Coordinating Your Online Channels

Aspiration Communications Matrix

introductions + problems:

consultant to non-profits: -most non-profits don't have an online communications plan

communications person for a non-profit: -had a matrix, it was very helpful -there is value when you come in cold into an advocacy campaign -show how they are doing social media

cpenn: part of original aspiration cohort -aspiration works with non-profits to help them build online communications -focus on building a communications matrix -consultant needs their own communications matrix

issue: there's a matrix in place -there's a primary message sender that doesn't actually check the matrix -it's just a documentation file that's useful when change of head -but is it used daily? any tools to help this out?

aspiration publishing matrix -simple spreadsheet -a lot of nonprofits dont think critically about what kind of content they're putting on social media -content types ROWS -channels COLUMNS -barebones skeleton for your communications plan

content types: -anything your organization creates -examples: enewsletters, event announcements, action alerts, fundraising appeals -blog posts, tweets, new staff announcements -all the different things you are publishing -this list can get exhaustive -amazing: you are creating a LOT of things -almost like writing out your job description

channels: -places you are putting information -example: website, blog, facebook, email, twitter -offline channels: texting, phone, mail, paper newsletter -amazing how many channels people have but don't remember -this leads to constant missed opportunities -anecdote: we had all these youth videos that we never put on youtube or facebook! -this was a missing content type: VIDEOS!

completed publishing matrix: -fill in with Xs -don't need to know software to fill it out, just know how to type -X denotes action taking place -creating workflow: whenever i have an enewsletters: -i send to me email list -also twitter +facebook -if i'm not in tomorrow, someone else will do it for me because we haven't done that yet

-print it out and post it on the wall -by writing it down, there's accountability

fundraising appeal: -people worry about donor fatigue -there's no process at a lot of organizations governing "When do we ask for money, when do we not?" -a process lessens fear for fundraising appeals -aspiration tries not to fundraise on blog, twitter, facebook (different for every organization) -aspiration does fundraise on email though

helpful for the person doing it- one online communications person -what about more people? add staff names to boxes -if you want more accountability: just split the boxes (NEED TO DO) (DONE) -hack the format to be however you want -matrix is a PERMANENT DOCUMENT not a working document -documenting the workflow -instead of X in the column, actually describe the workflow: "post a bitly link of the newsletter" in twitter column

non-profits like to make things complicated! -but this matrix is very simple

question to group: would this be useful? -yes, we have written things out but not in a chart format? -sample flow: fundraising calls, annual report, at least one post on facebook -sample flow: workshops open to facebook = on facebook + blog

having the info is great, thinking it through is great, but -things come up! -could be policy that fundraising appeal doesn't go out on facebook -but somebody does it anyway -questions of enforcement!!

Question: are there automation tools for loading message content and sending message out over channel on an arbitrary date??

HootSuite: collaborative automation tool -but somebody needs to be a gatekeeper -gatekeeper previews someone's stuff: maybe a week in advance, allowing time to review -scheduled publish, moderation, has analytics -but it costs money -free dashboard -has twitter, linkedin, facebook tabs

Twuffer: free tool - twitter buffer - schedule tweets Tweetdeck : twitter tool

Personal tweaks for the workflow matrix: -great for hiring someone, what tasks have people been doing -it's a spreadsheet not a web app so you can easily modify it

-anecdote: modified twitter, got buy-in from policy team to tweet breaking news while in hearings -not my responsibility to tweet as communications person, but my responsibility to remind them -tweets can happen organically, not scheduled

-anecdote: policy briefs, which audiences to pass it out to -anecdote: ethnic media

knowing where your capacity is at: -if you don't have time to sign into twitter and be there for the conversation -you probably don't have time to tweet -that's where the value is, if you have time to update it -twitter's not a megaphone, it's a conversation

sample matrix for aspiration -specific workflows for stuff that needs to get done for trainings+engagement -channels up top: discussion list, eventbrite (for trainings), flickr, pdf flyer for partners -channels cont: aspiration website, facebook, twitter -specific to our project, all of the channels -content types: training announcement -training reminder -blog post -content types: post-event recap needs to be on the website -content types: pictures need to go to flickr -spanish content: remind myself with asterisks ->external communications vs internal communications

organizational matrix -same matrix but with peoples' names, so if anybody has questions we know who to ask personal matrix: -has X's

how to use it: 1. start with a framework that helps get you started 2. modify it to make it your own 3. don't have to look at it everyday, more helpful in the beginning

so many people we know have made publishing matrixes -but not everybody uses it on a daily basis -could get user feedback on how to make it better -a lot of nonprofits arent thinking about their online communications -helpful to validate a job role: justify funding for the tech/social media person "how hard is it to update facebook? just do it. throw it up real quick!" "actually there's a workflow with a headcount associated." -especially for volunteer + intern -a lot of complexity that is taken for granted

how to get started? 1. as the person doing the social media : write down all the content types 2. then write all of your channels 3. then put in the Xs - ones you don't know about, use question marks 4. bring draft to the staff and ask "What are we missing? What should change?" 5. open draft up for discussion instead of trying to draft in a group

anecdote: events coordinator since 13 -but never operationalized what i do -helps for organizational transition - how to put on a successful event? -once you know how to do something, u realize how valuable an asset that is to pass on -instead of just getting new hire with undocumented expectations -make sure someone other than you has a twitter password!!!

critique? is it a good thing? it seems like a good place to start, but is lacking frequency and how effective the channels are it's just the map great for job validation! entry point, do it for three months then let's talk takes 3-4 months to make ripple in the water

tool: social report -plugin facebook + twitter -maps how busy it is -how many are listening how many RTs -show you how much time you're wasting

four processes at aspiration: 1. audience assessment 2. publishing matrix 3. message calendaring 4. social media dashboarding/listening -where are you being mentioned online?

topsy: news clipping service for twitter -look at hashtags or twitter names over past 30 days -twitter stopped

other tools: mapping occupy oakland, traaker

questions for publishing matrix? hwo to make one? 1. Who is the audience of this channel ? (Strangers? Fans? Founders? Members?) 2. Do we want to engage that audience for this content type? (is it spam? is it valuable?) 3. If yes, how do we want to engage them? Picture? Blog post? Full content piece