Facebook is important: Like and share if you agree

Prepared for

April 8, 2013

Hi! I’m Siobhan, and this is my Facebook profile.

I’m a Vice President in Edelman’s Digital practice.

I’m a digital marketer and communicator with

fifteen years’ experience in consumer products and

technology. I like social media but I don’t let it run

my life. (Just my work.) My goal here is to answer

some of your burning questions about the

Facebook platform:

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YOUR QUESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME

• What is social media?

• Why have a social media program?

• How does Facebook fit into it?

• What is content and why should we care?

• How does the technology of Facebook work to promote content?

• What should our strategy be?

• How does this help us tell our story?

• The Chase: What should I do TODAY?

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YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW WHAT A SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM IS

• At its core, social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.

• Social media tools, technologies and platforms are simply the means by which media and information are created, hosted and shared.

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SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED

• Any form of media that promotes conversation

• Things that can be shared

• Media that is not restricted to words

• Blogs

• Facebook

• Twitter

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Social and digital media is the one place where you have any control whatsoever over how you present yourself to potential stakeholders.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL ON STAKEHOLDERS

• Behind friends, family, coworkers, and brands, the next most popular subscription category is charitable organizations – ahead of celebrities and politicians.

• 90% believe brand recommendations from friends

• 70% believe consumer opinions

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YOU’RE NOT ALONE! SOME ORGANIZATIONS NEED HELP

• 70% - Lack of resources

• 57% - Poorly defined goals

• 44% - Lack of knowledge about social media (that’s why I’m here!)

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THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE (A FEW SOCIAL-MEDIA MARKETING MAXIMS)

• The online journey is dynamic, not linear, and we interact with content all day on Twitter, Facebook, searching Google, RSS feeds, “snacking” on and off throughout

• Organizations need to provide relevant content i.e. the right content, at the right time, in the right channel to the right person – in order to fight through the clutter

• People need to see, hear & interact with content 3 – 5 times before they start to believe it

• Organizations need to have a truly integrated digital program to reach the social stakeholder i.e. paid media, employee ambassadors, influencer and advocacy programs, search, paid media

• It’s no longer about “this is my great charity – donate” – it’s now about “how does this organization show and reflect my values?”

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COMMONLY CITED BARRIERS TO USING SOCIAL MEDIA

• “I have limited resources”

• “I don’t have enough staff”

• “My users aren’t on Facebook”

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WHY HAVE A PROGRAM?

• Builds community through sharing:

– Shared values

– Shared content

• Helps identify evangelists

• Helps identify ideas and stories that resonate

• Spreads your content through your supporters as the vehicle

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WHAT IF IT DOESN’T WORK?

• Opportunity to learn

• Learn more from failure than you do from success

• Goals are essential and will guide you

• Engage in discussion

• You get what you give

• Manage your expectations

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? GOALS ARE IMPORTANT

• Support a new initiative?

• Enhance communications with supporters, advocates, or donors?

• Fundraise?

• Build buzz around an issue?

• Get people to take action?

• All of the above?

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Facebook Offers You A Lot Of Tools To Do Just That: Communicate Goals to your Stakeholders.

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WHY FACEBOOK?

• Approaching 1 billion users worldwide in 2013

• 1 million websites integrate with Facebook

• 80% of social media users prefer to connect to brand or organization via Facebook

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All new Facebook

features are now

designed for mobile first.

of smartphone users access social media on their mobile device.

61% The purchase of mobile

application Instagram was

a billion-dollar investment

in its rapidly-growing

mobile base.

DID SOMEBODY SAY “MOBILE?”

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WHAT ARE PEOPLE DOING ON FACEBOOK?

• People spend 40% of their time on the Facebook newsfeed

– Newsfeed is where people go to share most important updates

• 6% of brand’s fans engage with a brand’s content

– 1 super fan = 75 average fans

• 57% of Facebook users are mobile

– 680 million mobile MAU/(158 million mobile-ONLY users)

• 70 billion pieces of content are shared each month

• Average user has 245 friends and is connected to 80 pages

– That user’s friends have an average of 359 friends

• 2.7 billion likes per day

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO FACEBOOK

• 3 things it CAN DO:

– Connect your organization with potential advocates

– Help you engage with stakeholders and publics

– Generate new connections and relationships

• 3 things it CAN’T DO:

– Make bad content more interesting

– Be simply a wire service

– Replace your web site

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• Facebook is a business

• They have a developmental roadmap

• Their main product is providing ads

• People are on Facebook to look at babies/puppies/food/etc.

• Social context is our friend

THINGS TO REMEMBER

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The Core of Facebook Interaction: Content People Love and Share

HOW CONTENT WORKS ON FACEBOOK

• Facebook is driven by relationships and interactions

• The best relationships take time

• Lightweight interactions (content items) build a relationship

• Facebook gives you the tools to create the most relevant content for your audience

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Online Offline

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

• 92% of consumers trust personal recommendations, actions, experiences, and alliances

• Facebook’s content/business model is built around this

• People on Facebook want their friends involved in their life

• People on Facebook use it to tell the story of who they are through interactions with others

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FACEBOOK CONTENT LIFECYCLE

• A fan engages with a piece of content and creates a STORY

• The STORY appears on the newsfeed for friends of the fan

• A friend of the fan sees the STORY and interacts with it

• Result: Friend of fan engages with page because of social context

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• Facebook customizes content weight in newsfeed based on each individual user

• A post is considered “fresh” for 3-7 days, but the window for it to stretch organic reach is only 3-4 hours

• Only way to “tell” Facebook that a post is important is to put money behind it

THE FACEBOOK CHALLENGE (SEE ALSO: THE CATCH)

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SO WHAT MAKES GOOD FACEBOOK CONTENT?

• Evokes an emotion

• Visual

• Moment- or milestone-oriented

• Relevant

• Isn’t solely focused on the brand

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EXAMPLES: POP TARTS

• Not overly promotional

• Creative visual

• Light-hearted and personality-driven

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EXAMPLES: ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

• Not overly promotional

• Creative visual

• Cause-driven to an audience that cares about the issues she cares about

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How To Succeed On Facebook Without Really Trying (okay, maybe a little)

THE ELEMENTS OF FACEBOOK SUCCESS

Organic

• Likes/Shares/Comments

• Advocacy

• Viral Reach/Engagement

Paid

•Sponsored Stories/Ads

•Paid Search

•Reach

Applications

•Open Graph Apps

•Mobile

Owned (Website)

•Social Plugins

•Login via Facebook

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• Your success on Facebook lives and dies by a combination of all of these factors

Organic

• Likes/Shares/Comments

• Advocacy

• Viral Reach/Engagement

Paid

• Sponsored Stories/Ads

• Paid Search

• Reach

Applications

• Open Graph Apps

• Mobile

Website

• Social Plugins

• Login via Facebook

INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS ONE STRATEGY

• Brands tend to leverage different elements of Facebook at different times

• Turns Facebook into an a la carte experience

• A brand’s performance in these areas dictates its overall Facebook health

• Example: Community Management (Organic) + Building on Open Graph (Application), but no paid support or website integration

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ORGANIC: ARE YOU ENGAGING?

Organic

• Likes/Shares/Comments

• Advocacy

• Viral Reach/Engagement

• What it is: Generating stories through your fans.

• How you get it: Sharing/Creating content that resonates with your community. Engaging fans, developing relationships.

• Why it’s important: The actions of your fans are the primary vehicle for spreading content.

• Intended Result: Build advocacy, improve search rankings, extend viral reach.

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WHAT ORGANIC SUCCESS ON FACEBOOK LOOKS LIKE

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PAID: DO YOU NEED TO ENSURE REACH?

Paid • Sponsored

Stories/Promoted Posts

• Paid Search

• Reach

• What it is: Extending your reach and engagement through hypertargeted Facebook Ad products

• How you get it: Sponsored Stories, Promoted Posts, FBX

• Why it’s important: Only way to tell delivery algorithm that your content is more important and relevant than everyone else’s

• Intended Result: Expand reach, community growth, increase engagement

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WHAT PAID MEDIA SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE ON FACEBOOK

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(or, “this is where it can sometimes get borderline creepy.”)

APPLICATIONS: ARE YOU LEVERAGING OPEN GRAPH?

Applications

• Open Graph Apps

• Mobile

• What it is: Sharing stories of content you’ve consumed/activities completed

• How you get it: Open Graph Applications/Mobile Applications

• Why it’s important: Turns static actions into social actions

• Intended Result: Fans create consistent brand content for you, aggregates activity into recommendations

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WAIT! WHAT’S OPEN GRAPH?

• Interactions between you, everything you like, and everything you interact with on Facebook

• Combines with technologies to turn static actions into social actions

• Lives on Timeline

• Hits “friends of fans” demographic

• Extends Facebook off of Facebook

• Examples: Spotify stories, Pinterest pinning, Foursquare check-ins

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WHAT APPLICATIONS ON FACEBOOK LOOK LIKE

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WEBSITE: DOES IT HAVE SOCIAL PLUGINS?

Website

• Social Plugins

• Login via Facebook

• What it is: Integration of Facebook functionality with your existing website

• How you get it: Social Plugins, Like buttons, Facebook Login

• Why it’s important: Increases site visits, allows web site activity to appear on Facebook

• Intended Result: Create two-way conversation, personalized experience

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WHAT FACEBOOK WEBSITE INTEGRATION LOOKS LIKE

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Leveraging Recent Facebook Updates (They like to change things. All the time.)

RECENT FACEBOOK DEVELOPMENTS (THERE ARE MORE COMING)

• New Homepages

• Graph Search

• New News Feed

• New Timeline/App Galleries

• Facebook Events

• 20 Percent Text Rule

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FACEBOOK IS A VISUAL MEDIUM

• Use a great header and a recognizable icon

• Visual content with updates will gain attention in newsfeeds and encourage interactions

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GRAPH SEARCH

• What it is: Facebook’s search tool for mining data of networks for recommendations, new products, and new connections

• Why it’s important: The ability to mine information that no other search site has allows for better targeting and community insights

• What you should do: Make sure all your organizational information is filled out on profiles; set up business as a Place so people can “check in,” encourage recommendations from community

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GRAPH SEARCH

• Will require behavioral change in the way people search

• Little short-term impact; Huge long-term impact in search battle

• Categorization of actions and experiences into content pieces

• Ads based on what you’ve done; not just your interests

• Will lead to more personalized recommendations and user experiences

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THE NEW NEWSFEED

• What it is: Facebook’s redesign of how content appears and is accessed on the site’s home page; content-specific feeds including a Photos Feed; emphasis on what your connections are doing

• Why it’s important: New user filtering options could affect content delivery, but photos and video content are now displayed in a richer and more prominent way

• What you should do: Continue to leverage highest quality visual content, add cover photos to pages, optimize website for social sharing

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THE NEW NEWSFEED

• Photo ads will become even more important

• Visual redesign, not a content delivery change

• Consistent user experience across all platforms (web, tablet, and mobile)

• Larger “Like” and “Hide” buttons

• Potential for more targeting and engagement through additional feeds

• Higher value on advocacy and action versus just fan count

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NEW TIMELINE

• What it is: New profile page format allowing users to customize and display all their app activities in clearer way that moves updates and posts to the right side only

• Why it’s important: It’s a more user-friendly way to display data aggregations and shows a further progression of offline actions (and intended actions) being turned into social actions

• What you should do: Prepare for likely format change on brand pages in the future

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FACEBOOK EVENTS

• What it is: Facebook’s events product has recently rolled out upgrades including event cover photos, links for off-site tickets, and mobile optimization

• Why it’s important: No longer need to keep users on Facebook with events and have a better method for linking Facebook to ROI (e. g. ticket sales or donations)

• What you should do: Create events for all organizational activities, optimize cover photos for events

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THE 20% TEXT RULE

• What it is: New rule on Facebook stating that no ad image can contain more than 20% text

• Why it’s important: Brands have to think creatively about their ads by leveraging storytelling visuals instead of text

• What you should do: Err on the side of caution and take this as a hint that Facebook is becoming a place for pictures, not text

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SO WHERE ARE THEY GOING WITH ALL THIS?

• Facebook goes beyond Facebook.com

• Leveraging user data for personalized experiences

• Making things mobile and accessible for all users

• Getting users to trust apps

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“Our goal is not to build a platform – it’s to be across all of them…” -- Mark Zuckerberg

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Contextualizing the Facebook Experience

SO REALLY, THIS IS ABOUT CREATING YOUR STORY

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ABOUT SHARING AND SHOWING YOUR LOVE

• Ask people to share their experiences, opinions, thoughts, recommendations, or endorse yours

• Your friends want to see you succeed

• What’s the best way to ask for love? GIVE.

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FACE TO FACE IS SOCIAL BY DEFINITION

• How about that local fundraising event?

• What happened today on Capitol Hill this week that we should know about?

• Share a local or national milestone • Link to timely news articles • Share relevant affiliated

organizations’ content and activities

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THINKING GLOBAL, KEEPING THE LOCAL

• How about that media interview or the latest legislative news?

• What about that pop-culture moment you can tune into?

• Great job bubbling up the experiences of those students in Kern County and your friend in Florida!

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NEVER BEING AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS

• Try new content that resonates

• Repurpose content from fans and friends

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REMEMBER AS YOU BUILD YOUR DIGITAL STORY

• All of those platforms, articles, photos, were created with one thing in mind: sharing.

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STRATEGY REFLECTS YOUR UNIQUE VISION, MISSION, VALUES

Your objective is “what do we

want people to do now that

they know?”

Your story is “what do we want

people to know about us?”

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AND SHOWS YOU WALKING THE WALK

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SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS YOU CONTEXTUALIZE YOURSELF

Who we are

What we do

Why we do it

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SO THAT CONNECTIONS KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO

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AND MAKES IT EASY TO BE LOVED BY PEOPLE WHO FEEL THE SAME WAY

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INSPIRING THEM TO TAKE ACTION AND HELP EACH OTHER OUT

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What You Can Do Right Now

• Have no social media budget

• Have less than 10 people on staff

• Wear a lot of hats

ASSUMING A FEW THINGS:

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SHORT TERM, LONG TERM

Short term

• Project and task driven

• Staff can learn social media elements and apply them to their projects

• National acts as a toolkit for local CASAs to follow

Long term

• Process and conversation driven

• Eventually should lead to a specific hire

• Implement and/or bring local pages up to National code

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FOCUS ON INTEGRATION

• Adapt tools to current tasks

• Make social media elements part of routine

• Track all activity on an org calendar/task sheet

• Treat people online the way you would in “real” life

• National blueprint can help bring local organizations into brand compliance

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NATIONAL LOVES YOU

• NCASA already has a well-crafted social media posting policy for Facebook users and a thoughtful online communications policy for National CASA staff posted in the Marketing Resources section of your website.

• Social media posting policy: http://nc.casaforchildren.org/files/public/community/programs/communications/Social_Media_Policy.pdf

• Volunteer communications policy: http://nc.casaforchildren.org/files/public/community/programs/Communications/OnlinePolicyFINAL.pdf

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CONSIDER NEW AVENUES TO INTEGRATE

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CUT TO THE CHASE: WHAT SHOULD WE DO TODAY?

• Map out roles, leadership, and existing projects

• Create calendar or list to track activities

• Start identifying ways to “add-on” social media elements to current projects

• Study and implement the guidelines provided by National

• Create and invite your contacts

• Ask for help!

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ADVOCACY EXAMPLE: UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

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• “We use social media to give us a human face and to feel more approachable for the larger public.”

• The organization leads the way within the UN in using social media and has worked with the UN on other programs to develop social media guidelines.

• “You need senior management support.” • “You have to be able to react in real-time; it can’t

be a bureaucratic thing.” • Fans want to connect on a more personal level with

an organization like the UNDP: “We were able to give people a voice and ask questions, and let this institution feel a little bit more intimate.”

HELPFUL RESOURCES

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I AM SURE THAT YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

• I am here to (hopefully) answer them

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Thank you!

http://about.me/siobhan