{"id":491,"date":"2009-02-27T09:36:02","date_gmt":"2009-02-27T17:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spreadingscience.com\/2009\/02\/27\/lessons-for-profit-making-enterprises-also\/"},"modified":"2009-03-06T09:09:33","modified_gmt":"2009-03-06T17:09:33","slug":"lessons-for-profit-making-enterprises-also","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spreadingscience.com\/2009\/02\/27\/lessons-for-profit-making-enterprises-also\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons for profit-making enterprises also"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s your social media elevator pitch for your nonprofit’s executive director or board?<\/a>:
\n[Via Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media<\/a>]
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Photo by Marco Wessel<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending one of NTEN’s “Ask the Expert” calls and chats with Wendy Harman <\/a>who is the professional listener for the Red Cross. She has a social media elevator pitch just in case she runs into one of the senior managers. It goes something like this: “I’m the social media lady who builds relationships with our stakeholders online.” <\/span><\/p>\n

I bet she also extends that pitch to include the phrase “that results in increased goodwill, improves our reputation, and donations.”<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


\n<\/span>You have to be able to explain social media, Web 2.0, etc. in terms that people can quickly understand. ‘Social media is about connecting online.’ ‘Web 2.0 is all about online conversations.’<\/em><\/span>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

As Jeremiah Owyang<\/a> noted in a post the other day, measurement of social media is key because when marketing dollars are stretched, marketers are under pressure to prove their programs. With social media being largely experimental, it is imperative to measure quickly and make real time course corrections and to figure out what is working. This underscores the importance of listen, learn, and adapt.<\/a><\/p>\n

But when you’re just starting out, organizational culture can get in the way of embracing social media. Wendy Harman shared some insights that Wendy shared parallel what has worked in the corporate sector. (See this IBM Social Media\/Corporate Culture Case Study<\/a>). What’s important is a social media policy<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In order to measure something, you have to know what it is and why you do it. While the touch-feely stuff may make people feel good, measurables will be what makes it successful.
\n<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple of takeaways from Wendy:<\/p>\n