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CHAPTER 1
Setup
The beginning of every social media journey is an exciting time, whether youâve been tasked with creating a program from scratch or adding a new twist to an existing one. The low barrier to entry of social platforms means nonprofits can begin engaging their supporters right away, so making sure things are in order from the start can make a big difference.
Before you take your organization and supporters on this journey, itâs important to get things set up properly. In a perfect world, youâll already have a strategy in place, a social media policy rolled out to your staff, and all of your accounts created and beautifully branded. Since that isnât always the case, itâs always a good idea to look at how other nonprofits have setup their programs.
Tactics like branding your Twitter page, setting up your Facebook uniform resource locator (URL), integrating social media into your web site, and other topics covered in this chapter will ensure a better social experience for your supporters and make life easier for your organization. Think of these setup tasks as the first few steps on the journeyâsteps you need to take in order to reach your final destination.
Even if youâve already started the journey, itâs always a good idea to look back, review, and refine the social experience youâre providing. Sometimes a nonprofit will start a social program simply because someone told them they needed to, and this can lead to wrong turns. This chapter will help you stay on track and get the most out of your social media efforts.
Are you ready to begin? Letâs go. . .
Claim Your User Name on Facebook
Creating a unique user name allows you to promote your Facebook presence via a short URL. Instead of saying âfind us on Facebook,â you can provide potential supporters with a link that leads them directly to your page. This comes in especially handy in conversations and print marketing materials. With the ever-expanding world of Facebook, be sure to grab your unique URL as soon as possible, before someone else does!
What You Need
A Facebook page with at least 25 likes
How to Do It
1. Visit facebook.com/username.
2. From the interface, choose which page you would like to select a user name for.
3. If your desired name is not available, try and try againâmaybe an acronym will work instead!
A Closer Look
Things you should know about Facebook user names:
- Make it easy to remember. Think clear, descriptive, and simple when selecting your user name. If you have a Twitter account, you should consider using the same handle. If your organizationâs name is long, you may want to use an acronym (if it is easily recognizable.) Generic words like âflowersâ or âpizzaâ are not available for use at this time.
- Make sure you are 100 percent positive that the name you choose is the name you want forever before you click âConfirm.â Changing your Facebook user name once submitted is not an option, even if you misspelled it.
- Usernames are not transferable. This is a good thing! It protects Facebook from the creation of fake accounts and protects users from âsquattersâ who are merely setting up an account to claim a name and retain it for future use or sale.
- Facebook has a process for protecting intellectual property rights. If you go to select your user name and it is already taken, the only protection you have is if you are the legal trademark owner for the term. Facebook offers a user-name intellectual property-infringement form that you must fill out to reclaim your name.
Brand Your YouTube Channel
If your nonprofit is using YouTube to host videos and engage supporters, taking the time to brand your organizationâs channel should be part of the plan. You may be posting your videos on Facebook or your blog, but people will still be visiting your YouTube channel. Thatâs why itâs so important to have your organizationâs brand well represented. YouTube offers additional branding options through its Nonprofit Program that can turn your channel into a great destination.
What You Need
A YouTube account, a YouTube Nonprofit Program membership, and someone to design your graphics
How to Do It
1. Create a YouTube account for your organization if you havenât already done so.
2. Apply for YouTubeâs Nonprofit Program by visiting www.youtube.com/nonprofits, and pressing the âApplyâ button.
3. Determine the overall look and feel of your YouTube channel, including incorporating your organizationâs branding, colors, and so on.
4. Design the header, avatar, and background.
5. Go to âChannel Designâ and change the colors and modules you want to use on your channel.
6. Access the âBranding Optionsâ section of your channel and upload your icons and banners.
A Closer Look
A well-branded YouTube channel can be an important social media outpost for your organization, so take the opportunity to make it look as professional as possible. The YouTube Nonprofit Program provides many benefits, several of which involve branding and design.
Once your YouTube channel has been accepted into the Nonprofit Program, you can begin customizing your channel. YouTubeâs Channel Design section will help you set the colors and styles of your channel, which should match your organizationâs web site and branding standards as closely as possible. You can then upload custom icons, backgrounds, and banners to complete the design.
Because there are so many ways you can customize your YouTube channel, be sure to look around at what other nonprofits have done. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Here are four nonprofits that have well-branded YouTube channels that you should check out:
- United Way Worldwide has a really solid, great-looking channel. It features a header linking to its web site, perfectly matched styles, and a great youth-focused background image. www.youtube.com/unitedwaypsas
- Boys and Girls Clubs of America takes a simple approach with its channel, featuring a design that matches its web site. A current campaign is featured in the header, which is a great way to encourage supporters to take action. www.youtube.com/bgcastaff
- The Nature Conservancy has a well-branded header on its channel, which also contains two HTML buttons called âHow You Can Helpâ and âAbout Us.â A Google Checkout donation option is also included near the bottom of the channel, which is another great benefit of YouTubeâs Nonprofit Program. www.youtube.com/natureconservancy
- America Jewish World Service has done a great job combining a custom header with the background graphic to create a seamless design. The organization also uses a second banner in the left column to drive traffic back to its web site. www.youtube.com/ajwstv
In the end, you just need to strike a balance between being creative and professional. And while creating a great-looking channel is important, donât overlook producing compelling videos that people actually want to watch (see Tactic 41).
Claim Your Venue on foursquare
Claiming your venue on foursquare is easy to do, and the reason for doing it is just as simpleâto become the âmanagerâ of the venue. Once you claim your venue, fou...
