Be specific. It knocks out most of the experts and gets you in touch with the people who can really help you. By specific I mean make sure you know what you want out of your campaign. Are you looking to build a community online, increase your e-mail list or create a contest? Know where you want to go so you can seek out those who specialize in that particular niche of social-media application. Googling “social media expert” likely will not get you the results you are looking for.
Show examples, ask for examples. Do your research before a meeting with a consultant or enthusiast. Surf the Web on your own, and locate other nonprofits that are doing things you would like to implement within your social-media strategy. Then ask consultants if they have experience creating similar campaigns.
Start small, and build from the ground up. You want a solid foundation for integrating social media into your marketing strategies, so find someone who understands that first and foremost. However, once you build communities and they begin to thrive, other questions — more specific and more advanced questions — will arise.
Start to develop a go-to list of people who actively write or blog on those specific topics so when questions arise, you know exactly where to go. For example, I have several go-to people just for nonprofits' use of Facebook. By building these lists of enthusiasts, you will likely save time and money. Once you find the right people to follow for specifically what you are looking to achieve, you might get the answers to your questions right there in their blogs.
Christina Johns is online media manager at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Hitting the Email Inbox
Hitting the Email Inbox
