Like Me!
Or don’t ‘Like’ me.
Does it matter?
Here’s a small item recounting a BBC journalist’s success at setting up a fake company — VirtualBagel — and securing 3000 ‘Likes’.
Not the first such attempt to challenge the flimsy side of ‘social networks’ and certainly not the last.
So, when your online impresario rushes into your office and exclaims “We’re up to 23,659 Likes!”, your response should be to ask: “That’s great, so what?”
If seasoned, your impresario might be ready for this less than wildly enthusiastic response, and have a deft reply ready.
But all you need to do after that first reply is repeat again: “So what?”
If after a minimum of five “So whats” your impresario is still persisting, then begin to pay attention. He or she might actually have begun to think this social networking stuff through.
Tom
10 responses to “Like Me!”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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A healthy skepticism of any new set of tools and techniques is beneficial, but this post (and others I’ve seen from The Agitator on the subject of social media) seem to be screaming, “prove it to me.” That time has passed. In your example, someone on the staff is charged with building a constituency and communicating with those within it through platforms like Facebook. Then when they come back to report, all the boss has to say is “so what”. That’s more of a lesson in how not to run an office, set goals and manage staff than it is in the value of “likes” or any other ephemeral definition of social media success. The challenge is not to the staff member but to the director. He or share should be able to answer such questions as these: What is it that the “online impresario” should be doing and measuring? What are the organizational objectives generally, and within development specifically, for social media? How can marketing, stewardship and solicitation be woven together so those objectives might be met in a way that is both measurable and, if found to be beneficial, replicable and scalable? All “so what” says is that the director has little understanding of and appreciation for the staff and what they do. And if there is a director today still saying “so what” to a platform that if approached intelligently can afford access to a global market of one billion individuals unreachable through other available tools at a negligible acquisition cost, I would say to them, “so what are you still doing in development?”
Your online impresario will have her Google Analytic stats at the ready to show how many referrals to your website are now coming from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and maybe (even?) Google+. If they’re anything like ours, they’ll probably be the next most significant source of referral traffic after search.
So what you’ve got is a way of publishing your website, and bumping up your engaged repeat visitors – all for a pretty sweet initial acquisition cost.
So instead of saying “So what?”, your question should in fact be, “So what’s our best story today for these 24,000 new fans?”
Jay,
Note that I would of course have a digital team, and would applaud their initiative, having given them plenty of encouragement to advance our cause. But I’d still ask them “So what?” That question has never gotten me in trouble as a manager (or consultant, for that matter). Quite the opposite.
In this case — lots of Likes — yes, I would say: “Show me their value … prove it to me.” My team might be able to do that; they might not.
Tom
Adrian
Yes, I like that extra traffic to our site. But what’s it worth? Do we still have crap conversion? Show me what these 24,000 new fans have done for our cause in 3 or 6 months and maybe I’ll be a happy camper.
Tom
Well, she should say that what the latest NTEN report – http://nonprofitsocialnetworksurvey.com/ – shows us is that the site should have a landing page all about peer to peer fundraising on it, ‘cos that’s the way these folks are going to give, not to your ‘traditional’ online campaign.
And if your online impresario is really savvy, she’ll have linked the Facebook page to something like http://www.crowdbooster.com that shows who out of those fans is the most engaged, and tagged them on the fundraising database, to see if there’s a crossover with donors. And of course she’ll have used a Mailchimp tool or something similar to capture their emails.
She might also ask you for a budget to advertise your appeal landing page to fans, like the Soi Dog Foundation does – http://www.sofii.org/node/827.
Let her have it, at a few $100 for a month or so’s test, it’s well worth a go.
Tom nails it on this one. Questioning ‘likes,’ Klout and other social media stats can quickly earn you pariah status among all the “gurus” and “ninjas” of the digital arena. However, the true social media marketers — those that cut through the hype and puffery — understand the magic number isn’t on the surface. As Tom just replied, your likes are worthless if your conversion rate is still crap. There is no denying that social media can be great channels, and play a vital role in both customer service and engagement…but (especially for non-profits) if you’re not converting them to either customers/donors, then…really…what’s the point?
LOL – I hear ya.
Tom, I’m glad to hear you would be applauding their initiative and giving them encouragement. That wasn’t clear in your blog post. And it certainly isn’t echoed in your asking them repeatedly “so what?”
Here are some questions a director can use to learn something and show they are interested, informed and up-to-date:
* “What can you tell me about the new fans (e.g. demographics)?”
* “What content are they responding to?”
* “Did we capture their contact information through a landing page?”
* “How can we retain and cultivate their interest?”
* “What tools and processes can we use to identify the top wealth holders and social influencers among these new fans for individual cultivation?”
* “How and when can we put integrate these new constituents into our solicitation cycle?”
The fact that these people chose to join us rather than the other way around should be enough for us to be interested in them.
If these questions aren’t being asked and practices aren’t tailored to the needs and interests of those “fans”, we are missing an enormous opportunity and, more importantly, we are sending a signal to those new friends, and the public at large, that we don’t really care a hoot about them at all.
How important is social media engagement for a ministry? This fast-paced world practically mandates ministries to become involved in social media to nurture and grow their constituents. Still not sure where to start? Consider the benefits of getting involved in social media, the various platforms that are appropriate for nonprofit ministries, and how these social sites can help any nonprofit ministry achieve its desired end goals.
Benefits of Social Media Engagement
Free marketing: Ministries rely on donations to thrive, and no one will lend a generous hand unless they know more about the ministry and its leadership team! Social media is a great way to spread the word.
Nearly every demographic is involved: At the start of the social media craze more than ten years ago, teens, preteens and college students were the largest demographic on MySpace, the most popular social network at the time. However, with more adults over age 30 joining the scene, it’s easy to reach millions of adults who may be looking to join a ministry through social media integration using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Keep everyone connected and informed: Use social media like a giant digital bulletin board to post events, give updates and list volunteer opportunities.
Increase visibility: Posting pictures and videos of the latest mission objectives should absolutely be part of any social media engagement strategy since images and videos make the ministry seem more real and credible to potential donors.
Various Platforms
Facebook: With pages designed specifically for businesses, and with more than 800 million active users, there’s no better social media engagement strategy than to become involved on Facebook.
Instagram: This smartphone app works in conjunction with Facebook to communicate instantly and visually with Facebook fans.
LinkedIn: If the goal is to connect with other ministries and like-minded people, LinkedIn can make that happen.
End Goals of Social Media Engagement
Generate a discussion: Communication is imperative to the success of any nonprofit ministry. Online discussions can make it clear what followers care about and what their needs are, which makes it easy for ministries to build relationships and get them interested in donating to their ministry of choice.
Create website traffic: It’s great to have a social media following, but it must go one step further to be worthwhile. Any ministry’s involvement in social media is primarily to encourage visitors to check out the website, where they can get involved or make a donation.
Receive donations: This is the ultimate goal of social media engagement. With donations in hand, ministries will be able to move forward with their work.
To learn more about successful social media engagement, be sure to connect with DonorDirect on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Then, find more successful tips for ministries by following our blog and visiting our YouTube Channel.
[…] There’s been some lively discussion over at the Agitator between Tom and Jay Frost about the value of Facebook likes. […]