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In her monthly segment, Jessica helps nonprofits take advantage of fundraising tools that help increase donations and fulfill their missions online. This is the second post in the series. Check out her first about SMS donations.

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a conversation supported by online tools to increase traffic, donations/sales, and optimize ROI to your website. Fortunately for you, many still do not understand the value of SMM. Take advantage of this gap, make your cause heard, and let HiDef give you the help you need to get going.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at some common misconceptions folks have about SMM, identify prerequisites before starting a SMM strategy, and overview several of the SMM tools at your disposal.

Common Misconceptions of Social Media Marketing

Misconception 1: Social Media is for the “kids”
Older demographics are evolving into this space rapidly with ages 35-44 being the most prominent age group on SMM sites.

Misconception 2: Social Media Marketing is free
It is not free. There is a significant cost: your time. Think of it as online PR.

Misconception 3: SMM is easy, anyone can do it.
Just like in PR, you pay not only for the time but also the expertise of staff to brand, promote, and develop quality content for your cause. The proactive go-getters who will engage your constituents need to properly represent the organization or else risk doing more damage than good.

Misconception 4: SMM will reap huge benefits right away
Just like Search Engine Optimization, directing organic traffic is difficult to promise or replicate as the results are ultimately in the hands of the audience and a number of other uncontrollable variables. While we can design a strategic campaign to stimulate numerous conversations, we cannot ultimately control the impact it will have. Beware of agencies that promise this.

Preparing for an SMM Strategy

Have the right people at the helm
Social Media Marketing is about interaction—interaction that creates relationships. These relationships allow you to share valuable information about what you have to offer. It is the work of a professional, and if you get it wrong, the cost could mean the reputation of your organization.

SMM allows you opportunities that would not have otherwise occurred. It allows you to dialogue, connect with people and other organizations, and create the buzz for what you have to offer, all from just a few sources. These days, magazines and newspapers are quoting Twitter updates as much as official quotations from your press room. The quality of your social media content is crucial.

Keep fresh and relevant content a top priority
There's nothing worse than a site that's not current. Your largest goal must be to keep your content relevant, and that means someone's going to need to spend time posting engaging thoughts, responding to your visitors' questions and comments, adding graphics, and monitoring activity.

Quality, not quantity
As you build your social media personality, don’t only connect with the "biggest fish," those with numerous “followers,” “friends,” “connections,” etc. Again, this is all about knowing your audience to include the niche if applicable. Although it does make sense to connect with those big fish of social media, it is often tempting to forget about the small guys that could prove to be of higher quality when it comes time to spread your messages.

Know your audience
You know your audience when you’re out in the field, attending conferences, or hosting a donor. Keep that audience in mind when creating your Social Media Marketing strategy as part of your marketing mix. Demographics will point you in the direction to find your audience, knowing what time of day they will be actively online, how to engage them on the many social media applications available, what to include in your blogs and on-site and in e-newsletters, how to design your site and your lead forms, and even when to send out email blasts. With this wisdom clear in the beginning, you will save your organization time and money. In addition, you will also be able to set conversion goals in your analytics software, quickly measuring return on engagement (ROE) to determine the worth of your initiatives.

Now that we've exposed misconceptions and identified prerequisites, let's open up the social media marketer's toolbox and take a look.

Tools for Social Media Marketing

• Social Networking: Social networking encompasses any site or tool centered around online, associate- or friend-based networking allowing you to hang out with people that share similar interests. The use of these sites allows you the same objective as going to countless in-person networking events from the luxury of your computer in a fraction of the time. Plus, just logging in will keep you up-to-date on your connections’ activity. Building relationships online is a big part of having a successful Internet initiative. Stay connected by determining the best sites to join. Find a list of Social Networking Sites for Business Professionals and ensure to stay committed.
• Blogging: Blogs are not a business elective; they're a prerequisite. Do not pass up your opportunity to promote your great cause, engage your employees / volunteers, and even get feedback from your target audience. The most important rule to remember is to constantly add fresh content.
• Micro Blogging: Twitter.com is a cross between social network and blog. Building a large list of followers is a great way to meet people and increase traffic to your blog and websites. Plus it is fun to Tweet!
• Video Marketing: With all the content available on the web, video is known to be one of the most effective forms of communicating your organization's vision. Video has the power to capture and engage your targeted audience in a way that can’t be matched by other forms of media. Response and retention rates for customers who watch videos are known to be higher and because of this, more and more businesses are utilizing video marketing to create webmercials, conference and trade show videos, corporate training videos, live webcasting, and DVD brochures. Expand your market reach and increase sales by embracing new trends in technology, while offering your visitors a break from reading.
• Social Bookmarking: Directories such as reddit.com, StumbleUpon.com, digg.com, and Technorati.com serve as search engine bait for your blog posts and for new traffic from people who read your blog articles. Bookmarking a blog post is very easy to do and the rewards can pay off for years to come.
• Discussion Forums: This really was one of the first forms of social media and still is a great way to learn about the niche of your cause and to drive traffic to it. Hanging out in discussion forums can be addictive, so be careful to use them the right way and not waste time. There is an art to forum marketing and you must learn to do it correctly.

SMM is about telling your story. Let HiDef guide you.

Like traditional branding, we recommend you keep the same personality for each tool you use. A very simple approach to achieving a consistent voice is to make a short list of what you will talk about via social media and stick with it. At the end of the day, you can read as many how-to blogs, emails, and websites advising for the best social media marketing strategy, but you know your brand better than anyone. Let HiDef Web Solutions guide you into a fool-proof SMM implementation, complete with the confidence of a good Return on Engagement.