Getting the Word Out
Originally written for Sandy Rees’ Blog, Get Fully Funded
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If you want your message to get noticed, be sticky, passed along or retweeted, you have to write about it. AND just writing it isn’t enough, you have to find the forums to share what you have written. AND each of those forums requires a different format.
Here are some quick and easy ways to get your message noticed. Your messages should:
1. Be urgent, interesting and engaging
2. Include a call to action
3. Ask others to help you push your message
So where to get noticed?
You have your own website. Be sure to start there and make sure all your messages are current and consistent. Sometimes it is easier to update your Facebook page and forget about your website. Ideally, pushing everyone to your website is the way to go. But it doesn’t always work that way. So you need to have different communication streams. Does your organization have:
- Facebook page, causes, groups
- Twitter – multiple accounts for different parts of your organization including your Executive Director
- MySpace – page
- Blogs – same a Twitter, different people within your organization should have their own blogs.
All of this should be linked to your website or your website to them.
Set a reminder for yourself. You and staff need to write good content often to get noticed. It is a little busy out there. Plan on blogging variations of your message 2-3 times a week. Twitter at least 5-7 times a day and update your Facebook page, group or cause page at least once a week. The good news is you can use http://Ping.fm or www.hootsuite.com to to post and schedule tweets to all your social networking sites.
So now you are writing – you need readers! Well you have a built in audience of donors, friends, volunteer, staff and all their friends, colleagues and acquaintances! Ask them to join you as:
- Friends on Facebook and MySpace
- Followers on Twitter
- Readers and commentary on your blogs
- Invite them to join you!
Some of these your folks are using Web 2.0, some not. You can be sure those who are have no intention of stopping. And don’t be fooled, while the under 26 crowd tends to be the majority using Web 2.0, there is a growing number of folk over 45 using it as well.
Get on the surfboard, start paddling and ride the wave. Let me know how it goes! Share your stories!
Talisman Thinking Out Loud 
These tips are helpful for non profits trying to break into social media. I would add that if time is tight, really focus in on one of these because quality is more important than quantity. You will lose followers/fans/readers if you have tons of bad content.
Bekka,
Great addition! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Barbara
This is a great list of tips for someone to get starting writing for the Web. One of the things I’ve heard and tend to agree with is that people are in a hurry and they want something to either 1.) help them solve a problem or 2.) make them laugh.
“how to” posts, like this… and humor posts tend to be shared and well received.
Brett thanks so much for adding to the conversation. You are so right!
See you on the web!
Barbara