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Today’s presentations available at ow.ly/1P9CxO #24octsm -
The morning make quite a broad pitch for the potential of social media:
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A social business is engaged, transparent, nimble and trusted #24octsm -
Social Media marketing campaigns can get up to 70% response rates, pretty good compared to traditional media’s typical 3% #24octsm -
Check out patientopinion.org.uk – patients sharing stories online; healthcare staff engaging #24octsm
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Always worth thinking about why you want to engage with social media. Never do anything unless it serves your organisation’s objectives.
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Social media should only be used to achieve objectives. Think about what you want to do, then figure out where and how #24octsm
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A discussion of internal social networks:
I think they have a lot of promise. I worry about them becoming too formal and sterile, and wonder the extent to which they can carve out a social space that doesn’t threaten existing power structures within an organisation.(But I don’t have anyway near enough experience to judge on this!)
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@martinlugton We tested Yammer out with a few members of staff. Was good – but reluctance to roll out it seems #24octsm -
There’s the personal conversations that are very helpful within internal systems like this #24octsm
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@synapticity How does the culture around your internal network work? Does it feel collaborative, compulsory, rigid, exploratory? #24octsm
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@JosephFreeman agreed. Good way to circumvent silos and connect with kindred spirits to get stuff done #24octsm
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I liked the idea of using internal social media as a sort of testing space for people to become comfortable with the medium, before venturing outside:
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.@synapticity Interesting point on using internal social media to induct people into a community of practice, ready to go external #24octsm
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A good reminder of how social media is not just another broadcast channel. It’s a bit sad that we all need reminding this (and I wouldn’t claim to be an exception):
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Talk with people, not at them on Facebook #24octsm
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The usefulness of facebook insights:
I definitely recommend that anyone with a facebook page make use of these. It’ll help you think about what your followers are engaging with and what they aren’t. -
Insights can show who supports your organisation, who shares your content and which of your posts are most interesting #24octsm #charitytip -
Demographic data can be useful for combating lazy assumptions about who your supporters are.Have a look at the numbers – you’ll probably be surprised.
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Use insights to find out who your supporters actually are, demographically. Totally agreed! #24octsm
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The importance of sharing (and, implicitly, of good content!):
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Make supporters the stars of your story. Use your Facebook page to highlight them and their achievements #24octsm
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Your average supporter is connected to at least 130 friends. Encourage them to share your content #24octsm #charitytip
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Friends of friends are the Facebook paid marketing silver bullet #24octsm
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#24octsm Twice the engagement when you see a friend’s name against a Facebook ad – and 4 times more likely to purchase a product
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The true power of Facebook is friends of fans #24octsm
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What about charities whose supporters don’t want to be public?
There was a good question in the facebook Q and A about charities whose supporters may not want to publicly identify themselves – eg the Herpes Virus Association.
I’m not sure that facebook will ever work well for such a charity, as it’s a platform that works because it combines voyeurism with exhibitionism and sells the results to marketers -
Very good question on charities whose beneficiaries don’t want to publicly be identified. Facebook isn’t at all set up for this #24octsm
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Good q about what if your org deals with a medical condition (genital herpes). Ppl aren’t going to Like if friends may see it #24octsm
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Might be better to double down on their website and applying for a Google Grant. I had a chat with Nigel Scott about this.
Google+
Most organisations weren’t engaged with this platform. Diabetes UK have established an outpost there. -
@TomStansfeld Mainly to have a presence there in case people look for us. Don’t have time at the moment to work properly with it 🙁 #24octsm
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@mkjones @tomstansfeld To see how we can use it and where the potential is. Resources are a huge issue for us at the moment #24octsm
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@mkjones @tomstansfeld Also helpful to signpost people to our more active communities where they can get help and support #24octsm
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Worth noting Google’s use of its search monopoly to ‘encourage’ organisations to be active on Google+:
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Having an active Google plus page helps search visibility. Sneaky use of search monopoly to feed Google plus #24octsm
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Making sense of different platforms:
What content goes where? Which supporters live where? How do we engage with each platform appropriately? -
@HelgaVonF We steer away from posting the same messages to FB/Twitter. They’re different audiences so need different communications #24octsm
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@JosephFreeman @HelgaVonF agreed. Seeing hash tags on twitter is a bugbear of mine – makes you look lazy and uncaring #24octsm
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Content sharing and paid content sharing
My own experience of charity digital communications hasn’t yet involved a paid facebook budget. But I do think that if you focus on producing good, shareable content, you can achieve an awful lot.Interesting anecdote from Joe Freeman on his experience of promoted and organic posts. -
#24octsm Excellent to hear: “Content is king”
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Shareable content is king – @JosephFreeman #24octsm
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#24octsm We’ve use promoted posts. Work very well. But annoying our organic, unpromoted post reach has dropped dramatically.
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The main reason I was at the event today was to learn more about what the Information Standard means for social media and digital communications.
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Today’s key question = integration of the quality assurance of info standard with social media’s expectations. Not addressed yet #24octsm
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By the end of the morning I still hadn’t come any closer to figuring this out.
What does a signifier of quality information provision – that largely consists of robust processes to produce static content – have to say about social media, which is fast-moving and more flowing in nature?
I might have got the wrong end of the stick a little bit in challenging us to think about this (as Joe pointed out, the event was “designed for members and potential members of The Information Standard and PIF to hear about the latest developments in social media, learn how to get the most out of different social media platforms, and share experiences and learnings with other like-minded organisations.”)
But I really do think that it’s an important question, and one that an event on social media presented by the Information Standard ought to engage with.
A few other people seemed to have similar questions, so we decided to meet up at lunch: -
@LAnekwe @HelgaVonF let’s meet up for lunch to think about what the info standard means in the digital space. Everyone welcome! #24octsm
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Unfortunately we didn’t have time to get very far with our chat! I did learn about some of the administrative challenges that the Information Standard faces.
If the social space is indeed different, let’s see what practices will allow us to apply the Information Standard principles in this space.
I think the UK Cochrane Centre made a good contribution: -
#24octsm social media rule – transparency, transparency, transparency. Same for evidence based medicine & all committed to improving health -
Be open; separate fact and opinion; strive for the best evidence base. Feels like a good start.
The session by Joe Freeman on Diabetes UK was interesting, with lots of good examples.
I missed Joe from twitter, though – things were a bit quieter in the afternoon 😉 -
.@Diabetesuk’s Facebook presence is more about peer support and information than fundraising #24octsm
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Crowdsourcing of information on insulin pumps in response to a user question. Storified for later use. Great work by @Diabetesuk #24octsm
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(although presumably this wouldn’t be covered by the Information Standard)
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A good statement on how Comms should always aim to know everything that’s happening in an organisation.
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If you’re posting on social media, you need to know everything that’s going on in your organisation @JosephFreeman #24octsm
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Then we heard about Cancer Research UK and their online information provision
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24 hour forum moderation turnaround. No pre-moderation on cancer chat. Need to spell this out to users #24octsm
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Disagree with CRUK there re: Twitter chats. We’ve done them, only linked to website were completely necessary. Worked very well #24octsm
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I asked for their thoughts on how to deliver quality information online. They have staff members with credentials, but what do you do if you can’t rely on this to ensure quality? I got a helpful suggestion that a telephone information line might be a good model, as it is about real-time conversation:
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@martinlugton Good reply – looking at telephone helpline guides instead? #24octsm
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I think I now have a better idea of what the Information Standard means to me as a Digital Communications Manager of a charity that produces a lot of information for patients.
I’m going to look at appendix 17 of the Information Standard, and at the Helplines Standard (or whatever it’s called right now), and think further about what I should do to make sure that as Deafness Research UK moves towards the Information Standard our social media is able to provide as good a quality of patient information as any other part of our organisation.
