Are you ignoring social media tools?
Or, do you recognize the opportunities that social media
offers but don’t know where to start or feel overwhelmed by the prospect of learning
another new technology?
After working with schools and nonprofits for over eight
years I’ve come to learn that there’s just not enough time in the day to do
everything that organizations would like to do.
When it comes to using social media, I’ve noticed a growing
number of resources devoted to helping nonprofits and schools use social media,
like classes, seminars and books. I get
the impression that it still feels overwhelming, especially for smaller nonprofits
where this just gets added to the director’s list of to-do’s.
If you understand how to genuinely engage people in person,
social media can be a wonderful way to increase the number of opportunities to
engage people. Let’s start with
Linkedin, which I recommend is the first tool to use. First, take this quiz to see how you rate.
My guarantee: If you
devote 5 minutes each day to Linkedin, you will attract people who will be
interested in supporting your mission.
Before you get started though, you need to plan for two
critical factors that will drive your success:
First, consistency is more important than how much time you
spend on Linkedin. That’s why I ask that
you spent five minutes every day. If you
do this, you will quickly develop a new habit of thinking about Linkedin. I tend to work on Linkedin while I’m watching
TV at night.
Second, Be strategic or you will not be efficient or
effective. Don’t just invite anyone and
everyone. Think about what kinds of
people you would like to have as your volunteers, donors and staff people. Think about the expertise and knowledge your
organization needs. For example, you may
want to invite people into your network who have expertise in law, accounting,
marketing, education, the arts, public relations, human resources. Or you may want to connect with people and
organizations that you want to know about the services you provide to the
community.
Okay, let’s get
going.
Step #1 – Complete your profile! If you’re going to do this, do it well. Whether you are inviting someone or someone
else is inviting you, the first place people will go to check you out is your
profile page. They will look for
something that resonates with them, and that could be a mutual past employer,
the service you provide to the community, the college you went to or the fact
that you were a Girl Scout Troop Leader.
You just never know. How to
complete your profile:
1.
Add an attractive photo of yourself. This is a non-negotiable. People connect better when they have a
visual.
2.
Enter your current paid and unpaid positions.
3.
Enter all of your past paid and unpaid positions
(volunteer projects, leadership opportunities)
4.
The executive summary is a story about who you
are. Use conversational language and
focus on articulating your passion, interests, special talents and the
measureable difference you have made.
5.
Ask for recommendations from people who you have
made a great impression on, including past employers, co-workers, fellow
volunteers, organizations for which you’ve volunteered and others that think
you’re amazing. Over time, your goal is
to have multiple recommendations for each position or item in on your profile
page.
6.
Provide recommendations to those you really
respect and impress you. It’s a great
way to get a recommendation back, plus you build credibility as someone who is
a resource for others.
Step #2 – Begin inviting people. Begin by importing or inviting people and
colleagues you already know. The, go to
the people you may know section and invite those who meet your strategic
criteria. Third, peek at the contacts
within the first level of your own network.
When you invite someone, never use just the default language; it’s
annoying to get that from someone who doesn’t even know you. That’s the way people are doing it, but if
you really want to make an impression, use someone’s name and something like,
“I thought you might be interested in the services we provide to low-income
families in the area of education.” Then
you can leave the other language in there.
Step #3 – Share good news at least once per week!. Share good news at least once per week. The strategy behind social media is to build
your credibility by being a resource to others.
The more you offer value to others, the more you will gain respect from
others. Don’t ask for things. Inspire people with success stories or
visions of the future.
Step #4 – Participate in at least one discussion per
week. Participate in a group discussion
at least once per week. Choose groups
that include people you strategically want to reach and discuss topics for
which you could be a resource. Comment
only on a topic or question where you believe you have a unique perspective and
something different to say than anyone else.
Step #5 – Follow up to requests. If someone responds to your request with a
message, be sure to respond and find out more about their interest. Email info@alineaconnect.com
for our handout out on the Steps to Relationship Cultivation. It might be appropriate to invite them to
tour your school or organization. You
can also request our handout on Compelling Tours. The point is once you open the door to
someone, you must continue to build the
relationship for it to result in anything of value to you or the other person.
Your assignment:
I hope now I have given you the tools to begin to cultivate relationships online. Give it a week or two and come back and take this quiz. I'm sure by then you will have some success stories to share.
And stay tuned for my next post about an alinea client who I now consider the King of Linkedin! In the meantime please connect with me on Linkedin so I can see you share your story as well!
