5 immediate tools for advocates who want to go one step deeper on social media engagement - especially at the grassroots

1. Five things to do – right now – to
make social media work for us

2. Congratulations!
You now own your
own network &
newspaper

3. How do we work together?
3Social Media - 5 things we can do now

4. Five Things We
Can Do
• Be Strategic: Don’t lose sight of priorities
• Become an Informer: Build presence on Twitter
• Make Your Own News: Make Photos/Videos
available using Flip Cameras, Twitpic, & Flickr
• Go home! Build robust on-line home for your
work & use metrics to track success
• Build a Fan Base: Use Facebook to provide a
“home” for supporters
4Social Media - 5 things we can do now

5. Be Strategic
• Communications Goals should rule
• What is your strategy?
• Does this tool fit?
• Think “Audience” and “Action”
• Are you the right messenger?
• Are you listening?
• Starting a discussion?
• Participating actively?
• What is your near-term goal?
• Long-term?
Photo source: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/21-creative-ways-to-increase-your-facebook-fanbase/
5Social Media - 5 things we can do now

6. Be an Informer
6Social Media - 5 things we can do now

7. Twitter Basics
• Messages – 140 characters –
a “Tweet”
• Messages available to anyone
– but sent directly to your
“followers” accounts
• Messages from the people
you “Follow” sent to your
account – all messages
accessible through searching
• Individual users have account
names – identified by
“@NAME”
7Social Media - 5 things we can do now

8. Twitter?
• 10 Billion
messages sent
• 140 characters
or less
• Millions of
individual
broadcasting
networks with
custom-built
audiences
8Social Media - 5 things we can do now

9. Be an Informer – Start @Twitter
• Sign up for a free account and fill out
your profile by adding an image and
one-line bio and include a link to your
site.
• You can read on the web or send
messages to your phone or IM client.
Decide what works best for your
working style.
• You can "protect your updates" or
"open." Pros/cons to each.
• Decide whether you want an
organizational account or individual
account.
• Share the workload - should not just be
one person. Listening on Twitter can
take 5 or ten minutes of your day each
day.
http://socialmedia-listening.wikispaces.com/Project+1 9Social Media - 5 things we can do now

10. Twitter Starting Point - Listen
• Counter-intuitive – listen first
• Follow 5 new people – see who they
“listen” to, then five more, then five more –
watch the conversation happen
• Try a search – Search.Twitter.com
• Try “California Budget” “Immigrant” “p2”
• Read the conversation – who is saying
what? Follow some interesting folks.
Adapted from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_simple_twitter_listening_tips_every_marketer.php
10Social Media - 5 things we can do now

11. Listen…
Search a
“hashtag”
11Social Media - 5 things we can do now

12. What have you learned by listening?
• What conversations are
out there?
• Who is having them?
• Is there a voice missing
from the discussion?
• Is there information
missing?
• What value can you add?
12Social Media - 5 things we can do now

13. So – what do you have to say?
• Personal thoughts and reflections that meet your goal?
• Are you first? The only? The most trusted to share it?
• Replies (@twittername) - this comes from listening to your
followers (you have to follow back to see their tweets). The more
personal the reply, the higher the impact.
• Direct replies (d twittername) - this isn’t in the public timeline, but
it helps build deeper bonds to talk directly to someone like this.
This is helpful to answer people when it is a private matter or when
you want to show concern (i.e. someone reports an accident, etc.)
• New blog posts – yours & promote other people’s blog posts that
are of interest
• Announcements - if it is interesting, tweet it
• Shout outs - @twittername rocks! Thanks for the great link:
http://insertlink.com These make people feel great, too.
Adapted from http://www.horsepigcow.com/2008/04/tweeting-for-companies-101/
13Social Media - 5 things we can do now

14. Twitter – Take the Plunge
/
John Myers, KQED –
“…I think the broader the
focus of the tweets, the
harder it gets. I sometimes
find myself straying a bit
beyond what I think is most
valuable. I think folks who
tweet anything and
everything tend to water
down their value. “
14Social Media - 5 things we can do now

15. Twitter – Take the Plunge
@ShaneGoldmacher, LATimes
“I would say that Twitter can be most
effective to cover live, as they are
happening events.
Also, can be most useful to point out
stories or things people would
otherwise miss.”
He added, “Generally, the most effective
way to gain followers/a following is to
find unique, timely and accurate
information and disseminate it.”
15Social Media - 5 things we can do now

16. Make Your Own News
• Make News: Make Photos/Videos Available
using Flip Cameras, Twitpic, & Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/white
16Social Media - 5 things we can do now

17. Record It!
• Flip Video
Cameras
• $75 changes
everything!
• Easy to use
• Easy to upload
• Easy to share
• Easy to evangelize
17Social Media - 5 things we can do now

18. Using Video – Making a Point
Lobby Day 2010
A Tree Falls &
Everyone Hears
18Social Media - 5 things we can do now

19. Taking Video – Making it great
Taking Video
• Framing: The closer the shot the better. Faces are great. Don’t be afraid to get up
close and personal with people. But DO NOT USE the ZOOM.
• Background: If you have a choice between a white background and anything else,
pick anything else!
• Lighting: Try to shoot with your back to the light source.
• Fluidity: The goal here is to reduce jerkiness. Think of your body as a tripod. The
more solid the base (you), the more solid the shot.
• Audio: The audio capabilities of a flip camera are usually very limited, so get close –
especially if you have a lot of background noise.
Other helpful tips for filming an interview:
• Ask the subject not to look in the camera, but to keep eye contact with you and carry
on the conversation as naturally as possible.
• Frame the shot with the head and upper chest showing and with the subject off-
center to one side or the other.
• If you can, have a friend hold the camera while you stand off screen and ask the
questions. This gives a natural feel and lets you focus on engaging the interviewee.
19Social Media - 5 things we can do now

20. Take Pictures –
Define the Images & Debate
• Cameras
• Cellphones
• iPhones
20Social Media - 5 things we can do now

21. Distribute your photos - instantly
21Social Media - 5 things we can do now

22. Distribute your photos - instantly
22Social Media - 5 things we can do now

23. Aggregate your photos
23Social Media - 5 things we can do now

24. Keys for Success – Flickr & Photos
• Choose your photos carefully before you upload –
free accounts have limited space
• Resize and compress photos before you upload – size
and clarity matter
• Make friends & join groups: Flickr is more than just an
image hosting site – it’s also a community. Join groups,
search for friends and invite others to join you.
• S.E.O – Take advantage of the opportunity to boost
your search engine optimization when you use Flickr.
Always choose wisely when naming your images – and
always include descriptions.
24Social Media - 5 things we can do now

25. Let’s build a home
25Social Media - 5 things we can do now

26. Let’s build OUR home
26Social Media - 5 things we can do now

27. • Websites are cheap
• Websites are easy
• Websites can be updated
• Websites are YOUR space
Let’s build OUR home
27Social Media - 5 things we can do now

28. Wordpress in 5 minutes or less
Getting Started
• URL - www.mywebsite.com OR
www.mywebsite.wordpress.com
• Easy - host your site at wordpress.com,
register an account and you’ll be ready
to begin building your site in no time.
• Medium – Take advantage of the power
of wordpress –purchase your own
domain and hosting services and
download wordpress software onto your
website.
• 5 Minutes – Wordpress is famous for its
“Five minute” installation. Follow the
instructions and you’ll be up and running
in no time.
28Social Media - 5 things we can do now

29. Wordpress Tips & Tricks
• Free Themes: Wordpress.org offers free
& customizable look & feel
• Easy content management: Upload files
& media with automatic tools.
• Plugins: Vast library of free plugins
(forms, twitter, data managers)
• Engage your audience! Comments,
SMS, events, blogs
• Keep it Fresh – Give people a reason to
return
29Social Media - 5 things we can do now

30. Track It!
Unique Visitors
Visits/Visitors
Pages
Hits
Robots/Spiders
Visits Duration
Referrers
Key words/phrases
Your Boss or Funder
30Social Media - 5 things we can do now

31. Facebook Fan Pages
31Social Media - 5 things we can do now

32. Facebook Fan Page – Alert
32Social Media - 5 things we can do now

33. Facebook Fan Page – Listen & Engage
33Social Media - 5 things we can do now

34. Facebook – Get Fans, Get Real
• You gotta sell it / engage it
• Make it findable – embed
on your website
• Invite, Invite, Invite
• Engage with Facebook Apps,
Comments, & Photos
• Video, video, video – yours,
others, lots!
• Buy ads – don’t be shy…or
cheap
Adapted from Mari Smith’s 21 Creative Ways to Increase Your Facebook Fanbase
34Social Media - 5 things we can do now

35. Facebook – Engage & Measure
• Put someone in charge & make them accountable
• Refresh, remix, reboot content all the time
• Track, measure and grade your progress
35Social Media - 5 things we can do now

36. How do we work together? Discussion
36Social Media - 5 things we can do now