Getting your community

group online

Natalie ViselliAssistant Director I Digital Economy Policy

Department of Broadband, Communications & the Digital Economy

DisclaimerWhile the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) makes every effort to ensure that this presentation and accompanying materials are accurate and up-to-date, you should exercise your own independent skill and judgement before you rely on anything included in this presentation. In any important matter, you should seek professional advice relevant to your own circumstances.

A reference to a person or organisation in any part of this presentation does not imply any form of endorsement by DBCDE of the products or services provided by that person or organisation. Similarly, links to other web sites have been inserted for your convenience and do not constitute endorsement of material at those sites, or any associated organisation, product or service.

Please note that some material in this presentation includes views or recommendations of third parties, which do not necessarily reflect the views of DBCDE, or indicate its commitment to particular course of action. DBCDE cannot verify the accuracy of information that has been provided by third parties.

Of course, some fine print

Some inspiration to kick things off...

http://www.digitalbusiness.gov.au/case_studies/rspca/http://youtu.be/crbXX9LS_Ag

Why go online?

Australians are online:•15.4 million adults went online in June 2011.•60% of those went online everyday.•442.7 mil hours spent online at home•19.2 billion web pages viewed.•Average of 25Gb downloaded

per month.

Source: ACMA 2011

• Australia NFP sector includes: – 700,000+ non-profit organisations – 100,000 incorporated associations – 10,000+ companies limited by guarantee

• Lack of financial resources– hardware, software, upgrades and support.

• Lack of man-power/volunteers – Makes it hard to implement and manage ICT use.

• Lack of knowledge and training.

Challenges for NFPs

• Increase awareness of your cause

• Communicate important messages

• Share documents & member resources

• Sell products or services

• Collect donations

• Advertise events

• Recruit volunteers

Opportunities Online

Before you invest time or money in any online activities ask yourself:

1. What are your organisational goals?2. What online activities would benefit you?3. How will these online activities help you

achieve your goals?

First let’s start with a plan...

Online activities should be part of your overall business plan, not the plan itself!

Have you considered what are:• Your goals online?• Your budget?• Your marketing objectives?• Your functionality?• Your timing?• Your capabilities?

Define your requirements

1. Select a website type– Business card, brochure, e-commerce?

2. Build your website– DIY versus professional services– Wordpress, Freelancer, Sportingpulse, etc.

3. Choose and register your domain name.

4. Select a service provider to host your website– Consider server space, ‘uptime’, security,

mailboxes, support, cost effectiveness, etc.

Websites 101

• SEO (search engine optimisation)– Content, hyperlinks, metadata, titles.

• Easy to navigate – Hyperlinks, menus, breadcrumbs, search function.

• Terms of use, privacy policies, etc.• Visually engaging – Images, videos, graphics, tables.

• Accessible

Tips for best practice web design

• E-Commerce platforms can be used to collect donations, not just selling goods.

• Existing marketplaces such as eBay or Cafe Press can be used to sell fundraising goods.

• Social media apps, such as Facebook causes.• Crowdfunding – the funding of projects and

ideas by large groups of people, often using an online platform– Givenow.com.au, pozible.com, etc.

Collecting online donations

• Email marketing– Be careful of privacy laws and spam blocking tools,

only email people on your mail list

• Search engine marketing– Pay per click or cost per click

• Banner ads– Pay per click or pay per impression

• Social media marketing...

Online marketing

A lot of Australians!

So who’s on social media?

Social network Australian users (Apr 2012)

Facebook 10,948,280

LinkedIn 2,100,000

Twitter 1,800,000

Google+ 1,100,000

Pinterest 470,000

Instagram 252,000

74% of smart phone owners & 49% of 3G phone owners accessed social networking sites on their phone (ACMA 2012).

http://blog.marginmedia.com.au/Our-Blog/bid/82633/Australian-Internet-and-Social-Media-Statistics-April-2012

• Facebook: interactive multimedia conversations

• Twitter: short, sharp regular messages

• LinkedIn: primarily business/industry networks

• Google+: great for video “hangouts”

• Pinterest/Flickr: focus on sharing images

• Foursquare: encourage “checking in”

• Blog: communicate detailed news & thoughts

• YouTube: share videos of your work or campaigns

Which one?

• Cheap and simple to use BUT can be very time and resource intensive to manage properly.

• Who are your target markets?– Do they use social networks? Which? Why?

• What do you want to achieve?– Communicate latest info, organise events, spread

campaign, sell product, elicit donations?

• Have your staff/volunteers been trained?

But before going social...

Avoid an #epicfail

• VOIP (voice over internet protocol)– Make calls, incl. conference & video, over your

internet connection.

• “Cloud”: using online servers for storage & apps– lower costs & mobile access

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Telework & “hot desking”– Flexible work arrangements

Not just websites: productivity tools

• Information is power, but also places obligation on you to protect data you collect.

• Privacy law applies to organisations operating online (www.privacy.gov.au).

• Up-to-date security/anti-virus/firewall software.

• Keep back ups (e.g. offsite, in cloud).

• Look out for spam and avoid sending spam too!

• Secure your Wi-Fi.

Remember to protect your data!

Questions?

Get more info at:

www.digitalbusiness.gov.au