Effective Social Media Strategies for volunteer groups with Kevin Nichols

#005 – Kevin is the founder of The Social Engineering Project, a Microsoft and Google funded social impact venture with Stanford University, designed to address the lack of diversity in the tech industry. Kevin really knows what he is talking about when it comes to social media. He was an early user of Linkedin and is featured in the Linkedin Hall of Fame. He has also been featured in a number of publications, including Yahoo’s Blog, the Examiner, CNN Money, Reuters, MarketWatch and the Wall Street Journal.

We talked about Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram and how to use them differently. We also talked bout the difference between using Facebook Pages vs Facebook Groups. Kevin teaches how to use social media to engage with your community and drive them to your website where they can ultimately make a donation.

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Resources

Social Media Explained

The Social Engineering Project

3 Key Takeaways

Social media is about engagement, not simply outbound communication.
Be deliberate about what you are sharing. Post content that your community will find interesting so they will engage.
You have to be consistent with your postings otherwise people will lose interest.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[3:05] Kevin discusses distinct strategies for each platform.
[4:35] Tie your brand into your mission and purpose and use that to guide your social media posts.
[5:53] Start using the mainstream social media platforms first.
[8:14] You need engagement in your posts for people to see them organically.
[9:28] If you treat social media as outbound communication, that is all it will be.
[9:58] Post consistent content so people can see what your organization is about.
[13:06] Monitor your social media presence so you can address any negative comments.
[14:42] A primer on Pinterest.
[19:05] Pinterest Pins.
[21:03] You should have a website so can people have a place to make donations.
[21:28] Hack the Hood provides free websites to businesses as a way to give real projects to students.
[24:05] Use social media to drive traffic to your website.
[27:00] Use Linkedin to find individual donors.
[28:00] Post raw video within the social platform itself so people can see your clip without clicking on it.
[29:35] Importance of Call to Actions (CTAs)
[30:48] The difference between using a Facebook Page vs a Facebook Group.
[33:14] Misconceptions people have around social media strategies.
[34:58] Social media is a team effort.
[35:55] Start with your personal social media presence.
[36:55] Your personal contact will be likely to support you at first.