell - create blogs and communities to engage conversation
3) Energize the groundswell - charge up your best online stakeholders
4) Embrace the groundswell - include stakeholders as collaborators
For more information on how social media can define success for your foundation click here
By: Farah Chaudhry
Northwestern University MSJ - Media Strategy and Leadership
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About Me:
I am currently perusing my Masters at Northwestern University in Media Strategy and Leadership. My goal is to work with leading organizations to enhance media strategies and tactics. I am a Socialite, Change Maker, Artist, and Optimist
Having worked on the marketing team at Camerapix, one of Africa’s oldest independent media production companies for 4 years, I joined the management in 2008 to help found Africa 24 Media, Africa’s first online video agency, in Nairobi, here i managed editorial teams and global sales for the fast-growing agency, executive-produced award-winning documentaries and project-managed the show Africa Journal for Thomson Reuters.
