Social media context, best practices and highlights toward better storytelling and more effective social media engagement...

1. UPSTART BAY AREA –
HAAS INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP
NETWORK FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Esther D. Kustanowitz
April 8, 2014

2. YOUR QUESTIONS (WE WILL ANSWER
THROUGHOUT)
 What are some simple routines to try/actions to
take that take modest amounts of time?
 What are the best platforms for us, the small Jewish
nonprofits?
 How much time and staff energy should one devote
to them?
 Is Facebook good? Should we be paying for
boosts?
 What is the goal or outcome
for social media efforts?
 Other questions?

3. CULTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA STORYTELLING: “TOP-
DOWN” TO “UP AND OUT!”
 Online engagement THEN:
 hierarchical
 undemocratic
 user impact: low
 You’d buy what they’re
selling, or you wouldn’t
 NOW:
 peer reviews
 consumer feedback & interaction
 invested “prosumer” class affects
marketing, popularity, troubleshooting
 “Inside the Wonkavator” – stories come from, and
go, anywhere
 IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP
http://content9.flixster.com/question/4
6/64/76/4664763_std.jpg

4. INITIALENCOUNTER
•Healthy
skepticism
•First
impressions
•Immersion -
“too soon?”
•Right
org/person at
the wrong time
is the wrong
person/org
•Sense that the
person/project
adds a unique
value

5. DEEPENINGENGAGEMENT
• Connection
• Interest
• Dynamism
• Sense of
Humor
• Shared
experiences
• Building
relationships

6. DEEPENINGRELATIONSHIP
•Deeper
investment –
time &
emotion
•Working
together
•Partnership
•Shared
experience 
creating
history

7. CONFLICTORCHALLENGE
•Period of
instability
•Moment of
dissent or
distress
•“I am not your
consolation
prize”
•Admitting
when you’re
wrong
•Intense work
to repair
relationship
•Showing
value

8. RESOLUTION
•Trespasses
forgiven
•Conflict
resolved
•Understanding
•Connected for
life
•Compromises
(sauce on the
side)

9. WHAT’S THE POINT (GOAL/OUTCOME)?
 Connect and Engage Toward Deeper Relationships
 Communicate organizational message
 Let your audience know what you’re about
 Be available for their questions and feedback –
open, multi-directional channel
 Deepen their engagement toward action
 Engage them as stakeholders, empower them to share
your message
 Should my nonprofit organization be on Facebook?
(short answer: probably/yes)
http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/should-my-synagogue-or-jewish-nonprofit-go-
on-facebook/

10. IS FACEBOOK ADVERTISING WORTH IT FOR
SMALL/JEWISH NONPROFITS?
 Bad news: Recently, a study revealed that Facebook
page organic reach went from an average of 12.05% in
October, 2013 to 6.15% in February, 2014.
 OK news: When compared to traditional advertising like
television, radio or print, Facebook is more affordable
and more targeted.
 Sources:
 Your Facebook Page’s Organic Reach is About to Plummet –
SocialMediaToday.com
 Why you should spend $1/day on Facebook ads – Moz.com
(their motto: TAGFEE:
Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, and
Exceptional)

11. SIMPLE ROUTINES TOWARD SOCIAL MEDIA
LITERACY & STRATEGY
 Social Media Tourism
 Learn the language
 Get recommendations from your friends who have been
there
 Visit Exotic Twitterland
 Social Media Personal Training
Train for the marathon (work up to it)
Devote some time every day – plan into the schedule
Alternate types of exercise (so you don’t get “bored)
Find a workout buddy

12. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE EVERYWHERE AT
ONCE…
Because you can’t…there’s
a lot out there…
•Assess what your capacity
is for media outreach
(financial & human
resources)
•Choose a few tools that
make sense for your
audience, focus on them
•Always stay informed of
new things as they come up
(Instagram was new once)
•Asehlakhemrav (find a
resource)

13. THERE IS NO “BEST” OR “IDEAL”
 Measuring success depends on your goals &
priorities:
 Number of followers/likes on a page/profile
 Number of engaged followers (consistently “liking,”
commenting or RTing your messages)
 Followers who “break the fourth wall,” interacting like
stakeholders instead of consumers
 Members in your organization
 Fundraising or sales
 Awareness
 Participation in events and initiatives (in-person and
online)
 Engaging volunteers, recruiting to board/donors

14. IDEAL LENGTH FOR ONLINE ENGAGEMENT

15. IDEAL LENGTH BREAKDOWN & ANALYSIS
“Solid research exists to show the value of writing, tweeting, &
posting at certain lengths.” -Fast Company*
 Blog post– 7-minute read (about 1600 characters) 40-55
characters/8=11 words per line
 Facebook – 40 characters or fewer
 Twitter - around 100 characters – w/spike in RTs among those
between 71-100 characters
 Google Plus – fewer than 60 characters
 Headlines – 6 words
 Email subject header – 28-39 characters
 More in article (TED talks, domain names, etc)
 *Notes:
 Above quote = 48 characters
 Research didn’t focus on Jews/nonprofits

16. WHAT STORIES ARE YOU TELLING TO THE
PEOPLE YOU’RE “IN RELATIONSHIP” WITH?
 The organization or program itself?
 An event?
 The speakers/attendees at an event?
 What makes your program different from all other
programs?
 How can you show as well as tell your story?
(video, photos, etc)
 How can you engage the audience in a way that
transforms them from “readers” to co-
storytellers, invested partners, prosumers?

17. CONTENT CREATION TIPS = HUMAN
ENGAGEMENT TIPS
(Treat your online constituents like they’re offline…)
 Content is storytelling
 Show, don’t tell – words can be pictures
 Riveting content is
 Current/topical
 Consistently on-message
 Deepens relationship
 Provides a unique value
 emotional /intellectual
 shared passion – justice, equality, sports
 Distinctive tone, personality, humor

18. WHERE DOES CONTENT COME FROM?
 Google Alerts / Google News Search (archives)
 Stay tuned to Twitter, CNN, BBC, Facebook – what
are people talking about? How does it relate to your
work?
 Authentic lenses on passionate subjects
 eJewishPhilanthropy.com, Harvard Business
Review, Jewish Journal, LA Times, venues you’d
like to be published in, etc
 Newsle, Nuzzel, content aggregators

19. HOW OFTEN TO POST? (GENERAL
GUIDELINES TO START)
Blog
• Ideal: 1-
2x/week
• Realistic:
regularly
Facebook
• Ideal: 3-
5x/week
• Realistic:
1x/week
Twitter
• Ideal: 1-
3x/day
(depends on
audience/co
ntent)
• Realistic:
3x/week

20. TOOLS & RESOURCES
• Free webinars from DarimOnline.org and Wild Apricot
• Inside Facebook and Mashable newsletters (social
trends/literacy in social media tools)
• eJewishPhilanthropy, Google Alerts, Wired, Fast
Company, Harvard Business Review, Pew Internet
Study - articles of interest
• Manifesto: Social Media for Jewish Organizations (My
Urban Kvetch)
• The Future of Jewish Journalism (Or Anything Else)
(eJewishPhilanthropy)
• Wanted: Jewish Leaders for the Digital Age (Ha’aretz)
• Here Comes Everybody – Clay Shirky
• Empowered Judaism – ElieKaunfer

21. 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Set up some Google Alerts
2. Sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy& Fast Company emails
(or more)
3. Brainstorm ways you can create more engaged
“prosumers”
4. Create a content plan that includes varied types of
content, media and voices
5. Be open to input & inspiration from other places (things
you see on the street, parenting, pop culture trends, etc –
great for SEO, when organic & non-exploitative)

22. STAY IN TOUCH – I SEEM TO BE ON THE
INTERNET
@EstherK
Esther.Kustanowitz@gmail.com