strategy not tacticts

Seth Godin is one of the smartest men who blog, I don't know about him in real life but I enjoy his blog and his books, most significantly Tribes.



To follow up on my post that blogs aren't dead, they are the foundation of your social media strategy- his post today nails on the head why we are more interested in tools/ tactics than we are in strategy.

Most of us are afraid of strategy, because we don't feel confident outlining one unless we're sure it's going to work. And the 'work' part is all tactical, so we focus on that. (Tactics are easy to outline, because we say, "I'm going to post this." If we post it, we succeed. Strategy is scary to outline, because we describe results, not actions, and that means opportunity for failure.)

This is why every organization wants a Facebook page: because every other organization has a Facebook page. A Facebook page might be exactly what you need- but you better have a strategy to manage it, much like the editorial calendar you already have for your blog! But don't go starting a Facebook page until you have a strategy...



If you have a Facebook (twitter, youtube, myspace) page but no strategy- don't delete and start over when you feel like it either- keep doing what you are doing and build and implement a strategy based on what you have learned so far! We are nonprofits, we have budgets, just because these are free tools we have to build these into our existing marketing, fundraising, donor relations, new audience acquisition, board engagement, etc... programing. Your social media strategy should fit your demographic, your mission and vision. You should have measurable goals, a timeline and evaluative mechanisms.



Sorry to burst your bubble, but to do this stuff well you have to think ahead. Nothing is worse than starting something then not engaging with in. The expectation is you are in these spaces, think carefully how you will allocate the resources. And test the waters, thoughtfully making decisions as you learn.

So you think blogs are dead

I had this fascinating conversation with a Seattle nonprofit a week ago, and we were talking about Social Media strategies. You know, being thoughtful and having a plan about how you integrate Social Media into your existing programs and mission for your nonprofit.



First, we have to think of Social Media as something other than a broadcast system. I qualify you- your organization has information and news and content that is of great value to your constituents: your audience, patrons, donors, volunteers, fans, etc... So why aren't you making this information accessible to them? Why are you making them work so hard to love you? Well... get a blog. Get those people who visit your website to get information happy, and keep them coming back by blogging. Arts organizations have an amazing amount of content to share- whether this be events, company news or even community news- be the news source for your followers.



This is in-part what social media is about, adding value and fostering your relationships, but you have to give to get. Make it easy by having a blog on your website. This is where strategy comes in handy: create an editorial calendar and decide what you are going to post, when it will be posted and who is responsible for posting this information!



Next, make it easy for people to share that information, this is where social media really comes in handy. Add a basic share tool to the bottom of your blog, you can do this by entering a simple line of code on your blog, you can get this here. This way people who read your blog can share your information to their social networks.



Yes, of course you are going to want to create your own social networks- but this is a whole strategy we will go over in time. Start blogging!

Arts and Communities

As you may know, I am wrapping up the practicum component of my Masters in the upcoming week, on how arts organizations can and should leverage social media in order to sustain themselves and their communities. I come from the philosophy that art is good for community, good for the individual and (damn it) even good for the economy!



I am apologizing for the last time about my lean posts here- I here by swear I will make it my priority to push all the energy I have spent writing a manifesto into this here blog (as well as my other pursuits). The thing about blogging is, there is more than enough information to share; it is my goal to distill this information in a way that adds value to your life, builds a collective knowledge base, and eventually can be a cornerstone of a community of highly engaged arts professionals. Right? So taking time to find and share quality information regularly is the goal.



To kick this off, please consider joining me on Wednesday August 12th, Balagan Theatre @6:30pm as I present my practicum- on how arts organizations can leverage social media strategically. My very brief presentation will be followed up by a panel of 5 very smart and dedicated arts professionals who use social media for their arts organizations. There will be a cash bar and plenty of opportunities to network.



In the mean time check out this awesome article I found about a month ago on social networked arts communities.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

Here is the more up to date presentation. The numbers shock me- but the opening slide comparing social media to teenage sex- cause everyone is doing it is one of the biggest problems I face. Just because everyone has a facebook page doesn't mean its the right strategy for your organization.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

What The F**K is Social Media?

If you can see this you are the audience... This is a presentation that is the surface of social media... to actually do this for clients it's much more strategic, with less profanity. Just be shocked at how pervasive social media is, I dare you!

What The F**K is Social Media?

View more documents from Marta Kagan.