Social Media and Online Engagement: A Case Study of DeKalb Medical Foundation Thursday, July 17, 2014 2014 GADP ANNUAL CONFERENCE July 16-18, 2014 King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort Saint Simons Island, Georgia The earliest quote about using Social Media: “We are advertis’d by our loving friends . . . “ - William Shakespeare What is Online Engagement? Online engagement can be defined as a website’s or social site’s ability to hold a visitor’s attention or induce the visitor to participate. Why Engage? • Build Awareness • Grow Mailing List • Encourage and Inform Advocacy • Donor and Volunteer Recognition • Endorsement • Drive Traffic to Website • Promote Events • Encourage Introductory and Annual Gifts • Message, Mission, and Case What’s Your Plan? Create a Social Media Strategy •Define your goals •Determine your audience •Determine your organizational voice •Allocate resources •Maintain your presence Foundation Goals: 2012 • Increase social media presence and interaction • Create e-newsletter • Create identity, content and analyze results • Access Marketing’s database • Analyze use of personnel • Communicate about services Elements of Online Engagement • Website • Social Media • Email Communications • Online Surveys • Blog • Video Website - Basics on Home Page  Join Mailing List  Contact Us  Action Items in upper right hand corner  Easy navigation  Be conscious of how many clicks everything takes  Don’t use flash! Current Website Sample:  DeKalb Medical Foundation Website Challenges:  Updates done through Marketing Social Media • Twitter • Facebook And all the others . . . • Instagram • Pinterest • Google+ • Etc. Facebook Post: 3-5 times/week Content: • Post photos • Different posts than Twitter • Do polls • Make people respond • #TBT Increase your likes: • Promotions to “Like” your page • Email campaigns Our Facebook Challenges & Successes: In October 2011: • Nine DeKalb Medical related pages • 933 total likes among them • Foundation page – 55 likes Today: • Fourteen DeKalb Medical related pages • 5,070 likes among them • Foundation page – 207 likes (376% increase) There may be overlap by staff and employees on sites. Twitter Social Networking Follow and Be Followed: • Follow like-minded organizations • Community and industry leaders • Find those with large followings • Join “lists” Management: • Use a program like HootSuite or TweetDeck • Set up a search column and monitor mentions • Schedule tweets once for the entire day • Pull reports Our Twitter Successes: Our Twitter Challenges: LinkedIn Professional site Good for prospecting: • Connecting professionally with volunteers and donors • Ability to extend reach with posts - create or redistribute current content • Be sure to join Groups - source of content Email Campaigns  Frequency - stay on their minds  Be consistent  Branding  Communication  Forward to a Friend  Calls to Action  Links to Social Media What Kind of Emails Should You Send? • Welcome Emails (sample) • Event Emails • e-Newsletters • e-Appeals • Thank You Emails Foundation Results: 2014 Create monthly email newsletter for existing database and Auxiliary (encourage “forward to a friend” in the email) “Keep Informed” Form added to Foundation website Encourage email lists signups at special events (through raffles or other drawings and signup tables), on social media and all printed materials Integrate with Marketing DM Foundation E-Newsletter: DM Foundation E-Newsletter Stats: 2012 Averages: Sent: 792 Bounces: 12% Opens: 36% Click-throughs: 29% 2013-2014 Averages: Sent: 2,266 Bounces: 12% Opens: 25% Click-throughs: 6% E-Newsletter Challenges: Post Cleanup Results: • Sent: 1912 • Bounce Rate: 1% • Open Rate: 32% E-Appeal Mailings: Measuring E-Appeal Success: Four e-appeals as June 2013: • Annual Appeal Follow-Up $30,975.00--29 gifts (total) $750.00--2 gifts online • Light up a Life $17,795.00--99 gifts (total) $1,390.00--7 gifts online • Doctor’s Day $350.00--2 gifts--both online • Memorial Day Mailing $136.00--2 gifts--both online Other Forms of E-Fundraising: Online Surveys • Don’t guess what your constituency is thinking – ASK THEM! • Use the survey as a mechanism to convey key ideas • Give audience an opportunity to speak and be heard Our Online Survey Successes: • Currently use for Foundation and Auxiliary • Golf Tournament • ED Survey • Volunteen Survey Why Have a Blog? Two reasons to have a blog: • Entertain • Educate Your Blog Should: • Solve problems • Meet needs of readers • Elicit a response from people (share with people, respond) Video Post: Consistently • Content • Keep it Short! • Good content: plan out your video • Thank you videos (include in email to donor) • Increase your views • Link from email and social media • Post channel on website • Be creative and you may go viral • Key words Mobile Opportunities • Make sure your website is “mobile friendly” • Build your “text” database for offers and giving opportunities • Do you need an app? Consider cost and maintenance Growing Your Lists Events • Capture participant information  Create #hashtags for events – promote before, during and after  #GADPMEET Social Media • Run contests (“Like” our page and receive ______) • Utilize Sharing tools (forward to a friend, share, retweet, etc.) • Ads Wrapping Up  Create a content calendar (sample)  Use one voice for consistency  Respond!  Use analytics to measure success Questions?