Jaclyn Chuah

Melanie Epstein

Jerry Perrone

Katie Schmelzer

Zakk Shichkin

Social Media Development Plan:

Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation

Table of Contents:

Goals and Objectives..........Page 3

SWOT Analysis..........Page 4

Social Media Audit with Competitive Analysis..........Page 6

Target Audience..........Page 11

Key Messages..........Page 12

Social Media Platform Selections..........Page 14

Tools/Platforms Tutorial..........Page 15

Tactics.......... Page 17

Time and Resources Needed..........Page 22

Measurement and Analytics..........Page 23

I. Introduction and Objectives:

A social media plan is one part of the overall marketing and public relations strategy for any

organization. According to Social Media Marketing expert Sarah LaLiberte of Kid In Outdoors, in

order for the social media plan to work, it must be understood at all levels of the organization.

Everyone at the organization is on social media, therefore, they are a representative.

The following social media plan was created for Blue Ocean Society (BOS), a Portsmouth, New

Hampshire nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect marine mammals in the Gulf of

Maine, through education, research, and conservation.

BOS requested that one of their goals be to increase audience engagement on their current

social media platforms. BOS specifically wanted to focus on the target audiences of potential

volunteers, families, and other organizations like scout troops. BOS would like to increase the

number of volunteers for beach clean-ups, and the number of families and organizations for

whale-watching and the “Adopt a Whale” program.

Another objective for BOS social media usage, is to build community and relationships with their

followers. By doing this, the end goal is to increase awareness of the BOS mission statement.

BOS also has the goal of increasing online donations. As a nonprofit, BOS needs donations to

help sustain their organization. This can be better achieved by developing a social media

marketing plan.

The last objective for BOS is to instill their mission statement within the target audience, by

means of communicating their key messages to them.

II. SWOT Analysis/Social Media Audit with Competitive Analysis

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT Analysis has

been conducted for BOS, based on the nonprofit industry standards, and observations made by

the social media students.

Social media marketing and networking is a tool to drive growth in almost any aspect of the

business. The BOS target audience has the ability to become more familiar with the BOS cause,

building more interest and support, and reaching the end objectives.

According to a Hoovers Nonprofit Institutions Report, nonprofit services include grant making

foundations, giving services, advocacy groups, civic clubs, and social organizations. Keeping

these ideas in mind, the following SWOT analysis, and the social media recommendations of

this report were made for BOS.

Strengths:

Overall, BOS already has a high number of followers on all of their social media platforms,

especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

BOS does an excellent job in making it easy for their donors to make secure donations online.

Making online donations possible is an added stream of revenue for BOS. BOS also has done

well with providing links to their social media platforms from their website.

BOS already offers internships and volunteer positions that provide a higher amount of social

media user interaction linking back to BOS. By having interns and volunteers, the work

associated with the social media marketing plan can be delegated to them, easing the workload

of the BOS full-time staff.

Weaknesses:

As a nonprofit, one weakness of BOS is their reliance on donations, which can be inconsistent.

Another weakness is the limited staff available to spend time on the social media marketing

plan. A solution to this weakness is utilizing the aforementioned interns.

The BOS social media platforms are inconsistent with the frequency and the content of posts.

The social media platforms need to be better managed to engage the target audience. BOS can

improve upon following their followers and posting content that is more relevant to what the

audience cares about, rather than just about the BOS daily activities.

In terms of competition, it is less about competing on an organizational level, but rather in social

media presence. The BOS weakness is that it is not comparable to the social media platforms of

similar organizations. This social media plan is designed to increase the audience engagement

on the BOS social media platforms, on a level similar to competitors.

Opportunities:

Due to the fact that nonprofits rely on donations and fundraising, funds are often limited for

public relations and marketing budgets. Developing a social media plan will be a viable solution

to this problem for BOS.

Through a developed social media plan and strategic recommendations, BOS has the

opportunity to increase brand awareness in the Portsmouth area, and stand out against other

nonprofits with a similar message.

Another opportunity for BOS is to begin using measurement and analytics tools to remain

consistent and track engagement across all social media accounts.

BOS already has a significant presence on Twitter and Facebook. An opportunity for BOS is to

simply expand their social media presence. Through an expanded presence, the potential for

increasing donations is another opportunity.

Threats:

The fear of identity theft is high in today’s online culture, donors are often wary about making

financial transactions online.

Another threat for BOS, is finding the niche in a popular target audience, while standing out from

other nonprofits with a similar message.

Economic stability also poses a threat. According to the Houston Chronicle, since organizations

are heavily reliant on donations, it creates risks for economic crisis. Usually, charity is one of the

first expenses people cut from their budgets. This threat is beyond the control of the BOS office.

Social Media Audit with Competitive Analysis:

An audit and analysis of the social media accounts was conducted for BOS. BOS is doing well

overall on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. Improvements on these accounts can

be made in the following ways:

The actual content of the BOS Facebook posts could use improvement. The current

content is generally more focused on what BOS did that day. Instead of this, the

Facebook posts should generate more conversation and engagement. The posts should

be less about telling followers about BOS, and more about talking with the audience

about posts related to BOS and the mission.

BOS needs to follow the people who follow them, especially similar organizations on

Twitter and Instagram.

Twitter posts are too lengthy and do not stay under the 140 character limit. Sometimes

the message gets cut off.

For the Instagram profile, BOS needs to establish the use of common hashtags in the

posts. Currently, BOS is using hashtags that are inconsistent with their messages across

all of their social media accounts.

After conducting an analysis of the BOS Facebook Insights, the conclusion is that the maximum

post reach falls on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Avoid posting on lunch hour, typically

between 12pm and 2pm, because there will be heavy traffic on social media where posts might

be ignored or unseen. According to a 2015 Zephoria Study, determining the optimal post times

is essential in order to ensure that the target audience is seeing the content.

According to a 2015 Lawfuel Report, the best times to post are before and after work, around

7am and 8pm, and these posts receive 20% higher engagement.

On Twitter, it is important to always keep tweets short, and if possible, to use the 5W’s and 1H

format, otherwise known as the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How information. This

format ensures that posts will include only the most important information, making it easier for

the target audience to retain the message.

For example, consider the BOS “Bring Your Own Bag” post:

Who: BYOB York and Blue Ocean Society

What: Screening of Bag: Is your life too plastic?

When: March 1, Sunday at 3pm

Where: York Public Library

Why: Purpose of reducing the use of plastic

How: this is optional, unless there are specifics to back it up.

A Tweet using this format might look like:

“Is your life too plastic? #BringYourOwnBag to York Public Library, March 1 at 3pm! Reduce the

use of plastic! #BlueOceanSoc”

This post tells the audience everything they need to know, in under 140 characters for Twitter,

and includes the use of hashtags that ties the BOS organization back to the post.

Also according to the 2015 LawFuel Report, attaching pictures to a post creates the most

audience engagement. This picture could include a flyer with more details of the event if it’s

impossible to fit it all into a concise post.

It is important to always reply to comments posted by the audience, because this builds

audience engagement. Never let the audience feel like they are not being heard. Also, when

others share BOS posts, like or favorite it. If the audience gets interactions from BOS, they will

continue to engage. This is all about using social media as a tool for building community.

For example, it was observed that people were sharing the Minke Monday post. By “liking” the

post, it shows that BOS noticed and appreciated that follower for sharing the post.

According to the BOS Twitter account analytics, BOS posts with hashtags achieved a 90%

higher performance rate than the other posts. This same principle will apply by turning “Happy

Humpback Day” or “Fin Whale Friday” into a hashtag.

BOS should add a cover photo to the Twitter account homepage. A missing cover photo on any

social media account is a missed marketing opportunity. According to Social Media Examiner,

cover photos are the most under-utilized aspects of social media profiles. The cover page is

generally the first thing users see when they view an organization’s page, so it is an opportunity

to make a first impression about the organization. The cover photo should use consistent brand

colors and images that reiterate the BOS mission and message to the target audience.

Since BOS is focused heavily on their volunteers and customers, a suggestion for a cover photo

might be a picture of volunteers cleaning up the beach or people having fun at a whale watching

site.

It is important to always follow your followers. There are a few organizations that BOS should

follow because of their similar causes and goals:

New England Aquarium

Seacology

The Ocean Foundation

WDC – Scottish Dolphin Center

One advantage about following similar organizations is for the ability to retweet or comment on

their posts. This shows the audience a genuine caring for the cause, not just the organization.

Another advantage is that BOS could get an idea of what kind of posts are successful for their

competition, then do the same for themselves.

Another alternative would be to upload graphics instead of laying out a tweet word by word. Also

according to the 2015 LawFuel Report, posts with visuals make a post more attractive to the

audience and produce higher engagement.

III. Target Audience:

The target audience for BOS is Generation X. Individuals of Generation X are between the ages

of 34 and 54. According to the Facebook Insights, the most popular age range visiting the BOS

Facebook page is people aged 35-54. This age range matches the recommended target

audience for BOS.

According to a 2011 Mintel Report, 74% of Generation Xers say that family life is important to

them, and an even higher priority than their career. Six of every ten Generation Xers have

children living at home, and they place high importance on social activities with their families.

The Generation X target market has seen significant increases in active social media users

between 2005 and 2013. This information indicates that Gen Xers are very sociable and a good

target for marketers of social networking tools.

Also according to the visitor demographics of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, over 175

million zoo and aquarium visitors attend with a child. Those visitors are primarily Generation X

mothers.

IV. Key Messages:

In order to further the success of BOS, building a solid, reliable online community is key. By

doing this BOS can get consistent online engagement and increase the overall popularity of the

brand. In order to build an online community, BOS must become more consistent with the posts,

and have specific posts that people are willing to share.

The key messages are what BOS needs to communicate to their target audience. Since the

target audience places a high level of importance on family time and activities, one key

message is that BOS is a place that provides those types of opportunities.

Another key message that BOS should instill within their target audience, is the overall mission

statement, to create brand recognition and consistency.

Audience engagement is very important because it shows that people can be passionate about

the subject, and posts that become popular enough will continue to cycle through the newsfeed.

If a post cycles through the newsfeed enough and becomes “trending” it reaches more people

than just the immediate community, further spreading the BOS message.

The online community is essential to increasing donations. By having more active and popular

posts, it creates more opportunity to stand out in the community. Having more visibility invites

the potential for more donors.

The increase in donations via the website is only possible through a passionate online

community. The mission statement needs to reach the right people who care about the

conservation of the Gulf of Maine’s marine animals. This can be done throughout consistent

posts across all of the BOS social media platforms.

V. Social Media Platform Selections:

For BOS to achieve the intended objectives, the social media platform selections are Facebook,

Twitter, and Instagram.

Facebook needs to be focused on as part of the social media strategy because of the presence

of the target audience on this platform. According to a 2015 Zephoria Study, Facebook is a

beneficial platform for the Generation X target market, and the age group of Facebook users

from 45-54 has increased 46% since 2012. Every 60 seconds there are 510 comments, 293,000

status updates and, 136,000 uploaded photos to Facebook. According to an infographic from

the Search Engine Journal, Facebook has 1.15 billion active users.

Twitter needs to be integrated as a social media strategy because of the presence of the

Generation X target market on this platform. Twitter is a beneficial platform for the Generation X

target market. According to 2014 Pew Research Center Report, 78% of Internet users between

the ages of 30 and 49 are active on Twitter, and Twitter is the fastest growing platform. Twitter

has seen a 44% increase in users between June 2012 and March 2013.

Instagram should be focused on as a part of the social media strategy because according to a

2014 Statista Report, the Generation X target audience is increasing in account ownership and

regular usage.

The previous data proves that the Generation X target audience, is active both on Facebook

and Twitter, and is growing on Instagram. This means, in order to meet the objectives for BOS,

these social media platform selections are the appropriate accounts to focus on developing.

VI. Tools/Platforms Tutorial:

Directions to edit the Facebook Call to Action button:

Go to Blue Ocean Society’s Facebook page.

Hover over your current Call to Action button. (The button says “Shop Now.”)

Choose “Edit Call to Action.”

Edit the name from “Shop Now” to “Donate Now.”

Click “Save Changes.”

Sometimes, links that are too long may affect the number of characters that can be put into a

post. There is a free, and very simple website called Bitly.com that will shorten the link.

Go to www.Bitly.com.

Copy and paste the link into the specified destination on the website.

Use the newly produced, shortened link in a Tweet.

Klout Account:

Directions to set up a Klout account as well as how to use the Insights and Analytics component

of Klout are as follows:

Sign up for "Klout For Business" using the BOS Twitter account.

After signing up, The five main Klout areas will appear. These five areas are, Home,

Insights, Perks, Profile, and Pulse.

The Home area contains

o The business profile picture.

o Name of the Klout account holder (Blue Ocean Society).

o Klout score. The Klout Score (previous 90 day window) can be seen in the

middle of the page in a line graph. It differentiates by each platform used and a

composite trend line.

o A list of the social networks that BOS will connect to Klout.

In the Insights area, BOS can

o View cross-network statistics from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

o Track and measure the organization’s influence.

o Discover interactions and topics that matter most to the BOS social media

audience.

o View an analysis of the BOS audience, a list of topics covered, and

recommendations of networks where BOS should participate.

o View the list of what Klout refers to as “Moments,” in other words, the most

influential tweets about BOS.

The Perks area has opportunities to specifically locate influencers by category.

Businesses offer rewards such as products, discounts or access to special events

hoping that those who receive Perks will share the information via their respective social

networks.

The Profile area contains a list of influencers, topics, and Moments. The BOS Klout

profile will also serve as a hub for their most influential tweets and statuses.

The Pulse area is a list of the top influencers based on the topics BOS provides. It will

give BOS the ability to see what topics are trending as determined by Klout.

VII. Tactics:

Editing the “Call to Action” Button on the BOS Facebook page:

BOS expressed the desire to drive more online donations. One way to achieve this through

social media, would be to create a “Donate Now” button on the BOS Facebook page.

BOS has already done this, but the current button is confusing because it says “Shop Now”

rather than “Donate Now.” The “Shop Now” is also confusing, because when a user clicks the

link, it takes them to the donation page, not their gift shop page.

Instead of “Shop Now,” BOS should change their Facebook page button to say “Donate Now.” It

should be noted that Facebook calls this a “Call to Action” button, because a button could be

created to serve several “Call to Action” purposes.

Klout:

In order to track and measure their audience engagement, as well as obtain an organizational

tool for more consistency in posts, it is suggested that BOS setup and use a Klout account.

Klout is a social media marketing and management website and mobile app that uses a

personalized system of social media analytics to rank its users.

The rank is referred to as a "Klout Score," which is a numerical value between one and 100.

Klout describes the "Klout Score," as a way to measure how influential a user is on their social

media platforms.

It should be noted though, that Klout scores are often inconsistent with ranking, and a Klout

score does not determine the success or failure of social media accounts. The suggested way

for BOS to use Klout, is for the analytics and measurement component.

According to a 2015 Quantcast Report, a site dedicated to measuring traffic to websites, Klout is

a website used mostly by people between the ages of 25 - 44. For BOS, this age range matches

that of the intended target audience of families with children.

Klout is a way to simplify the use of social media, created for businesses and organizations.

There are over 620 million Klout users, over 200,000 businesses using Klout. Nike, McDonalds,

ESPN, and Disney are a few large organizations that are using Klout to measure their social

media marketing reach.

Implementing Hashtags:

In order to increase brand recognition, BOS should work to separate their nonprofit from their

competition. One way to do this, is by engaging their target audience through differing various

aspects of their social media accounts. The creation and continuous implementation of

hashtags is highly suggested.

A hashtag is a word or a group of words that follow the use of the hash character, more

commonly known as the number sign (#).

Hashtags can be used on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The idea behind using a hashtag is to allow similar messages to be grouped together. If a

specific hashtag is searched for on a social media platform, every single post that has been

made with the hashtag will show up.

Hashtags on Facebook:

Combining Facebook and hashtags can be very effective if used correctly. When using

hashtags on Facebook posts, it should be limited to either one or two. Posts with one to two

hashtags receive about 593 interactions. Posts with 10 or more hashtags receive about 188

interactions.

Hashtags and interactions share an inverse correlation. This means that on Facebook, the

higher the number of hashtags a post has, the lower number of interactions this post will likely

get.

Hashtags on Twitter:

On Twitter, a hashtag should be used before a keyword or a phrase. It should be noted that a

hashtag will only work properly if there are no spaces in between the characters.

When a Twitter user clicks on a hashtag it will show other messages that use the same hashtag.

This is useful because hashtag words that are popular at any given time can make their way to

the Trending Topics. A Trending Topic is one that is very popular, that many users are tweeting.

This broadens the amount of Twitter users that will see the BOS message with that specific

trending hashtag.

Hashtags on Instagram:

When using hashtags on Instagram it is important to keep in mind that users often click onto a

hashtag in the hope of finding similar pictures. This is different than Facebook or Twitter when

users often click on a hashtag to get involved in a conversation pertaining to that particular

hashtag.

To use on as many posts as possible, the suggested hashtag for continual brand recognition

and awareness is #BlueOceanSoc.

Some of the most popular hashtags among Instagram users are #mancrushmonday (#mcm)

and #womancrushwednesday (#wcw). It is suggested that BOS “piggy-back” on these popular

hashtags but in a way that is more relatable to BOS. When any other Instagram users click on

either #mcm or #wcw, they will also see these posts from BOS with those hashtags.

Some suggested hashtags for “piggy-backing” on are:

#whalecrushwednesday - #wcw

#mammalcrushmonday - #mcm

Some other suggested hashtags to be more unique to BOS pages are:

#whalewednesday

#seashellsunday

#mammalmonday

#trashytuesday

#funfactfriday

It is also important not to overlook very simple words in hashtags. Many social media users post

simple words as hashtags in their posts. Based on observations of the competitor New England

Aquarium’s social media accounts, their most common and popular hashtags were simple,

including the following:

#fish

#animalfacts

#animals

#water

#oceans

#beautiful

VIII: Time And Resources Needed:

Klout suggests articles and other information to post on social media days and weeks in

advance at specific times throughout the day.

3 optimal posts are recommended but not only times you can post.

Klout supports log-ins through Twitter and/or Facebook accounts.

10-15 minutes to set up a free account.

The Klout Score will allow BOS to track their progress and the successes and downfalls

of social media performance.

On Klout, BOS can choose the suggested articles to post, be exposed to new ideas that

relate to organization, and have fresh new information that come in by the day from

Klout.

IX: Measurement and Analysis

Research tools for measurement and analytics is important to see if BOS has met the

objectives.

Tools such as Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics are built into the websites and are freely

available to the account holder. Demographics and other important information about the target

audience can be monitored on a regular basis.

In addition to these free analytics tools, Klout is an excellent resource for proving how content

reaches the users. Klout can also determine the effectiveness of a message and how it can be

manipulated for future use.

After the implementation of the suggested social media changes the goal is to have a clear and

measurable increase in success. Within the next six months the goal is to see a steady increase

in target audience engagement. This information can be obtained through the aforementioned

measurement and analysis tools.