The five questions I always get about launching social programs – and the five things I want you to focus on instead.
If you have considered launching a social program, you’ve probably wondered about the following questions:
What should we post?
How can we reach the most people?
Are people going to say bad things about us?
How can I keep up with posting every day?
Who from our organization is going to do the posting?
These are all super valid concerns, and answering them is part of my Social Development and Social Cleanup programs, but they are just the tip of the iceberg of “what to think about when launching social channels.”
Here are my five favorite questions to ask when I’m launching a social program:
1 – How can you create more context with your posts?
How can we create more content for your audience? Finding the sweet spot between giving enough information about your topic to your audience without talking down to them can be a challenge. Some easy ways to get better at contextualizing your posts are limiting acronyms, nixing company in-jokes, and making sure you don’t just share links with no information. A few well-written posts are worth more than 20 posts with no context.
2 – Once you reach an audience, can you handle them?
Reaching your audience is the goal, but do you have the right back-end systems to deal with the people you reach? Whether it increased demands for your services or products, more donors, or even a wave of volunteers, you must have back-end systems to support an extended reach. I teach all my clients an exercise I call “playing the tape to the end,” which lets us dream big about reaching everyone we can while also ensuring we can support the results.
3 – What will your response be to the people who say bad things about you?
People probably WILL say bad things about you – that’s practically what the internet is for! You can manage some of the worries by anticipating what those negative things might be. Review emails from clients or customers, Google your organization, ask staff what they hear from the community, clients, or donors. You may find a pattern you can fix internally, but you can also walk through the feedback and figure out your response to common issues before you launch.
4 – Do YOU need to post every day? (Alternately, “DO you need to post every day?” or “Do you need to post EVERY day?” Pick your emphasis and run with it. They all work.).
Worrying that you can’t keep up with posting every day can sometimes come from not knowing that there are options for managing social. There is a solution for everyone, from the many great schedule tools out there to amazing virtual assistants to help with your posting or to that team member who has been waiting for a new opportunity.
I am also a fan of organizations asking if they need to post every day. Sure, we’re told the algorithm wants us to, but it’s also ok if you don’t. Finding the schedule that works for you and that your organization can sustain can be the difference between keeping up your posting schedule and not.
5 – Who will be your backup when that person can’t post?
Whether you look internally to find someone to handle social, hire a social media manager, or work with someone externally to manage your social – you need to figure out your backup solution simultaneously.
The last two years have shown us that we cannot guarantee that our staff (or our contractors) will always stay healthy or available. Not having a backup for your social person (i.e., asking them to post while on vacation, for example) is a significant factor in burning that person out. Figure out who your backup is – and if you can, find a backup for that backup. You’ll rest easier at night, and so will they.
Have you found this helpful, but wish I had more on each topic? Never fear! I’m going to expand upon each of these areas to give you a deeper look into creating context for your audience, playing the tape to the end, creating a plan to deal with negative feedback, finding a schedule that works for you, and how not to burn out your social media manager. Check back or sign up for my newsletter down below, and I’ll give you a yell when they’re ready!
