you might need a social media sherpa if…
You have a website. You tweet. You're on Facebook. You blog. You may think this article doesn't apply to you. Not so fast. Even if your organization is using today's social media tools, there is always room for improvement. Having a presence in these social spaces isn't a substitute for continued learning about what some still consider emerging communication tools.
In other words, just knowing how to use social media tools doesn't necessarily mean you know how to use them well. And passing it on to the youngest person in your organization isn’t always the best approach. Not that they aren’t capable, but fluency in a personal account doesn’t always translate to handling a professional or business account well.
The best practices for social media continue to evolve as tools and usage change. Last year's best practice may be outdated, so be open to opportunities to continually learn and improve.
Here are a few of the more obvious signs that your organization may need some help.
1. Your avatar is too small, not sized correctly or blurry. Worse yet, you don't have one.
What's an avatar, you ask? It's a graphic representing you or your organization. A photo. An image. Don't have one? Please remedy this soon! Your avatar is your online identity. If you're using a logo or a wordmark, be sure to size it so the entire image fits in the square. Does your image have text? Make sure it's big enough to read.
2. Your tweets are rarely retweeted.
People follow you on Twitter to learn more about you, because they care about the work you do or because you have interesting things to say. If you give your followers (re)tweetable content, they'll be your best advocates. Whether you're tweeting inspirational quotes, calls to action around a particular cause, or strong statements about who you are and what you believe, give your followers something to share and engage.
3. Your Facebook page only has one administrator – the sole teenager or your pastor.
Facebook is not a new communications tool. Managing it should be a part of a broader communications plan for your organization. Young people can be great advocates for your social spaces such as Twitter and Facebook. However, don't assume that they are aware of how you as an organization would like to communicate and engage in those spaces. Your organization’s leadership may be among your administrators, but managing and maintaining your social media spaces shouldn't be their priority. In other words, have a communications plan and make sure that all those involved in carrying it out are on the same page. Having a backup system ensures that your communities are accessible in times of emergency.
4. You have a website or blog, but it doesn't have social media icons or a "Donate Now" button.
This assumes you have a presence in some combination of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube or other social platform. If you are in these spaces, invite website visitors to interact with you there, too. Social media plug-ins and icons on your website could easily link to all your social platforms.
Having a "donate" button on the site also encourages visitors, in a very simple way, to support your organization’s efforts financially.
So there you have it. Even if you only demonstrate half of the telltale signs listed here, we all could agree that a little refresher of our social media knowhow would help your organization in its visibility and engagement.
