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Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

The Magic Formula for Choosing Social Media

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I’ve told you before: the first thing your organization does online should not be social media.  And I’ve told you that the best answer to “Which social media should we use?” is “It depends”: where are the people you’re trying to reach?

But you have already done the work.  You’ve made your website attractive and useful, cleaned up your database, and started sending regular email to the people on your list.  You’ve found your supporters online.  You’ve created a strategy and started small, with one platform.  Now what?

You’re sure there’s a secret to social media for a small organization with limited time and money.  You twist my arm and ask, “What’s the magic formula?”

Listen closely: Facebook plus one.

Why You Need to Be on Facebook

For now, Facebook is still an essential part of your social media.  Yes, I know: it’s frustrating that people can “like” you on Facebook and still not see your posts in their news feed.

But there is nowhere online that you will find more people, and a broader range of people.

  • Grandparents are joining Facebook every day to see photos of their grandchildren.
  • Adults keep up with their friends on Facebook, even after they’ve moved to a different city or country.
  • Teenagers are still joining Facebook.

It may not be cool, but it’s a “have to have.”  My best guess is that it will continue to be the common denominator of social media for years.

Why You Need Something Else

Even if a lot of supporters are there, you should make sure not to put all your eggs in the Facebook basket.  It’s not free media any more.  You need a budget to pay for ads AND an expert to help you advertise effectively.  And it’s only going to get more expensive.

Plus, there may come a tipping point.  When enough people drift away from Facebook, a lot of people may decide to do so all at once.  You should be collecting their email addresses, so you don’t lose them altogether–but many people prefer to hear about you through social media.  When they go looking for an alternative to Facebook, you want them to find you there.

Which “Something Else” is for You?

Think of three lines on a graph.  One: the social media platforms your audience uses.  Two: the one you find most comfortable.  Three: the platform that lets you use what you have–whether that’s writing, photography, or video.  Ideally, when you use Facebook plus one, that one is where those lines come together.

Twitter is growing fast. It forces you to be brief, but that’s good: you will catch people’s attention better that way. It’s ideal for sharing links to useful information, including your blog posts, and it’s recently become better for sharing pictures.

YouTube is the world’s biggest search engine, after Google.  If you have great video and would like to be found, YouTube is the place to go.

Google+ has also been growing. Unlike Facebook, everything you post shows up for everyone who likes you there (or “adds you to their circles,” in Google+ lingo).  Two big cautions, however: a lot of people are still not on Google+, and there are rumors that Google plans to make big changes to it soon.

Pinterest is clearly the best way to reach a female audience with photos.  Instagram reaches a more mixed audience, and people say it’s easier to use, especially from your mobile phone.

LinkedIn is the only social media platform that reaches more men than women.  LinkedIn Groups are a great vehicle for establishing your expertise in the field.

There are many other options, and feel free to choose the one that suits you best.  You may also want to create accounts on social media you’re not planning to use for a while, just to reserve the name you want (and not let some other group create confusion by claiming it).

You’re best off concentrating on Facebook and just one other form of social media, if you really want to work your magic.

 

 

5 Ways Google Apps Can Benefit Your Company

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by Rebecca Thompson, CLR Virtual Connection

Google Apps are a full suite of applications that reduce IT costs for businesses and nonprofits. Hardware and software costs are expensive, especially when you’re first starting out. IT costs can drain a business’ start-up revenue or a nonprofit’s slim reserve, so here are five ways Google Apps can benefit you.

One Free Email Alias 

Just started a website and don’t have an email server? If you have a virtual private server (VPS)–meaning that someone else is hosting your website on their own server in a space dedicated just to you–but you don’t have email service for the website, Google Apps provide an answer. 

You can use Gmail as an email alias for your domain, having email forwarded from your domain (www.yourcompany.com) to a Gmail address. Users see your domain as the sender and receiver, but the email is actually managed by Gmail. Using Gmail makes it much simpler and cheaper to host an email server for your new business or cash-strapped nonprofit.

Google Docs for Office Files

Most companies need a way to create word processing documents and spreadsheets. Software such as Microsoft Office is expensive. Google has the Docs application that lets you create documents “in the cloud” instead of on your own computer hard drive.  How will this help you?

  • You can use these applications with any operating system including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac or Linux.
  • You can store these documents on your Google Drive. That make it easy to share the documents with other Google users.

Keep Appointments with Google Calendar

Gmail and Google Calendar work together to ensure you keep your appointments. Google users can send appointment requests or notifications to your Gmail, and you can save those appointments to your calendar directly from the Gmail notification. When the event is about to happen, you will receive a reminder in your email inbox. You can also connect Gmail to your smartphone, so you receive reminders even away from your desktop.

Create a Quick Website with Google Sites

Google Sites is a web solution for people who aren’t familiar with website coding. Google Sites includes a website creator that makes it easy to set up a web presence online. You can incorporate your Google account into Google Sites, so you always have access to edit your website, even from a smartphone or tablet.

Google Drive

Google Drive is one of the latest Google Apps. Google Drive is cloud storage, and it works directly with your Google account to save and share documents.

You can also use Google Drive for collaboration. When you need to share a document and get feedback from clients, share the document with the client and allow him or her to make edits. These edits are saved in the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about tracking changes. You can also share these documents with others, and distribute them on the web without any extra installed software.

And More

For more complex Google Apps integrations, you need a programmer. Google Apps has many API applications you can use to integrate Google software with your internal software. This includes Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics and Gmail. Use these open applications to give your business a competitive edge or customize reports and software to work with your nonprofit funders’ requirements.

Rebecca Thompson

Rebecca Thompson

About the author:

Rebecca Thompson is the Social Media Strategist at CLR Virtual Connection.

She started her business so that she could combine her administrative skills with her love of social media to help her clients proactively manage the social presence of their business.

Are You Communicating Better This Year?

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It’s a new year.  Here are ten resolutions that every organization should make to improve their communications in 2014.
  1. Google yourself. What are the first things people see about you? Would you support the group you see on screen?
  2. Take charge of your brand. Create your own reputation through the news you make and the stories you post.
  3. Cultivate local reporters.  They work too hard: if you feed them human interest stories and photos, they’ll be grateful.
  4. Everyone in your organization speaks for you.  What are they saying to their friends? Do they have stories to tell your supporters?
  5. Your website: keystone of all your communications.  Ask an outsider to click through it. Is it easy to navigate? Informative? Fun?
  6. Facebook is a party, not a meeting.  Find ways to get your fans talking with each other.  They’ll come back more often and like you better.
  7. Which social media should your group use?  Depends.  Who do you want to reach?  Where do they go when they’re online?
  8. Horror movie: “I mail to dead people.” In January, take people off your postal and email lists if you haven’t heard from them since 2011.
  9. Photos: not just for breakfast any more. Your readers want to consume photos at every meal, including online posts.
  10. Your good name is your most valuable asset.  What’s it worth to you?  THAT’S the return on investment for your communications.

 

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