PR & Marketing Coordinator, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

President, Mox-emedia LLC

@lewisginter@JonahHolland

Jonahh@lewisginter.orgJonahHolland@gmail.com

By JONAH HOLLAND

What platforms best suit the organization?

How do you do much in little time?

What voice/vibe/energy suits the non-profit you are branding?

1. Add value2. Be responsive & authentic3. Build trust -- do what you say you’ll

do4. Build relationships & community

(online & in person)5. In general, avoid promoting your

non-profit on your personal page

Social Media isResponsive!

Social Media isResponsive!

http://mydigitalwhiteboard.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/article15513.jpg

• Reach a new audience• Engage with donors & those you serve• Improve visibility, image, reach more people in

less time• Do more with limited resources• Improve website traffic & engagement• Improve communication, trust/credibility• Encourage sharing (photos, video, links, stories)• Build (a supportive) community• Raise awareness

Take time to build relationshipsReward your followers (with good,

valuable content, and occasional perks or giveaways)

Invest time in social media every day

Are strategic & thoughtful

Shareable = Creative, quirky, fun, timely

Never post on Facebook without a photo (this means for a video or blog post, you’ll include a photo & a link, or a still from the video)

Space posts at least 4 hours apart, but post at least once per day

Tag organizations & use hash tags Use @ & “reply” button to reply individually on

comment thread Use a “Facebook Team” if you have multiple stories

or departments Check your “Insights” or analytics & adjust your

strategy Preschedule posts when needed , send link for review

• Connect with like-minded organizations• Connect with individual reporters• Interact with other pages or accounts

For Twitter: Use Tags to follow threads of interest: #RVA #VA #FXBG #NOVA #HRVA or Topics ie #Playoutdoors #Garden #ECE #Kids #Autism #RVAart

Image: http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/facebook-search-engine-rumor-against-google-details/

http://www.shoutmeloud.com/5-reasons-why-readers-unsubscribe-from-blogs-rss-feed.html

Blogs are alive!

• Use Wordpress• Provide LIVE links in

your blog • Reach out to the

blogging community, encourage ambassadors for your brand

• Provide valuable info• Tell the story of your

nonprofit• Use tagging to help

SEO

You must check in on social media at least every 24 hours, more is better

Guidelines:*At least 1-3 Tweets a day *At least 1 Facebook post a day (if more space by

4 hours)*At least 2 blog posts a week*Regular attention to any platform you are on*Responsive & active engagement with those

who comment & interact on your page

Social Media is not a direct ask tool for fundraising

Set Guidelines (ie transparency) Identify social media team Go over policy with employees in person,

answer questions. Provide written copy & have them sign when they read/accept it. Post on web, handbook, & on social platforms

Focus on what staff can do…… not what they can’t do.

Consider legal issues. Chris Fortier & PRSARVA have a great presentation on this: http://www.prsarichmond.org/attachments/files/396/Legalities_of_Social_Media.pdf

* email me if you’d like a copy of the Garden’s 1-page social media policy.

Questions & Answers