Developing a Social Media Plan


Tirza Hollenhorst Barrett Michael

tirzalyn@ifpeople.net bmichael@ifpeople.net
678 608 3408 281 844 1184
www.ifpeople.net www.ifpeople.net
 What’s this whole
social media thing?
It’s not…

traditional
marketing
It definitely isn’t…

advertising
Social media defines the activities
that integrate technology, social
interaction and the sharing of
words, images, video and audio.
In other words…

Social media is a
conversation that
takes place online.
It’s a conversation
more people are
joining every day.
People like this guy.
• By 2010, millenials will outnumber
baby boomers

• $350 billion in spending power

• Spend over 16 hours a week online

• 96% have joined a social network

• They care about what their friends

think and what they like, not traditional
marketing and ads
UniversalMcCan Comparative Study on Social Media Trends
http://tinyurl.com/dlzqnx

“Consumer 2.0” by Mr.Youth and RepNation Media

http://tinyurl.com/cpja9q
And people like her.

• 41% of babyboomers have

visited a social networking site

• +55 Women fastest growing

demographic on Facebook

• More stable, dependable

income

“The Fasted Growing Demographic on Facebook”

http://tinyurl.com/bl99qo
Social media is...

Consumer-driven
Transparent
Engaging
Inclusive
Sincere
It isn’t…

Controlled
Impersonal
Exclusive
Formal
One-sided
 Conversations are easy.
Why is social media hard?
!
!!


 So many channels.
So many people
So many conversations.

So little time.
 How do I decide
what channels to use,
what people to engage,
what conversations to join?
Strategy
( a really, really good one)
Like all conversations,
the key to social media
begins and ends
with listening.
Step 1
Listen to yourself
You may not have a social media plan.

But you certainly use media.

What channels do you currently use?
Email?
Websites?

Direct Marketing?

Newsletters?
Outreach programs?

Phone?
Ask yourself questions...

What tone do these channels convey?

Who are my intended targets?
Am I reaching my intended targets?
Do these channels reflect our mission?
What overall message does my brand
communicate?
Most importantly…

What’s missing?
Where do these channels fall short?
Are there people we should target
but aren’t?
Online, are we passive participants or
active engagers?
Goodwill of DC asked questions…
• Discovered their current messaging
wasn’t targeting people like her (young
women interested in vintage fashion)

• Shame, considering Goodwill has

great deals on vintage wear

• Created a social media plan that

targeted these women and gave
Goodwill a hipper image

• More on Goodwill later

Asking questions reminds you who you
are and who you want to be.

It also indicates how social media can be

used to complement your overall
mission.
Step 2
Listen to others
The conversation has already started.

Research before joining in.

 Start listening to…

Key public figures

Mentions of your organization
Popular industry/ advocacy sites
Newsgroups
Blog comments
Organizations like yours
Free listening tools…


Paid listening tools…

Let’s get a closer look…

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/

http://www.technorati.com/
 Ask yourself…
What attitudes define me and my issues?
What sites have the most activity related
to my organization?
What kind of people do the most posting?
What other organizations and issues are
these people connected to?
What kind of negative comments or
misconceptions exist?
 What will you discover?
Better understanding of your brand
presence

Online communities you should join

Targets and influencers you should engage

Values you should promote

Attitudes you should change

Step 3
Create personas
Personas are…

Descriptions of individuals that

represent your target.

They’re not real people.

Just archetypes that represent

real people.
Personas…

Help you identify potential character

traits, personalities, habits and
attitudes of your target.

This helps you create a social media

plan of ideal scope and size.
Create personas through listening.
But this time, not just online.
Interview stakeholders in person...

Where do you go online?

How much time do you spend there?
Do you comment?
Do you initiate online conversations?
What social networks do you use?
Would you feel comfortable if our
organization joined you online?
Step 4
Map your assets
 Social media tools aren’t really fee.

They cost time.

Sometimes,
lots of time.
How many hours and how many people
can I devote to implementing
a social media plan?
 Take note of…

Size and technical experience of staff

Volunteer base (long-term vs short term)
Time staff members can devote
to social media
Content already produced that can be used
on social media sites
This makes your social media plan…

Realistic
Managable
Achievable
Efficient
And not the source
of tears and anguish
Step 5
Define your goals
You know your target.
You know your resources.

Now, what do you want to achieve?

 Do you want to…

Build better relationships?

Raise awareness about your cause?
Increase website traffic?
Build up your base?
Inspire people to action?
Increase donations?
Keep track of goals with
qualitative data…
Influential
Friends
New names
added to email file

Comments

Voting participants
Increased donations
Influential blogs
linked to you

Increased webpage hits Content of keywords

 Set benchmarks based on
these metrics…

We want (n) positive

comments per week on Twitter.
We want $(n) from our charity mall.
We want (n) pagerank by a certain date.
We want (n) people to sign our petition.
Step 6
Clarify your message
How would I define my organization
in a single, simple phrase?
We’re the smart fashion choice
for hip young women.
That’s your message.

Have all your social media content

reflect it.
 This will make your message…

Focused and on point

Have a cohesive, unifying theme

Easily grasped by short attention spans

Step 7
Select channels
Ask yourself…

What channel best suits:

My goals?
My brand story?
My resources?
My target?
Our staff knows fashion.

http://dcgoodwillfashions.blogspot.com/

We sell things you can’t

find anywhere else.

We want to target
young women.
http://www.fashionofgoodwill.org/
 We want to connect
with animal lovers

Animal lovers love

animal pics and stories

Share content with Twitter

and get target to help
find animals new homes
Step 8
Join the Conversation
The rules of social media
are not defined.

But there are a few tips

to keep in mind.
1. Stay Transparent
• Don’t be evasive

• Always offer your full name,

your title and your organization

• Be the first to admit vested

interests
2. Keep It Conversational
• A blog post isn’t an annual report

• Write like you would write to a friend

• Ask questions

• Solicit opinions

3. Write What You Know
• Stick to issues relating to your
organization

• Position yourself as an expert in

your field

• Add real knowledge to conversations,

not just another opinion
 4. Admit Mistakes
• “Oops” happens

• Be the first to admit your

wrongs and make them right

• Thank those who bring

mistakes to your attention
 5. Don’t Ignore Negativity
• Negative comments are chances to turn
critics into supporters

• Respond kindly and respectfully

• Understand concerns

• Answer questions
6. Trust Your Instincts
I knew this was
a bad idea…

• If something doesn’t feel right, it

probably isn’t

• Don’t just shrug and hit “post”

• Get other opinions on posting

controversial material
Step 9
Listen & re-invent
Remember these?
Never stop using them to…

Find conversations to join

Track responses to your
social media activity
Discover what messaging
works, what doesn’t
After you listen, re-evaluate your
strategy and focus on what’s
working.

Consider dropping what isn’t.

Re-Invention Zen…
• Susan Reynolds started a blog
chronicling her battle with breast cancer

• Once, she used frozen peas to lessen

swelling after a biopsy and posted a pic
on her blog and Twitter

• Community saw it as a light, human

touch to tragedy

• Attracted to the powerful, unique

symbol
 Re-Invention Zen…
• Enter the Frozen Pea Fund

• Sought to promote humor and

optimism while fighting cancer

• Integrated Twitter, Flickr,

Second Life network

• Raised > $7k in first month

• Wouldn’t have happened

without listening/ re-inventing
Social media may be here to stay.

But the tools are temporary.

Remember Friendster?
• First big online social network

•  Founded in 2002

• Gained 3 million members in

first few months

• Quickly lost out to MySpace,

then Facebook

• Now only popular in Asia

Who’s Next?

Who’s next?

R.I.P. Our Beloved

Facebook Twitter
2004 - ? 2006 - ?
 Stay ahead of the curve…

LISTEN

for new places where your

targets are congregating

to murmurs of new technology

and continue to play

Tirza Hollenhorst Barrett Michael
tirzalyn@ifpeople.net bmichael@ifpeople.net
678 608 3408 281 844 1184
www.ifpeople.net www.ifpeople.net