This week Google announced that they were going to add information from Google+ pages into their search algorithms so that they can create a more personalized result when you search. Sounds great, right?
But hold one for a second. What does this mean for you and your agency? It means Google+ pages now impact the result people see when they use a search engine like Google to find you. To make sure that your agency’s programs and agency name continue to be top 10 results in Google, you’ll want to start a Google+ page if you already haven’t done so yet. On this page, you’ll want to make sure to include keywords and terms that are similar to your agency website’s content.
Here are a couple of resources, that I usually turn to with social media questions, that should help you create and maintain a Google+ page.
I wanted to share some social media tools and nuggets I’ve come across recently.
1. Roost – this social marketing platform allows you to create a marketing campaign. They have free and paid versions (of course with more bells and whistles)
2. Wildfire – allows you to track and monitor social media mentions. manage your social media campaigns, and manage social media pages. Prices vary.
3. EyeTrackShop’s study on how people view your social media page. Fascinating to say the least.
4. MuckRack – tells you what journalists are writing about when they use social media. You can set up a keyword alert, like Google Alerts, and it will tell you in real time. BTW, if you haven’t set up a Google Alert for your agency, you should.
5. EasyChirp – it is an alternative to Twitter but aimed to be used by people with disabilities who may be using access technologies. Until last summer it was called Accessible Twitter. It’s in beta so they are still testing it with end users. Sadly, their website uses disability language that is not person-first.
What have you found recently that you like? Let us know in the comments.
Google+ finally is allowing charities (and businesses) to have their own pages on the Google+ platform. No more work arounds.
Beth Kanter has already started pulling together a circle of all charities who have a page. Another reason why I love to read Beth’s work.
John Haydon has created a video explaining how to create a Google+ page for your website. This video is one of the reasons why John Haydon rocks! John, thanks for your work on this.
Do you have a Google+ page for your agency? If so let us know so we may add you to our circle and let Beth know so you’re in hers, too.
I gave a talk yesterday explaining Pecha Kucha to a group of nonprofit executives. Pecha Kucha is a variation on your typical PowerPoint presentation. I’ve seen people call it the intersection of a business meeting and a poetry slam. This Japanese style presentation (created by a British architect and an Italian architect living in Tokyo) was created in 2003 but has grown in popularity to be a worldwide mainstream business presentation style.
How it differs from your traditional PowerPoint presentation is that the speaker uses 20 slides and has 20 seconds per slide to speak. The slides are set up to auto-run so they advance automatically. Then after the 6:40 is up (20 slides x 20 seconds = 6 minutes 40 seconds) the presenter sits down. Questions are only asked at the end. That’s it. It forces the presenter to focus and choose the most important item(s) to discuss and leaves the chaff behind.
As a nonprofit you can use this style presentation to share program information, use of donations, training staff and volunteers, advocacy, and really any topic that you can think up. It causes the audience to pay attention. A couple of tricks to consider when creating a Pecha Kucha style presentation include: using strong images, using timely information, and if you use text and or chart, make sure the audience can read them in 20 seconds or less.
Pecha Kucha style presentations were invented 8 years ago as 1) a fun way to showcase knowledge and products while placing presenters who are beginners or advanced professionals on a level footing and 2) an innovative and disruptive alternative to the boring PowerPoint presentations.
You can do Pecha Kucha with a live audience. You can also post them to the web if you videotape your live presentation or if you record audio of your talk to match the slides. Places to post them include your YouTube channel, your own website, your intranet, or you can even burn them on discs or thumb drives to hand out to people. Here are a few videos on Pecha Kucha as well as a link to my slides. You may find addition Pecha Kucha videos on YouTube or on the Pech-Kucha.org website. I haven’t posted the audio for my slides but will do so and will share the updated information with you. Until then enjoy the videos.
Google has a great web page on how to add +1 buttons for your website. If you’re already using Google+ you really should consider adding these to your website, too.
Facebook changed things up a bit in the past few weeks. You now don’t have to ‘like’ something to be able to comment on a page. The subscribe button allows you to be part of a page’s conversation without being previously connected to the page. John Haydon has a great run down on how the changes and specifically the subscribe button helps nonprofits.
What are your thoughts on the changes? Please feel free to share them in the comments box below.
Facebook changed their layout today. It’s different and in my opinion seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to Google+. Here’s a nice 7 point story on what the changes are and mean. What are your thoughts on the changes?
This week Facebook launched new changes. You can tag people who you’re with, geographic tagging for your posts, and how to separate posts to your groups.
Here’s a video explaining these changes.
If you’ve begun using the new tools, please share your reaction in the comments section.
Two years ago I posted a video on the use of social media. There is now an updated video for this called the Social Media Revolution 2011. Based on #1 International Best Selling Book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman, this video includes statistics on the world’s population, technology adoption, and the continued rise of social media.
