On NationBuilder Live we regularly discuss blog posts and articles that can help you be a more effective nation builder. On yesterday's show we talked about three articles on social media strategy.
Stephen Sheperd from iMediaConnection discussed the growth of image use in social media and the need to develop strategies for taking part in this trend.
e.politics shared results from a survey about social media's effect on the 2012 election (available on Slideshare and included after the flip).
I personally found Jay Baer's article explaining a case study of social media use by a local politician particularly insightful. You can spend all of your time chasing numbers or you can use online tools to connect with people on a human level. My preference is definitely the latter. The best part is that you don't have to be a political candidate to gain insight from this case study.
Here are my suggestions on how to integrate the advice of these experts into your work and your nation:
- Think about how your organization acts in the real world. Are you a local business owner hoping to influence your neighbors? Publicly promote other local businesses on Twitter and write reviews on Yelp.
- Do you want to engage people in face-to-face meetings, but find it difficult to schedule meetings at a time and place that's convenient for your supporters? Crowd source locations and times. On your nation's website, a suggestion box is a great way to allow supporters to participate in these logistical discussions.
- Define some core brand objectives on social media while making sure you always sound like a human. A brand can get social media followers by offering deals. An organization can accelerate the achievement of long-term goals by humanizing its social media presence, engaging people in conversations, and providing ways for supporters to take ownership of those goals.
And if you are in politics, you'll be interested in David Rehr's research. His take-aways in the last few slides contain some particularly interesting information.
