by Chris Noble

Quick!  What’s the best social media advice you’ve ever gotten?

Are you thinking about it? Think about the person who gave you that advice.  Now think about how you’ve applied it in the days or months since it was offered.

Got it? Hold on to that memory.

Follow-up question: Is that “social media” advice different in any way from other sound advice you’ve received from friends and colleagues?

I hope not.  Because the best advice in social media is about how to be a person, and about what’s important to any form of interaction.  If what you’ve been told only applies to social media, it’s not gonna serve you very well when the next thing comes along.

Case in point: This video from the Social Media for Social Good panel at NCVS (The National Conference on Volunteering and Service).   If you’ve seen the previous videos in the series, you know it’s a cast of all-stars: , , , and .  As good as they are, the most compelling thing about this segment is how the wisdom they’re imparting is valuable across many disciplines.

In a nutshell: (No, Craig, that’s not a reference)

1. Few create, many watch – Paul explains the 1-9-90 rule of how content is created and consumed.  It applies to more than just the internet.  If your goal is getting a mass of people to participate, whether by volunteering, donating, voting, etc. the best way to pursue that goal is to remember that your storytellers are a precious resource.  In nonprofit organizations, this means your leaders, the folks that are rallying others toward a campaign goal or event.

2. Lead by example/ lead by listening – So, if your leaders are your storytellers, get ‘em out there!  Joe talks about how important it is for organizations to show leaders in action, and to create a story of leadership that inspires others to become leaders within the group.  Andrew echoes by pointing out that groups need to look externally for leadership as well – taking examples from what others in the space are doing well (and poorly).  Craig goes a step further by reaffirming that social media is about talking to people: respecting them, listening to them and inspiring them.

3. Use the right tool for the job - There’s the old saying that if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  Asked about what tools nonprofits to use, the panel flirts with open source and new media for a bit, then comes right back to… email.  Yup.  There’s a little rally at the end of this clip where the gang agrees that capturing email addresses and using email to mobilize your forces is still the most powerful way to maintain a connection with your donors and volunteers.  (That’s gotta be good news for the Flowtown team, who make it their business to leverage email lists to best social media effect.)

All good lessons, and all reusable no matter what the future holds. Naturally, these guys say it better.  So take a look:

Related Posts

• NCVS Panel: Mobilizing Volunteers with Social Media
• Service Nerd Fantasy Panel Discussion
• NCVS Panel: Finding the ROI in Social Media
• NCVS: Joe Rospars on Effective Organizing

Originally posted on What Gives?! and cross-posted here with the author’s permission.