Ceci Davison: Lecture on Social Media Practices

Last week my Social Media Strategies class was lucky to have Ceci Dadisman as a guest lecturer. Ceci is a digital marketer, nonprofit empowerer (!), and public speaker and shared some killer advice on best social media practices for businesses. Below are some of my favorites!

1. Create a Persona Find out attributes about the audience that you are targeting in public relations and shape your online persona around the qualities they like. An online persona should have a voice that channels the image you are trying to create for your business (or, in my case, nonprofit). I can attest to the challenges that can arise in trying to create a persona. Shadowing for The Children's Playhouse requires me to create digital and print copy, and I am constantly having to remember to use a fun and inviting tone when writing. My time practicing public relations has taught me that this challenge is simply remedied through practice.

2. Facebook is king

Facebook is the dominant social media platform for several reasons: it's the broadest, has an older market and the most users, and is fastest at adapting in the industry.

This is a very important fact for me to remember in my field, and is a trend that I have already witnessed.

Adults are on Facebook, a lot. My mother's friends are more active than mine by far, and every nonprofit that I have worked with in social media has had the most adult interaction on the popular platform. Because adults interact with nonprofits and donate more frequently than the younger age range, a nonprofit should always make sure they are active on Facebook.

3. Promoted Posts are Awesome

Before Ceci's lecture, I had never thought about promoted posts on Facebook. With frequent use of the social media platform, one might start to block them out and rarely take notice of them. If used correctly, they can be useful for nonprofits and businesses.

Using images is a must for all promoted posts. If you are going to spend money on one, why not making it visually appealing to the fullest extent? Promoted posts on Facebook should always be three things: visual, relevant, and clear in it's CTA (call-to-action). Relevancy may seem obvious, but always take into account a viewer who knows nothing about you. Being a promoted post in the first place, yours should always have an action that the viewer is supposed to take, whether it's visiting your website or texting a code to a number.

Thank you, Ceci, for your advice!

Best, Colette

#socialmedia #nonprofit