Posts Tagged → facebook

10 must-read Facebook resources for non-profits 2012

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Creative Commons image courtesy of ‘dkalo’ via Flickr

I’ve curated two Top Ten Facebook Resources for Non-profits – one back in 2010 and one last year. Both have been incredibly popular posts and most of the articles, tips and tools in those top tens are as valid today as they were back then. There’s been lots of changes with Facebook in the last year so I thought it was time I updated my Top Ten.

Here’s my fresh list of ten Facebook resouces which charities, social entrepreneurs and community groups cannot live without…

1. Facebook Pages Overview

Facebook’s official two-page guide to all the features and functionality of Facebook pages really is the best place to start. It is also a great way of reminding yourself of all those often underused features pages contain.

 

2. Ten ways to grow your Facebook following

You don’t simply build a page and people flock to it. This isn’t Wayne’s World 2 or Field of Dreams. Social Media Examiner has a great list of tactics for building your page’s fan base.

 

3. How (and why) to delete negative comments and how to ban specific users

John Haydon’s video gives a quick overview of how to deal with unwanted comments on your Facebook page. Whether it is racist language or someone attacking another fan you may need to remove comments from time to time. Make sure you get it right.

 

4. Social media fundraising, Obama and the 2012 Presidential election

Not strictly speaking a Facebook resource but Frank Barry’s recent blog post shows us what we can learn from Obama’s 2012 campaign.

 

5. Facebook Pages Insights Guide

Another official Facebook guide, this time covering Insights. If you’re not using your page’s Insights to tailor content to the needs of your users then now is the time to start.

 

6. Facebook: I want my friends back

Is Facebook the biggest bait n switch in history? If you want an overview of the recent changes Facebook have made, in particular the often costly ‘promoted posts’, this article from Dangerous Minds is a must-read.

 

7. How non-profits can use measurement to adapt to the Facebook algorithm change

Once you’ve read the Dangerous Minds post it’s time to do something about the Facebook changes. Beth Kanter shows you how your charity can use measurement to truly get the most out of your page.

 

8. Marketing on Facebook: Best Practice Guide

This official guide gives a great overview of the Facebook ecosystem. It is particularly useful if your non-profit has the budget to experiment with ads and promoted posts.

 

9. The future of Facebook fundraising

These useful slides from Jonathan Waddingham and Rosa Birch of JustGiving cover the importance of sharing, case studies, hints & tips plus what’s in store for Facebook fundraising in the near future.

 

10. Digital: What every charity leader should know

Lasa recently asked a bunch of opinion leaders, including Beth Kanter, Martha Lane Fox and me, what advice they have for charity leaders hoping to use social media to build a sustainable third sector. There’s 31 slides packed with hints and tips on everything from organisational strategy to open data.

 

So have I missed any key Facebook resources? Tell me your favourites in the comments below and I’ll share them via our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Using Twitter & Facebook for Your Organisation – Glasgow 12th Sept

Training workshop – 12th Sept 2012 9.30am to 4.30pm

£125 GCVS Members | £180 Non-members

Lunch included

Booking via GCVS

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Put together by Sara Thomas and my good self, this hands-on workshop covers everything you need to know about using the two key social media channels – Twitter & Facebook. The workshop is aimed at charities, social enterpries and community groups but is open to everyone.

During the first half of the day we’ll help you understand what Twitter is all about and why your organisation should be using it. We’ll help you set-up and optimise your Twitter profile, show you how to find and follow key influencers, cut through the Twitter jargon, reveal some of the key tools to make using Twitter easy-peasy and show you how to measure your impact online.

In the second half of the workshop we’ll give you the skills and knowledge needed to utilise Facebook as a key marketing and user-engagement tool for your organisation. We’ll show you how to set-up and optimise your organisation’s Facebook page, find and follow other organisations in your sector, ways to truly engage your fans and more.

You’ll come away from the workshop with all the know-how and hands-on skills needed to make your organisation’s presence on Twitter and Facebook a success.

Scotland’s first third sector social media conference

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Bookings can now be made for Scotland’s first full-day third sector social media conference – Social Media for Social Good – via the GCVS website. Full programme below.

When: 9am – 4.30pm Thursday 26th April 2012

Where: The Albany Learning and Conference Centre, 44 Ashley St, Glasgow, G3 6DS

Price: £99 for one delegate. £185 for two. Further 20% discount for GCVS members. Prices exc VAT.

We’ve teamed up with Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector to bring you an amazing line-up of speakers and interactive workshops to help you get the most out of digital media for your charity, community group or social enterprise. 

Social media has transformed the way the third sector campaigns, raises funds, sells, recruits volunteers and raises awareness. The online world has truly transformed the way we engage with our beneficiaries, the public & key influencers.

Social media is no longer a ‘nice to have’ element of your marketing, PR, campaigning and fundraising mix – it’s an essential tool which can transform the way your organisation connects with the world.

Our one day conference will be anything but dull, we’ll be exploring key case studies, the latest digital media trends and providing you with the skills you need to make a mark with social media.

As well as being an amazing learning experience, ‘Social media for social good’ is a great networking opportunity. Our event is suitable for charities, community groups, social enterprises and other third sector organisations as well as public or private orgs looking to connect with the sector.

 

Programme

9.00am Registration & Tea/Coffee

 

9.30am Speaker: 

Ross McCulloch – Third Sector Lab & Be Good Be Social

Third sector social media – A look at why we cannot ignore digital & what 2012 has in store

 

9.45am Workshop Slot One – choice of 4 workshops:

 

- Conrad Rossouw – Digital Manager, Shelter Scotland 

Measuring success – Social media monitoring and analysis

 

- Anna Cook – Content strategist and web copywriter

Better blogging – Making your blog work for your organisation

 

- Martin Keane – Social Media Strategist, Third Sector Lab & Online Marketing Officer, SCIAF

Facebook tactics – Getting the most out of the world’s biggest social network

 

- Kate Henderson and June MacLeod – GCVS 

Inbox heaven – Creating email newsletters that people actually want to read

 

11.00am Tea & Coffee break

 

11.15am Workshop Slot Two – choice of 4 workshops:

 

- Conrad Rossouw – Digital Manager, Shelter Scotland 

Measuring success – Social media monitoring and analysis

 

- Anna Cook – Content strategist and web copywriter

Better blogging – Making your blog work for your organisation

 

- Martin Keane – Social Media Strategist, Third Sector Lab & Online Marketing Officer, SCIAF

Twitter tactics – How your organisation can make 140 characters work for you

 

- Kate Henderson and June MacLeod – GCVS 

Inbox heaven – Creating email newsletters that people actually want to read

 

12.30pm Lunch in the Albany Cafe

 

1.20pm Speaker:

Jamie Livingstone – Communications and Campaigns Manager, Oxfam Scotland

Digital influencer – How social media can play a key role when working with journalists, politicians and beyond. (15mins talk and 5 mins Q&A)

 

1.40pm Workshop slot Three – choice of 4 workshops:

- Sara Thomas – Fundraiser, MND Scotland 

Money talks – Online fundraising & social media

 

- Martin Dewar – Digital Director, Young Scot

Young people – Engaging with 11 to 26 yr olds online

 

- Ross McCulloch – Founder, Third Sector Lab & Be Good Be Social

Back to basics – Creating the world’s quickest social media strategy

 

- Alison Hutcheson – Founder, Woods Noble Media

Storytelling with video – Making online videos that people connect with 

 

2.55pm Workshop slot Four – choice of 4 workshops:

 

- Sara Thomas – Fundraiser, MND Scotland 

Money talks – Online fundraising & social media

 

- Martin Dewar – Digital Director, Young Scot

Young people – Engaging with 11 to 26 yr olds online

 

- Workshop Host TBC – Blackbaud Europe

Fundraising on the move – Getting the most out of mobile technology

 

- Alison Hutcheson – Founder, Woods Noble Media

Storytelling with video – Making online videos that people connect with

 

4.10pm Speaker:

Ed Henderson – Jack Draws Anything

The little boy with the big art – How six year old Jack Henderson raised over £31,000 for charity with a little help from social media. (15 mins talk and 5 mins Q&A)

 

4.30pm Closing comments

 

BOOK TODAY

Facebook timeline for pages means the death of ‘Like to Unlock’ – good riddance

Good Luck!

Those of you using the new Facebook timeline for pages will notice that you can no longer set a custom application as the default landing tab non-fans see. So no more welcome landing pages badgering people to ‘like to unlock’ content. While the aggressive social media marketeers out there may weep it is a victory for user experience and it should mean that truly engaging, interesting content floats to the surface.

According to TechCrunch default landing tabs only drive 10% of the total page app traffic. 90% comes from published links and ads, which still function the same without the default landing tab capability. Theoretically therefore it could only cause a maximum of a 10% drop in page app traffic, much of the way pages use apps will stay the same.

So is the death of the Facebook page default landing tab a good thing for users?

Scotland’s first Social Media for Social Good conference

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Scotland’s first ever all-day third sector social media conference, Social Media for Social Good, will take place on 26th April 2012 at The Albany Learning and Conference Centre, Glasgow.

The event will be packed with amazing talks and a selection of practical workshops, encompassing topics such as video for the web, better blogging, facebook and twitter tips, social media strategy, online fundraising and more.

We’re keen to keep the conference affordable so tickets will be under £100 – they’re going to be available via the GCVS website from 1st March onwards. I’ll let you know the full speaker and workshop line-up soon!

Thanks to all the social media santas

Well it seems a fair few of you got in to the Christmas spirit and read my blog post about Shelter Scotland’s Blantyre project. Over 20 gifts were received just in time for Christmas, staff at the service had feared they would not be able to provide a gift for every child.

Linda Dickson, Service Manager at Shelter Scotland’s Support Service South Lanarkshire, said:

“We are overwhelmed by the level of support we have received and it just goes to show the positive impact social media can have. Homelessness can have a devastating effect on children’s lives and Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for them and their families.

On behalf of everyone at Shelter Scotland I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to those who donated a gift and made Christmas Day a very special time for the families and children we work with.”