Last week, our very own Dan Howe took part in a Q&A on the Guardian Social Enteprise Network. Below are his “best bits”, but you can also catch the rest of the experts’ advice over on the Guardian.
Research your social media audience: There are some research tools out there, like Rapleaf, which can identify the social networks your audience are registered with from their email addresses. You could use these, as well as speaking to your current users to see what online communities they are part of, to develop your social media strategy.
Start by listening: When it comes to first steps with Twitter, like most other social networks, they have their own etiquette and unwritten rules. When starting out, listening can be just as important as participating. Spend some time in the online communities to gain an understanding of what is the best way to approach your audience.
QR Codes don’t work: I did an experiment recently where I printed a bunch of QR codes out, pointing to a trackable link, and attached them to posters. I still have yet to have a single user open the link. Although they might be useful once they become more regularly seen, at the moment I wouldn’t count on them.
Facebook ads are useful: Facebook ads are costly, but they can be very specific. On a recent non-profit campaign, I experimented and spent US$25 on them. I got 124 new fans as a result. I targeted the ads to users who “liked” very specific topics related to my campaign, and they were all users who became very engaged.
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Cost effective social media for charities
Last week, our very own Dan Howe took part in a Q&A on the Guardian Social Enteprise Network. Below are his “best bits”, but you can also catch the rest of the experts’ advice over on the Guardian.
Research your social media audience: There are some research tools out there, like Rapleaf, which can identify the social networks your audience are registered with from their email addresses. You could use these, as well as speaking to your current users to see what online communities they are part of, to develop your social media strategy.
Start by listening: When it comes to first steps with Twitter, like most other social networks, they have their own etiquette and unwritten rules. When starting out, listening can be just as important as participating. Spend some time in the online communities to gain an understanding of what is the best way to approach your audience.
QR Codes don’t work: I did an experiment recently where I printed a bunch of QR codes out, pointing to a trackable link, and attached them to posters. I still have yet to have a single user open the link. Although they might be useful once they become more regularly seen, at the moment I wouldn’t count on them.
Facebook ads are useful: Facebook ads are costly, but they can be very specific. On a recent non-profit campaign, I experimented and spent US$25 on them. I got 124 new fans as a result. I targeted the ads to users who “liked” very specific topics related to my campaign, and they were all users who became very engaged.