Essential Communication Methods for Today s Public Social Media 101 Presented by Tom D. Trimble, CIO Tulsa County Government
What you will learn today Why Social Media is important to you Today s Social Toolset Understanding social trends Communicating with today s public Benefits of launching a social media strategy First understand branding Don t feel threatened of being exposed Blaze a trail for others to follow
What will not be covered: This is not (NOT) a session to encourage or endorse employee use of social media in the workplace. This is not (NOT) a session to suggest changing your existing social media policies. Although If you don t already have a policy, you should. Proper policy controls message content and delivery.
Lessons in Leadership Be open to new ideas Tech Company, Finland 2008 Recognize that you are not the first to consider using online media to communicate with your constituents. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho8mw BZl-Vc
Why Social Media? Two-way communication Large target audience Build relationships Correct misinformation Spot opportunities and problems Supporting advocates Be relevant It is happening with or without you
Examples of global impact U.S. Earthquakes during 2011 reported within seconds on Twitter before news stations had the story Information in Middle East shifting opinions of younger generations High-speed train wreck July 2011 Chinese Government vs. onsite witnesses with cameras and Twitter
The Marketing Shift Away from media and toward direct interaction From marketing to to marketing with Understand what is going on Influence your organization s future using online social media tools
Today s Preferred Levels of Communication 1. Twitter 2. Facebook Status 3. Facebook Messaging 4. E-mail 5. Text Messaging 6. Instant Messaging 7. Memo / Letter 8. Phone 9. Video Chat 10.Face to Face Communication
Benefits: Control the message to your constituents Improve perception from the public Develop constant communication If you are not sharing your message online, someone else will do it for you Receive meaningful feedback Only 2 in 5 Americans today read the paper The next generation of worker prefers to get their information online Social Media is Free (only costs time)
Develop a Social Media Plan Use the P.O.S.T method: P People Who are you trying to engage? O Objectives What are you trying to achieve? S Strategies What will it look like when done? T Technologies What tools will you use?
How to get started Establish policy on use Set goals Prepare for an online presence Create accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Include photo/logo, links to website, content
Create a Page on Facebook
Facebook walks you through the process
Facebook Communications There are four ways people can interact on your Facebook Page that you should monitor Wall Posts Comments Likes News Feeds Create a cause and add it to your page Add your blog s feed to your fan page Add your events to your Facebook fan page Ask your Facebook fans a question and participate in the conversation Use Facebook Insights to get activity and demographic data
Blogs 32% of Fortune 100 companies use blogs Immediately tell your own story Know the rules of the game Share and create great content Listen and Care Give must engage public Use people, not company logo, for a personal touch Speak using audiences language Be transparent Be consistent Be Yourself Blogs are not about trying to be cool
The Weekly Blog Commit to one post per week Keep it to no more than a one hour effort: Research topic 10 minutes Write 400-500 words 40 minutes Use one photo 5 minutes Post to blog site 5 minutes Be consistent on the post date (for example, every Tuesday) Post in the morning
Blogosphere Read other similar blogs Comment on other blogs Follow those who follow you Build relationships Be aware of what others say about you Blog content can be more important than news coverage
Blog location matters Use a provider like wordpress.org for a more professional site Bloggers can tell the difference Create a professional image Tools like Google Blogs can help you find articles online
Twitter (microblogging)
Optimize your account Create a custom Twitter background that reflects your organization s mission or brand List the Twitter handle of anyone contributing to your organization s feed Create a Twitter list of your organizations staff, partners, or supporters Use Twitterholic.com to connect with the top tweeters in your county Monitor hashtags for relevant information (#chs #nyc #dc)
Tracking Tweets - #TulsaCounty Relevant questions about you Relevant questions about government Requests for support Complaints and feedback Praise Competitor Mentions Tweets limited to 140 characters
Twitter Usage Recruit new staff and volunteers via Twitter Build real relationships by replying, retweeting and joining discussions Make your tweets retweetable Monitor your organization s name on search.twitter.com Piggyback on Twitter s trending topics if related to your cause Promote an event, campaign, movement with twitter hashtags (#beatcancer #memorywalk)
LinkedIn The business version of Facebook minus the games Professional networking site Showcases expertise Request information Give advice Group discussions Link back to website, blog content, etc. whenever possible
Monitor LinkedIn Statistics : Best Practices Next: YouTube
YouTube Think of YouTube as a public service announcement A powerful tool to spread your message Use as a guide or how to Link content back to blog, website, Facebook, etc. Create short content that can be used again annually
Content Make interesting or compelling video, not sad or negative Funny videos tend to get more airplay Use the YouTube Nonprofit Program for advocacy Consider partnering with a local nonprofit to help get their message out Next: Best Practices
Social Media Best Practices 10 minute maintenance listen Check Twitter for chatter about your company 3 minutes Scan Google News and Blogs Alerts for important articles 2 minutes Filter and flag relevant industry-related LinkedIn questions 3 minutes Log in to Facebook and scan your wall and comments 2 minutes
Social Media Best Practices 20 minute routine engage Add content and current events Answer questions Build good-will Respond to relevant blog articles Thank those posting positive tweets Handle negative feedback quickly and turn them into your best advocates Next: Case Study
Case Study - Consider Barack Obama s Social Media Plan More than 5 million supporters across all social networking sites Utilized 15 different social networks Facebook 3.3 million friends More than 500 groups 300+ applications A centralized database of every invested voter 2,379,102 supporters via Facebook Source: http://www.viralblog.com/social-media/case-study-the-full-barackobama-strategy/
Case Study - Consider Barack Obama s Social Media Plan YouTube 139,000 different Obama related clips 1,800 official clips uploaded More than 14.7 million hours of Obama clips have been viewed Yes We Can Music Video viewed more than 14.2 million times 15 Obama videos viewed more than 1 million times Source: http://www.viralblog.com/social-media/case-study-the-full-barack-obamastrategy/
Case Study - Consider Barack Obama s Social Media Plan Twitter Follows 145,836 141,044 followers 263 updates The Obama Blog Creates an image of expertise when properly executed Source: http://www.viralblog.com/social-media/case-study-the-full-barack-obamastrategy/
Case Study - Consider Barack Obama s Social Media Plan Built a Vested Audience 3 million online donors 6.5 million online donations adding up to more than 500 million Of the 6.5 million donations, 6 million were in amounts of $100.00 or less The average online donation was $80.00 and gave more than once. Next: Closing Summary Source: http://www.viralblog.com/social-media/case-study-the-full-barack-obamastrategy/
Guarantee Online Success for Your Organization 80% of success online is simply participation Build a presence and treat it as a extension of yourself Build Trust Promote your social media channels via websites, e-mails, footers, etc. You will get out of social media what you put into it Use staff familiar with the technology for optimal results Have fun!
Questions?