Facebook’s Jon Fougner and BlitzLocal demonstrated how Facebook Pages and Ads can powerfully  connect nonprofits with their supporters in the  ReadyTalk Webinar Series on April 28.

Fougner said Facebook is better than other online sites at generating interest because it incorporates  social context. A person is more likely to click that they “Like” a cause or support it financially if they  see that their friends already have done so.

Dennis Yu, CEO of local Internet marketing firm BlitzLocal, demonstrated one social media engagement strategy for Facebook. His firm designed a Facebook Page tab that allows those who “Like” Friends of Trees, a Portland area nonprofit, to earn a badge for their support.

Webinar attendees learned that 70 percent of non-profits already have Facebook Pages, but that only 30 percent are running Facebook ads to them.  Thus, most non-profits are missing out on a massive source of highly engaging traffic. Facebook also offered a free $50 advertising credit for the first 1,000 non-profits that sign up.

This was scheduled to be the final session of “Online Marketing for Nonprofits,” a four-part webinar series hosted by ReadyTalk. Now, due to overwhelming response, a bonus webinar appears to be in the works, according to ReadyTalk’s series manager (more later).

Fougner, Facebook’s associate for ads product marketing, said he was delighted to address the group. “Part of the reason it’s so exciting to speak to nonprofits is that the nonprofit community has been among the leaders in social marketing,” Fougner he said. “Even before Facebook existed, nonprofits have leveraged friends and loved ones to communicate a message and to build support. There’s nothing we love more at Facebook than to see our product used to effect change in the world.”

If you missed it, you can view the webinar recording  here. If you don’t have time to watch, here are some notes inspired by the event on the 7 Deadly Sins for Non-Profits on Facebook:

1. Not allowing fans to post on their page: The default wall settings show only posts by the administrator, effectively shutting out what your fans have to say.  The effect of this is to kill your viral traffic, because who wants to post on a page where comments don’t show up?

2. Not creating a custom tab: Yes, you can have a tab on your page that has video, Twitter, a donation form — many things. You can brand tabs with your logo, colors and more. Sadly, few non-profits are aware of this option, which is via the Static FMBL application.

3. Not connecting their Facebook Page with their website: Social media sites don’t live alone they need to be tied to your website.  Facebook has released Facebook Connect to allow you to do just that, so that what happens on your website can show up on your Facebook page — and vice-versa.  Best of all, it takes only minutes to implement.

4. Not taking advantage of the free $50 from Facebook: You’ll have to download the code from the presentation to be able to see it.  As a special bonus to just attendees, the first 1,000 folks to use it will get it, so don’t delay.

5. Not reserving your vanity url: Better get your name on Facebook before someone else grabs it!  Go to facebook.com/username.  Your shorter url will be easier to remember and is just nicer to have.  BlitzLocal’s is at facebook.com/blitzlocal.

6. Treating social ads like search ads: Are you guilty of copying your Google ads to Facebook and expecting it to work in the same way?  Facebook is about friends who are connecting with each other, not people who are entering in a keyword at the moment they’re interested in buying something.  Thus, on Facebook, you are generating awareness, as opposed to driving conversion at that moment.

7. Not tracking conversions: Number 6 notwithstanding, Facebook ads still drive great conversions.  Because you’re targeting the people as opposed to keywords, the window from the click to the eventual conversion can be months, instead of minutes.  Measure your conversions properly via Facebook’s new conversion tracking tool so you can determine ROI on your ads.

Simone Verhulst, who manages the monthly Webinar Series at ReadyTalk, said the response was strong. “We have had amazing feedback on the entire series, and a huge response to the Facebook presentation. The audience was highly engaged and we had a great Q&A session at the end which gave attendees some bonus material to take away,” she said. “We’ve currently got something extra in the works due to the vast response from our non-profit followers – keep an eye out for June!”

Series co-sponsor BlitzLocal wishes to thank all of its guests in the series, including Jon Fougner, Kristie Mun (Google Grants), Don Campbell (Expand2Web), Brett Meyer (NTEN) and Gillian Muessig (SEOMoz).

Should you have any questions, feel free to reach local Internet marketing firm BlitzLocal at nonprofits@blitzlocal.com.

My podcasting “Ps” are pretty much frozen by now, but I’ll reheat them and serve up another helping.

The last “P” I talked about was “Planning.” Once you’ve done that, you’re ready for the next “P”: “Producing.” This is where the “Ps” really start to get good.

Producing podcasts consists of creating the content and recording it. Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you produce your podcasts:

• Content is king. Make sure the content is something your listeners will value. Also, get to the point and be succinct. The worst thing you can do is waste your audience’s time.
• Stick to the basics. The structure of your podcast should be the same as any other presentation, whitepaper, or effective communication: introduction, body, and a reinforcing conclusion.
• Don’t advertise or sell. Your audience can smell a sales pitch a mile away. What they want is information that enlightens or entertains them. Otherwise, they won’t listen.
• Be authentic. Polished, professional-sounding podcasts are difficult and expensive to produce. Luckily, it’s not necessary, if you’re producing something useful. It’s more important to be authentic.
• Have a clean delivery. Although you don’t have to sound like a professional, the quality of the performance is still important. Use performers with clear, articulate voices. Follow a script to keep the performance focused. Practice before recording, at least while you’re getting started.
• Make it easy to edit. You will make mistakes, probably a lot of them at first. So record your podcasts with editing in mind. Slow down and pause frequently as you record to create adequate cut points if you need them. Don’t try to edit individual words. If you make a mistake, re-record the entire sentence or more.
• Build a backlog. Try to produce several podcasts in your series before publishing your first one, and always have more than one ready to go. This will ensure regular releases, which helps build and retain your audience.

Producing your first podcasts may be a bit intimidating and take some time. But don’t worry, you’ll get good at it. And before long you’ll probably really like doing them. Just like you learned to like peas. Okay, well…better than that.

Technorati Tags: B2B, Customer Service, Human Resource, Marketing, Podcasting, Public Relations, Sales, Social Media

In my last entry, I addressed how the “green” affect can actually have an impact on the ‘red’ within your company, in regards to the bottom line. I also stated that by being a web and audio conferencing company, ReadyTalk is very engaged in being “green”.
The next logical question to follow up with might be, “How exactly does this green approach work?” Well, I’ve come across a few articles that address this topic and have summarized the important points below:

• More than 25% of the population in the US today sees themselves as “green consumer” in the market. That twenty-five percent represents a hefty amount of revenue that a company can potentially reign in if their practices truly align with green requirements and ideals. http://www.earthnowexpo.com
• Capturing a consumer that becomes an advocate for your company and brand can offer a huge return on your bottom line. The payoff for the relatively small investment in some ‘green’ corporate practices can substantially boost the kickback you receive from that investor in the long run. It will begin to breed loyalty among your current clientele. http://greenoptions.com/tag/customer-advocacy
• Even if the initial thought of ‘going green’ seems daunting or unaffordable, paying attention to what your competitors are doing doesn’t cost you a thing. If they are downsizing or reducing budgets, opportunities may emerge for you. Instead of dwelling on the deficiency, consider the prospective business that may arise – your competition is probably doing the same. http://greencollartech.com/going-green-improve-bottom-line.htm

In the green frenzy that’s taken over corporate American in the past 5 years, is the bottom line really just the bottom line? Not necessarily, but finding ways to save money, increase profitability, and maintain credibility or even boost your image as a socially responsible business is.

Where does one start? Continuing down this green path in the next few blog posts, I will be giving you a glimpse into what we are doing here at ReadyTalk as web conferencing company to be “green”. I will also provide some examples of what other companies are doing to commit to more environmentally sound practices & ultimately turning a profit in the process.

When thinking of ‘green initiatives’, individuals are usually one of the following:

1. confused
2. over zealous & uninformed
3. educated & participating

I would say that as a whole we are moving toward 3, however, there are plenty out there that still fall into the first two categories.

What does it mean to be “green”? Good question. I honestly had only an inkling of what the popular terminology actually entailed before I started working on a series of web seminars that we will be hosting over the following months speaking directly to this topic.

In many of today’s businesses, the trend has been the start up of a sustainable committee within the work place to help better educate not only the employees but also the consumers and shareholders. When an individual understands how they are contributing to the idea & reality of social responsibility either directly ( via corporate practices) or indirectly (personally buying a product or service of company xyz that has integrated green practices) then they are more likely to apply those practices outside the workplace as well. Additionally, from the consumer side, a company is apt to retain and gain new clientele because of their efforts in this area. Environmentally friendly practices carry a lot of weight these days and can be a beneficial PR tactic – as long as its not being taken out of context and there is relevant education available to those evaluating your services.

We will be kicking-off our ‘Green’ Series next month in hopes to bring some clarity to this catchfire topic. We’ll cover areas from cost-savings, to PR tactics, to simple practices that can have a lasting impact on your daily work activities. Even the smallest amount of knowledge can make a difference and put you ahead of the curve when it comes to being informed and not just jumping on the wagon.