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Monday, September 28, 2009

Training in Social Media Marketing for Non-Profits

Over the course of the last few weeks, I can honestly say I have been surprised by a continuing trend I have seen from those in the association sector. That trend has been the request to learn more about how they can leverage this new and emerging communications vehicle called social media. I believe this is a positive trend because there is no indicator from our data that Social Media will go away, in fact the adoption rates of Generation Y, indicate this is a trend (I'll even be speaking to this issues at the CSAE's annual convention in November). The trouble with social media is that with everyone able to create content and share the details of their personal lives in detailed minutia, the problem of excessive content becomes an issue. Every 60 seconds, 13 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube (says YouTube employee), and millions of tweets are generated every day. With so much content being created, how will one filter out what’s important?

Through all this clutter, non-profits face three challenges:

1st challenge: What do I say?: Determining content that will drive followers and recruit support requires serious thought and strategy.
2nd challenge: How much time should I be spending Tweeting or on Facebook?: Once you start tweeting or facebooking you will find that there is a lot of content and it is easy to spend a lot of time going through the content. Non-profit executives need an understanding of how they can coordinate staff and time resources to be most effective online without compromising their day-to-day operations.
3rd challenge: Staying organized: As one follows more folks on Twitter, it is easy to forget who they are or why I decided to follow them.

In response to these challenges, Action Strategies is launching a training module we hope to have ready by mid October covering the following issues:
Here are just a few of the inside techniques you'll cover in this intensive one-day workshop:


  1. Learn how to monitor your reputation online, starting today

  2. Discover how to set up a measurable, accountable social media program

  3. Identify and track top blogs in your industry–––and decide the best time to join in the conversation

  4. Acquire the techniques for placing the right messages on leading social media outlets, like FaceBook, del.icio.us, Digg, and YouTube

  5. Harness the power of blogs and podcasts (including critical insight on who in your organization should blog and who should not )

  6. Start using the latest Search Engine Optimization techniques to supercharge the visibility of your website and press materials

  7. Find out the smartest (often ignored!) features of a social media newsroom


We are taking pre-registrations now for webinars and in-person seminars. Contact us today. I invite your team to book its training spot now!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Thank you for this insight. My concern is that social media outlets such as LinkedIn or tweeter may detract members attention away from the organization's website. I would prefer to integrate this service than outsource the communication. Is this a valid concern?

Mark Buzan said...

Thanks so much for your comment. Yours' is the comment I hear often from many in the non-profit sector. The trouble we often encounter is the realization that in an internet age, we have to be willing to let go. In the "older days", an organization put out a press release, the media reacted and the focus was solely on the organization and its spokespeople.

In an internet age, everybody and everyone now has the choice of where they can get their information. Why should they be required to get their information from just your website? If you have the staff and resources to be able to come up with all the networking, interactivity, and news they can achieve from social networking sites on your website then by all means, have them come to your site exclusively. My sense though is that is a hard ask to make.

Social networking sites can however be excellent outposts that can drive traffic to your site. These are all subjects we are working on our coming social media training series and in our coming book this fall.

Let me know if I can be of help!