Social media has a life of its own – it's been estimated that in 2014 there will be 1.82bn social network users around the globe and while everyone's on it, charities want to be on top of it.
We ran a live Q&A on Friday 11 July to explore how charities can maximise their social media impact and guarantee success. We brought together experts from big charities, savvy social media users and our top tweeters to answer your questions.
Panel
Zoe Amar MCIM – founder and director of Zoe Amar Communications
Carlos Miranda – founder, I.G. Advisors and Social Misfits Media
Matt Collins – managing director, Platypus Digital
Leon Ward – trustee, Plan UK
Chloe George – digital communications manager, Teenage Cancer Trust
Aaron Eccles – senior social media manager, Cancer Research UK
Jack Haydon – digital communications, The BB Group
Pat McSweeney – content manager, Movember UK
Carol Naylor – social media manager, Macmillan Cancer Support
Social media needs to be embedded into your organisations culture – naturally
Leon Ward: do what comes natural. Split the responsibility of social media between two or three of your team then hopefully you will be able to find the time to populate your channels. Ensure that you don't try too hard – do what comes natural; that shouldn't cost you anything. Also, you can work flexibly. Check it and write things when you're on the way to work (scheduling can help here) and allow for flexible working.
Chloe George: establish a culture where people see the value in taking a quick pic and getting a quote. Produce a simple content calendar (i.e. content for three Facebook posts/tweets a week) and in monthly meetings discuss with the team the kind of content you could use.
Stimulating social action through social media
Aaron Eccles: with #nomakeupselfie, we responded to the community's desire to make their selfies a force for good. It is tricky to turn likes into pounds. I think one way we try to do this is through constant conversation. On Facebook, we post patient stories that show the impact research has had on a person's life. This prompts discussion among our supporters and we try to get involved.
Pat McSweeney: if you build it, they will come. Great content that is high quality, unique and engaging is a key tool in social media and keeping a strong follower base. If it's not good enough, don't post it – your audience deserve the best, and they keep coming back if the quality is high.
We hate to break it to you but ... there is no secret formula
Pat McSweeney: Be ready to adjust All you can do is engage with your audience, listen to them, and curate your content to suit them; don't be too set in your ways when it comes to social media, you need to be ready to adjust. I'd say respond quickly, be 'human' so they see you as an equal, not some giant faceless company, reeling off textbook responses – use humour where appropriate!
Carlos Miranda: budget is no guarantee of social media success. Focus on establishing your voice and identity on social media. Don't be on every platform, focus on two (maybe three) platforms only Don't try to be all things to all people. Take inspiration from the kinds of things that other organisations with no budget are doing on social; Invisible People are a brilliant example.
There is an audience beyond Gen Y
Carlos Miranda: Lots of stats suggest that people over 55 are the fastest growing population on social. I would really experiment with using very visual (pictures and videos) posts and telling them what you want them to do. For example, spell out that you want them to follow you, to share with their networks, retweet and so on. I would go very visual and prescriptive. I would then keep a close eye on my analytics to figure out what is working out best and then focus on those types of messages.
Carol Naylor: our Facebook audience falls strongly into the 35-65 band. Don't discount this audience online. I'm seeing a lot of older people needing to get online just to stay in touch with younger family who can't or won't communicate in more traditional ways. There's a lot of talk about the "greying of Facebook" as well.
Serious doesn't always sell
Pat McSweeney: we wouldn't be who we are without the fun. I always try to keep our posts light and fun and engaging, using our brand tone of voice, but not using too much internet language. You wouldn't say "lol" (if you do, you shouldn't) to a mate in person, so I'd steer clear of that on social too. Yes, charities inherently need to discuss serious topics, as is our nature, but it's the way you do it that can alter the tone of your page.
Zoe Amar: guidelines are good but don't feel you have to stick to them 100%. Obviously, being on message is important but you still need to be human. So the occasional tweet about the weather, cake in the office or football will help people relate to your organisation more.
Jack Haydon: The good thing about social media is that it doesn't tolerate inauthenticity. The audience will immediately know if something doesn't smell right. As a charity, you already have a personality and a message that you've been championing, and making sacrifices for.
Be a trendsetter and a trend-follower
Aaron Eccles: keep on top of trends - you never know what might take over the internet. Keep an eye on what people are talking about and think about how your brand/charity can add to the discussion in an authentic way. Don't be afraid to try new things!
Carol Naylor: There are no stupid questions. Social media is the fastest-moving channel out there and everyone is always learning. Don't be afraid to share your failures as well as your sucesses.
Wait. You can tweet while you are asleep?
Aaron Eccles: it is tough to manage a community and a busy schedule. However, I think it's so important. Taking the time to have conversations with supporters, answer questions and give information is (in my opinion) the best way to build engagement. The trick is finding the time to do it! Scheduling posts in advance can help (just make sure they're still appropriate before they go out) but monitoring the responses they get and being on hand to quickly reply is hugely worthwhile.
Zoe Amar: I'd suggest scheduling some – but not all – of your tweets and Facebook posts. Hootsuite is a useful tool for this. And you could say in your Twitter biography and on your Facebook page when the account will be staffed, eg: "We're here between 9-5 Monday to Friday", just so that you don't feel pressure to be online at 11pm every night.
We all hate them but don't delete the trolls
Pat McSweeney: never delete Facebook comments, hide them. Where possible contact the individual, hear them out and try to understand their point of view. Then show them all the good work you are doing and the people you are helping, and try to convince them to change their minds. With regards to swearing, if it becomes a problem, hide the comment and comment saying "this comment has been hidden for using unsavoury language etc", so you set a precedent that hopefully others will follow.
Shocking stories vs cat memes? Test your waters
Aaron Eccles: you need to test different types of content to really get an understanding of what works. For us, we know people engage with stories they can relate to. Much of our audience has experienced cancer (either themselves or because a friend or loved one has been diagnosed), so posting positive, hopeful stories about beating cancer really resonates. At the same time, we're painfully aware that not everyone does beat cancer so some of our posts need to address this. It's not a shock tactic for us, but an important reflection of reality. Ultimately, we know strong images are key. Whatever the story you're posting is about, make sure you have a captivating image to go with it.
Analytics: they're your new best friend
Carlos Miranda: you need to use your analytics to find out when your posts are engaging the most people. Every social media platform has free analytic tools (if you're not sure how to use them, there are YouTube videos you can watch). The other thing I would add is that you need to experiment loads. Try different types of posts at different times, across different platforms.
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