MDA Field Office Social Media Handbook

“Social Media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.” – Brain Solis Principal of FutureWorks

TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION2. MDA SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES3. RULES4. LEARN THE CULTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA5. PARTICIPATE IN OUR NATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA

PRESENCE6. CREATE YOUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY7. IMPLEMENT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY 8. FACEBOOK

1. FB PAGE2. FB CAUSES3. FB EVENTS

9. TWITTER10.TIPS11. FAQ

INTRODUCTION

This handbook is meant for all MDA Field Offices and Regional Offices interested in using social media to deliver our mission critical services.

This information will familiarize you with our national social media philosophy, invite you to find, join, and participate in our national presence.

You’ll find steps to adopting social media strategy and an explanation of various social media tools.

Adopting a social media strategy at your local unit is a significant commitment of your time both daily and long term. It is worth it! But a social media strategy needs to be developed to help you plan accordingly.

Social Media Guidelines It is required that employees obtain pre-

approval from their Regional or Divisional Office before setting up any MDA-administered social media site or blog, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and LinkedIn. All social media or blog profiles, handles and accounts established for the purpose of conducting MDA business shall be considered under the ownership of MDA.

SM Guidelines Cont… In concert with your Regional and Divisional teams,

MDA’s Public Relations team is available to advise you in developing your office’s social media strategy. Please contact Public Relations at (520) 529-5317 or at publicrelations@mdausa.org

For assistance in launching your social media site and developing social strategy for events, programs and office activities

To notify National Headquarters about your official online activities

SM Guidelines Cont…

Only use approved MDA social media channels (i.e. MDA District Facebook page or MDA District office Twitter account), and not personal social media sites or pages, to conduct MDA business.

Media or Press Contacts - If someone from the news media or press contacts you about your social media activity related to MDA, you should speak with your supervisor and someone in the Public Relations Department before responding.

Rules: You are strictly prohibited from disclosing individually

identifiable information of any kind about individuals served by MDA on any social media platform without the express written permission of the individual or his/her parent or legal guardian. Even if the individual is not identified by name within the information you wish to use or disclose, such use or disclosure is prohibited if there is a reasonable basis to believe that person could still be identified from such information. Unauthorized disclosure of individually identifiable information could constitute a violation of the privacy rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPPA”)

Rules Cont… Minors: It is against MDA policy to post

images or videos of minors without MDA’s Consent for Use of Likeness form, signed by parents or legal guardians, on an MDA-approved social media site. Images or videos of individuals served by MDA who are under the age of 18 should not be posted in personal online content. This includes photos and videos taken at MDA events, including MDA Summer Camp.

Rules Cont… Over age 18: It is against MDA policy to

post images or videos of individuals engaged in MDA activities on an MDA-approved social media site without MDA’s Consent for Use of Likeness form. The Consent for Use of Likeness form does not give individual staff members permission to post photos of individuals engaged in MDA activities in personal online content.

Rules Cont… Stakeholders: Do not disclose personal

information, or post images or video, of MDA’s employees, volunteers, board members, sponsors, donors, and affiliates on an MDA-approved social media site without prior written permission and MDA’s prior written approval. Written permission does not give staff permission to post photos or videos of MDA stakeholders in personal online content.

Learn the Culture of Social

Media“Social media is like a snowball rolling down the hill. It’s picking up speed. Five years from now, it’s going to be the standard.” – Jeff Antaya, chief marketing officer of Plante Moran

Social Media is vital to my generation. We turn to our Twitter and Facebook pages for information on friends, family, entertainment, business, and social causes. Think of your chapter’s social networking pages as a unifying communication force to platform campaigns, events, and ideas. It isn’t easy or fun all the time, but after a while you realize that you’re communicating with everyone who cares about what MDA is doing on those sites. Admittedly, that feels pretty cool.

Message from a PR Intern

Brionna RogersPublic Relations Internbrogers@mdausa.org

Getting Familiar With Social Media

Practice using these tools in your personal life first.

Posting your own pictures and experiences makes Facebook, Twitter, etc. less foreign.

The more you post on your personal pages the better you’ll become at posting for any sites your MDA chapter might use!

“As a general principle, the more users share about themselves, the more others in the community will learn about them and identify with them.” – Matt Rhodes, writing in Social Media Today

Participate in Our National Social Media

Presence

Before beginning new accounts on any site be sure to visit MDA National accounts first:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MDAnews @MDANews• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MDANational• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MySpaceMDA• LinkedIn: http://

www.linkedin.com/company/muscular-dystrophy-association

• Google+:https://plus.google.com/118252638961569076697/posts#118252638961569076697/posts

National’s Social Media Goals

To create an empowered online community of MDA supporters to: Raise awareness of our services and mission Provide information to help those affected by

muscle related diseases Reenergize the brand Mobilize existing volunteers Inspire new volunteers and donors Provide engagement point for our employees,

volunteers, and supporters in a two way conversation that enhances the mission

Create Your Own Social Media Strategy

If your office already has a social media presence it should also already have a Social Media Strategy. It’s never too late to start one and IT IS absolutely necessary.

Use this guide to improve an existing or create a Social Media Strategy for your local chapter

Study what other MDA chapters are doing with their Social Media Presence

Check out MDA Puerto Rico’s Facebook Group Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/MDAPR

Check Out Southern AZ’s Facebook Profile:http://www.facebook.com/#!/mda.southernaz

(We’ll discuss the difference between FB Group Pages & Profiles Later )

Visit MDA Las Vegas Twitter Page: @MDALasVegas

https://twitter.com/MDALasVegas

See what these local chapters are doing to keep their volunteers, donors, and patients up to date!

Now… Evaluate YOUR Chapter’s Overall Goals…

What are your EX: use Twitter to inform about MDA summer camp

registration deadlines, local fitness classes to take before Muscle Walk, etc.

What are your public relations goals? How do you currently correspond with local media,

stakeholders, volunteers, donors, and the public?

What are your communitygoals?How are you currently mobilizing volunteers?How are

you currently engaging with donors?What are your current strategies and tactics?

Evaluating and reviewing your organizational goals, strategy and tactics will lead you to choices for using social media

Ask Yourself:crit ical services?

Adopt a local social media goalYou are encouraged to follow the national goal

Create your social media goalsWrite down goals you hope to achieve with social mediaAnalyze whether your goals make sense and work with

your chapter’s strategic plan or other goalsCreate your own social media strategy

Write down reasons your social media use will complement your chapter’s overall strategic plan

Write down the types of content you will provide to and solicit from your community

Create tacticsHow will you execute the strategy to achieve your goals?Who will be responsible?What platforms will you use?How will you develop content?How will you engage with your audience?How often will you be present?What steps will you take to reach your desired outcome?

Implement Your Social Media Strategy

If your office already has a Social Media strategy, make sure you are measuring its success, improving where needed and keeping MDA national informed of progress and challenges

Seriously… “There’s no need to re-create everything

from scratch … Look at some of the early adopters, see what they’ve done and see if it makes sense for your organization. And then think about what you need to do to customize it.” – Dave Fletcher, Utah chief technology officer

Tell Us WHAT you’re doing and HOW you’re doing it:

We want to catalogue your:StrategyChosen PlatformsLinks to Your Activities

With this Information we will:List you on our aggregated national sitesMonitor your strategy for best

practices

“Monitor, engage, and be transparent; these have always been the keys to success in the digital space.” – Dallas Lawrence, Levick Strategic Communications

Implement Your Plan

Decide on Short Term & Long Term Implementation PlansShort Term: In one year have X followersLong Term: Next Walk have X number of increased Muscle Walk participants because of social media presence

Create a Communication Plan Announce availability on social media spaces to your

communityLink social media activities from your main websiteCommit but Be Flexible

Make adjustments based on successes and challenges you encounter along the way

Remember we’re here to support you and ready to help at any time

Measure Your Successes and Challenges

Return on investment (ROI) of Your Social Media StrategyDefine the “R” – what are your expected results?

i.e. X followers, X likesDefine the metrics – what you want to becomePre-determine Setbacks

competitors, other local service agenciesDocument challenges and successes analyze results, glean insight, take action, measure

again

DocumentationDocumented activities as you progress through these steps are a great baseline to measure:

*The impact your social media strategy has in your community

*Whether you are able to achieve your original goals

Write down everything that happens in the beginning so you have QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIVE results to analyze

EVALUATION

Give yourself room to learn and gain insight before you tie yourself to a traditional ROI analysis

Adopt a “listen, learn, adapt” measurement strategy

after you’ve tried your strategy for a while, ask yourself what you’ve learned and how you can improve next time

And of course…Send your links and measurement data to national

Make sure we know what you’re up to so we can recognize your success from a national platform and help you with any struggles!

“This is no longer a gimmick. This is how the American people want to receive their news and want to hear from us.” – Nick Schaper, new-media director for House Minority Leader John Boehner

“In some ways, [Facebook] levels the playing field of friendship stratification. In the real world, you have very close friends and then there are those you just say “Hi”

to when you pass them on the street.” – Jason Kaufman, research science fellow at Harvard University

Is Facebook right for your chapter?

Find out by asking yourself:

You’ll need someone to be responsible for DAILY updates; this person will need to dedicate a time EACH DAY!

DO YOU HAVE TIME TO UPDATE YOUR PAGE WITH VALUABLE CONTENT DAILY?

You’ll need the someone to acknowledge and engage fans

EACH DAY

2. DO YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY OR DESIRE TO INTERACT

WITH YOUR FANS ON A DAILY BASIS HERE?

3.Can you offer local content focused on your local stakeholders?

Remember the “friends” you have onYour chapter’s Facebook profile are: THE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU

If you answered yes to all these questions, you’re ready to set up a

Facebook page!

If not, please join our national page and let your stakeholders know they

can find MDA there.

Pages vs. Groups

All offices should create a Facebook Page NOT a Facebook Group

‘Pages’ offer greater visibility, customization and measurability. Community pages will currently be accepted as is unless there is a copyright/trademark issue.

‘Pages’ work just like personal profiles of individuals. You can:

Make friendsUpdate your statusUpload videos, photos, and articlesCreate events

Rules for Facebook Pages

• Name your page after your chapter or region • Identify the name and location of your chapter in your profile image• 1 Facebook page. We’ll explore ways to highlight your action items

with Causes• Assign someone to be responsible for updating your page with status

updates, post new items, and offer other types of timely content on your page. REMEMBER: you’ll need to acknowledge and engage your fans here EACH DAY.

• We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so your chapter may NOT join any political or religious advocacy groups, pages, or causes

Facebook CausesCauses are basically online fundraisers

You can set up multiple causes for campaigns and current issues

We all share a single EIN number so causes you create will benefit MDA!

Tips for Making an Effective Cause

• Titles should have an active verb and grab attentioni.e. Make a Muscle Campaign

• Turn your cause into a campain: Set an achievable goali.e. raise $1,000 for MDA research

• Creatively engage people to invite their friendsi.e. “Power of 10” campaign; ask each fan to invite 10 other people to send $10 each

• Have a fundraiser up in addition to generic fan pages (the more exposure the better)

• Use announcements feature and keep followers in touch. • Make content different (and short) every post• Engage “SUPER USERS” by keeping them encouraged

and acknowledging their work• Try different campaigns!

In one idea doesn’t work: toss it and try another one!

Facebook Event

When your chapter has an impending event (i.e. walks, large one-day fundraisers, etc.), an event page helps you provide critical information to your community.

Additionally, you can keep track of your social media presence by monitoring how many of your FB friends RSVP.

Check out this Event Page from MDA Southern-AZ:

Title Event

^^^^^^^^^^ Event Details: Date, time, location, costs, etc.

Link to official business page

YouTube: “connect, inform, and inspire”

YouTube is a center for DIY and information, in addition to entertainment. Create videos or post videos from other

sites (with proper permission and without violating copyright of course) based on YOUR community!

Check out the following channel to see a local office taking social media into their own hands: MDA

Metro NY/NJ & So. New Eng

http://www.youtube.com/user/MDARegionC2

YouTube Cont…If you decide to begin a YouTube Channel:• Name your channel after chapter or region • 1 YouTube Channel (you can create multiple playlists to

organize your channel)• Assign someone to be responsible for updating your channel

with new videos. Remember: You should be uploading new videos as frequently as possibly (shoot for 1-2 times a month)

• We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so your chapter may NOT join any political or religious advocacy groups, pages, or causes

Video Ideas:• Videos from local events (Walks,

Lock-Ins, Fill the Boot, etc.)• Videos from national events (MDA

Show of Strength)• Videos from national social media

sites

• For more ideas on how to make your YouTube channel a success, read the Creator’s Playbook at: http://www.youtube.com/yt/creators/playbook.html

TWITTERTwitter asks WHAT ARE YOU DOING

and millions of people answer in 140 characters or less

“Twitter represents a collective collaboration that manifests our ability to unconsciously connect kindred voices through the experiences that move us. As such,

Twitter is a human seismograph.” – Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks

DECIDING IF TWITTER IS RIGHT FOR YOU: You’ll need to update Twitter multiple times a

day Post new items and offer other timely

content You’ll need a person responsible for daily

upkeep on your page

Twitter is not just about posting your own information, you’ll need to engage and

acknowledge followers each day. Here are some common

HOW TO #HASHTAG:Hashtag: the # symbol before relevant keywords or topics in a Tweet which categorizes those Tweets and helps them show more easily in Twitter Search. (i.e. # MDAShow, # MuscleUp, etc.)

1. use the hashtag symbol # before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their Tweet. 2. Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword.3. Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet – at the beginning, middle, or end.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR #HASHTAGGING

WHAT’S A RETWEET?A retweet is a re-posting of someone else's Tweet. Helps you and others quickly share that Tweet with all of your followers.

A RETWEET, OR “RT”, IS TWITTER GOLD! WHEN YOU HAVE A MESSAGE RT’D BY A FOLLOWER, ALL OF THEIR FOLLOWERS WILL SEE THE MESSAGE AS WELL.

An RT looks like normal a Tweet with the author's name and username next to it. It is distinguished by the retweet icon and the name of the user who retweeted the Tweet.

For additional help with Twitter visit the Help Center: https://support.twitter.com/

MENTIONS:AKA TAGGING:

Any Twitter update that contains "@username" anywhere in the body of the Tweet.

Mentions are commonly referred to as “tagging someone”Example: University of Chicago’s Twitter name - @UChicago

MORE TIPS FOR TWITTER• BE CREATIVE: ENGAGING CONTENT

• Be Strategic: don’t ask for donations immediately• Be Persistent: add links to the social media account

in every email and press release• Scatter posts throughout the day, at night, and the

weekend• Do not clump them all together• Mention other pages and people when it is

appropriate• Ask fan engagement questions for posts whenever

possible• SPELL CHECK • Thank your fans, followers, sponsors, etc.• Mix it up: photos, questions, videos, supporter

content, news stories, etc.• Use quality photos and add details – ask followers to

tag themselves• Twitter: Use URL shorteners (http://

ow.ly/url/shorten-url - is a good one)

• Use #hashtags in every Tweet • Search for established #hashtags• Create your own

• Tweet quotes, breaking news, events, links to articles, photos, websites, etc.

• Ask yourself “Would I retweet this?” before tweeting

• Engage with your Twitter followers by asking retweeting their answers to your questions

• Check often for new Twitter accounts and acknowledge, follow, share, etc.

• Follow @MDAnews• Include a link to official site in biography• List Twitter page on your Facebook page• Don’t follow brands that are not endorsers or

imposters• Don’t follow those with political or religious

affiliations

EASY WAYS TO SHORTEN YOUR TWEETS

One of the trickiest components of Twitter is the LIMITED space you have to express a thought. Here are a few words or phrases to get you started but don’t be afraid to get creative and make your own shortened words:

• To, two, too = 2• Into: n2• For = 4• Before: b4• Money = $$• Tomorrow: = 2mrw

• Today = 2day• Your, You’re = Ur• You = U• Are = R

RULES FOR TWITTERNaming Your Twitter Account:

• Choose a name that clearly defines your local affiliation(i.e. @MDALosAngeles)

• Keep your names as short as possible. You only have 140 characters (shoot for appx.130), so the less your

name takes up, the better for retweeting

Profile Image:• Twitter’s image machine is tiny. It’s difficult to adhere to

brand standards but you must.

Twitter Design:• You can choose a background image for your Twitter

account. Please follow brand standards if you choose to do this.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site built for the professional world. Most businesses use this site as an opportunity to develop relationships with like-minded professionals.

HootSuiteIf you think your chapter or region could significantly benefit from

use of social media but are worried about the time necessary to run

it… HootSuite helps you manage all your social media sites at once!

Hootsuite is a tool which can be used to:

1. Manage multiple social profiles2. Schedule messages and tweets 3. Track mentions4. Analyze social media traffic

You can schedule Facebook posts and Twitter messages months in advance. Hootsuite even makes it possible to attach images, videos, URLS, etc.

FAQ:Should I use social media platforms to fundraise?

Many people enjoy social media sites because they are free from marketing machines. Our goal is to offer value in these spaces rather than marketing solicitations. Fundraising can be tricky so tread carefully.

Once you build an online community, offer tools which make it easy for supporters to do the fundraising for you.