using social media for audience development - for non-profit and performing arts organizations

John Armstrong!Sr. Community Manager!

@johnequatro!

Astek!@astekweb!

Social Media for Audience Development

1.  Fundamentals 2.  Reach 3.  Engagement 4.  Loyalty 5.  Activation 6.  Fundraising

Social media is… FREE

Time is money…

“I keep my mind on my money, my money on my mind.”

“Where did the day go?”

•  Ideation •  Image and video creation • Reading articles • Reading community posts • Getting approval from the boss • Writing and publishing posts • Replying to your community

Time Savers • Technology and tools • A schedule • Content strategy • Attainable goals •  Interns

Still, like a good crème brulée, good social media takes time.

Clever promotion is primarily how businesses make

money on social media.

B2B social media is a top-of-funnel channel through which to offer value and conversation

to a customer.

More specifically…

Social media is only useful if you’re having a

Hint: I couldn’t make that font any bigger…

way conversation.

An apple a day… …keeps your audience from dwindling away.

• Consistency sets expectations of value

• Bring customers back on their own volition • Reduce the need for promotion • Less promotion leaves room for more value

• Make important promotions MORE POWERFUL

Focus, Focus, Focus Choose the most relevant platform and…

master it. • Practice takes time • Time builds experience • Experience builds confidence • Confidence breeds authenticity • Authenticity builds audiences • Audiences buy stuff

1.  Fundamentals

2.  Reach 3.  Engagement 4.  Loyalty 5.  Activation 6.  Fundraising

A development funnel with bite!

Social Reach

Courtesy of tweetreach.com

Over-appreciated and under-utilized Only as useful with the right message and audience But… it’s necessary for awareness and fundraising

So, how do we maximize it?

Social Reach Be your own PR firm: Focus on influencers

• Blogger outreach • Go through the “rolodex”

• Targeted, scheduled requests for sharing • Post promotion (FB)

• Sharing through Engagement • Edgerank improvements (FB)

ENGAGE.

Engagement

Remember that way conversation slide?

•  Write posts that promote a response •  It’s a conversation! •  Never let the conversation die •  It’s about them – not you (don’t be that guy) •  Learn from your comments (It’s the only marketing channel that let’s you talk to your audience directly, often and in a familiar setting)

Engagement Surprisingly, people don’t yet live in social media, they live in real life

The most powerful form of social media merges the online experience with the offline.

★ Create a social media campaign ★

Engagement Campaigns •  Tweet Rate for a Twitter Mention •  Team Olivera at the 5K •  Lobby scavenger hunt •  Outdoor ticket hunt – (Geocaching)

Make them…

•  Show/brand relevant •  Fun, engaging in the real-world •  Integrated/supported through offline channels •  Exclusive to your online audience •  Part of the organization’s brand experience

Twitter Campaign

Loyalty Exclusivity breeds loyalty.

Hold events for your online community. Create a new value-adding experience beyond

the product. Create a memorable relationship.

Make them feel special… invested. Your social community is powerful when…

Audience Activation Reach: 10 Facebook fans: ~3000 (avg. 300 friends)

1 offline board member: ~30 (avg. 30 hours of nagging)

•  The goal of a engagement campaign is to activate your audience to become brand ambassadors.

Fundraising • Couch promotion in value. •  Simple + entertaining = Share-ability • Create a strategically designed landing page •  Facebook Promoted Posts • Drive traffic to places of value and conversion •  Pay close attention to all online touch points • Differentiate your online donor strategy

–  Promote exclusivity and relevant message –  Online donors are in a different conversation