Listen Learn Adapt

Social Media and Nonprofits: Two-Day Intensive Workshop

We Are Media Project:The Social Media Starter Kit forNonprofits

Visit the WeAreMedia wiki for additionalresources and to connect with othernonprofit social media practitioners viahttp://www.wearemedia.org

Funded by the Surdna Foundation

Objectives

• To provide a basic overview of how to apply listen,

learn, and adapt in your social media implementation

David Armano wrote this brilliant articleabout why we need to think about return on“insight” versus investment in a connectedage.

That’s David

Go read it, I’ll wait.

How can Phil apply it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnjoh/376275220/

Start with …

• What you will do with the tools

• Who you are trying to reach

• What you want them to doknow/do/learn/

• Results

Check

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnjoh/376275220/

Investigate before you leapthe first time

•Research excellent practices and advice

•Get to know the tool(s) you will use andreview examples of what other nonprofits aredoing

• Participate as an individual beforeparticipating as an organization

Check

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnjoh/376275220/

ListenLearn

Adapt

Return on Insight

Listening isknowing what isbeing said onlineabout yourorganization andyour field.

Can I take theseoff now?

GenerateBuzzShare

Story

Listen

Participate

CommunityBuilding &

SocialNetworking

Listening is the first step, but you do it …

See WeAreMedia Wiki for more information http://www.wearemedia.org

Before

During

After

Hmm .. Need towear them all the

time.

See Beth’s Social Media Listening PersonalLearning Space

http://socialmedia-listening.wikispaces.com/

The Red Cross knows how to listen

• Keeping abreast of dailyconversation, knowing what needsaction• Compile by line of service• Distribute, consult with subjectmatter experts

Leads to Engagement

“I took an American Red Cross class I thought was

less than satisfactory. […] Someone found myblog post and told the local chapter director. Hecalled me to talk about it honestly. […] They careabout me and they’re willing to go the extra mile.[…] This gives the American Red Cross HUGEpoints. I am now significantly more likely to takeanother class than I was before.” - Blogger

Relationshipbuilding

Customerserviceissue

Influencercomplaining …

Staff determines comments or tweets that needresponse

Insight Harvesting

“Look for trends over time, whatpeople find compelling enoughabout their intersection with theRed Cross to spend time writingabout publicly.”

• Relationship building lays groundwork for futurecampaigns to raise time, money, and blood

• Identifies influencers

• Documentation creates internal value

• Listening skills and tools upgraded

• What works used for future campaigns

Continuous Listening Offers Value

Learn

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/1408972724/

“If you don’t launch, you don’tlearn.” David Armano

Think like a scientist

Essential

Optional

Observe and sift through qualitativedata like a Primatologist

You’re saying thatdonors areprimates?

Anthropologist * is a better metaphorArmano describes it as “digital anthropologist”

• Document on the fly

• Test and tweak

• Pick the right hard data points

• Harvest your insights

• Look at what other nonprofitsare doing in the space

• Pause for reflection time beforenext reiteration: How to improveresults?

A Process I’ve Used With All My FundraisingCampaigns

Document on the fly

I like to visuallydocument too …

Test and Tweak

Synthesize alongthe way – reflect inaction

Look at numbers .. Youstill have to measure toimprove

Harvest Insights

A few points about social media metrics

Well not dead, but it’s not all about page views

Create

Comment

ClickCollect

Critic

5

Engagement

Metrics

“We don’t really care about views as much as wecare about comments. If we get 1,000 video viewsthat is good. The comments are a focus group withour influencers. If they like it, they’ll spread it andthat helps get to our objectives.”

Jake Brewer

• Objective, audience, strategy and linkto your metric

• Pick the right ones!

• Numbers alone are meaningless

• Combine with other measures andqualitative data

• Harvest insights

Social Media Metrics

Adapt

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/1408972724/

This is the hard part becauseyou have to get past mistakephobia

You have to be nimble

The Humane Society of the United States

Did they stop doing photo contests as a result?

Theyadapted …

ThankGod!

Carrie Lewis, HSUS

“Since this was our first run at a photopetition, it was difficult to get acrossexactly what we wanted people to dowithout writing a book. So every personwho needed help was answeredpersonally. This gave us a good idea ofhow to more clearly explain ourselvesnext time. “

3,000 submissions

Did it evolve?

Wisdom of the Crowds Meets Person-to-Person Fundraising

It is easier to adaptyour social mediaproject

Harder to changeorganizations

Summary

• Don’t take off your listening ears• Think like a primatologist• Evolution is a good thing

Small Group

Discussion the listen, learn, andadapt discussion questions

All sources and additional material can be found onthe WeAreMedia Wiki

WeAreMedia: Listeninghttp://www.wearemedia.org/Tactical+Track+Module+1

WeAreMedia: Metrics

http://www.wearemedia.org/Strategy+Track+Module+6

WeAreMedia: Experimentshttp://www.wearemedia.org/Tactical+Track+Module+6

If you remix this presentation,please add your remixed versionto the wiki.

Thank you