Getting started with social media can be daunting. It’s nearly two years since Pilotlight jumped in, so it seems a good time to reflect on what we’ve learned.
So, what are the key things to consider?
- You don’t need to do everything at once - think about the audience that you want to reach and where they are most likely to be. We found Twitter and LinkedIn worked best for us and our audiences so we focused on that. Recently we launched our blog as that seemed the perfect next step. We have started blogging every fortnight, and it’s going really well.
- A bit of planning goes a long way. Working out who our audience was for each social media platform helped us think about what to post and who to follow. Knowing about upcoming events (e.g. a newspaper article coming out or initiatives such as Volunteers’ Week) means we plan our time and know when we need resource for posting on Twitter and LinkedIn, and if appropriate write a related blog that week.
- There’s plenty of free advice on the internet but often it assumes you have lots of money and time for social media; we had neither. So, pick and choose, not all of it is relevant. The Guardian’s Voluntary Sector Network and CharityComms are good places to start.
- Look around. See what other organisations are doing. Pay attention to the topics, the links, the hashtags and don’t be shy if you would like to comment or share. Everyone is trying to be clicked on, ‘favourited’ and retweeted.
- Don’t over think it. At the start we’d consider every word – what would happen if someone misinterpreted it? Or said something negative? Now we have a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Don’t panic if you don’t post for a few days; sometimes it isn’t possible.
- If something doesn’t tie in exactly to what you do but seems interesting, go with it. Mix it up – nobody wants to just read about events or publicity. Ask questions, get debates going and respond to other people’s blogs or news stories. Be as social as you can – we took time to get involved in conversations in the sector but it was worth the effort.
- Whatever people might say it’s not rocket science. Social media is another way of communicating and engaging with your stakeholders and it’s free!
- If you’re planning a blog then try and make sure you post fairly often (start with once or twice a fortnight and build up from there). Try and keep them punchy and issue based. While blogs around your latest event can work, you may pull more people in by starting off with the issue that the event was addressing. A blog planner can help you decide which topics to write about and avoids confusion over who should be posting. Don’t forget to always share your posts using as many channels as you can.
- Stories, anecdotes and quotes are a great way of making your blogs and tweets more interesting. Always check that people are happy to be named though!
Finally, have fun with it and don’t feel you have to do everything at once. Having a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your social media is a great place to start and by looking around at what other charities are doing you can learn a lot.
By Gordon Shallard-Brown, Project Manager, Pilotlight
Written by
Gordon Shallard-Brown
Project Manager - Pilotlight