The name of this blog makes it obvious that I believe in story telling. Don’t miss the NOW part! The biggest problem with nonprofits and social media is that we are always waiting for…. you can fill in the blank. Here are some thing to remember about successful story telling.
TELL IT NOW
The first is the need to move at the pace people expect in social media. In case you haven’t noticed, the whole point with social media is immediate gratification. I was asking one of my younger colleagues about why chatting is better than email. Her answer? Why should I wait? When something cool happens, blog about it, post it on your Facebook wall and send out a tweet. (This is also the great content rule – people like to hear interesting things). If you wait, you won’t do it.
TELL IT EVERYWHERE
You have multiple channels for a reason. Do you remember the days when some of us got our news from the TV and others really wanted to read the newspaper? OK, so I am dating myself. But I suspect many of you remember that also. Well, social media is the same thing. Some people like the fast and furious tweet to give them a taste of what’s up. Others want to go to your Facebook page when they are on their computer at 12 midnight and the kids are finally asleep. And some folks really want to read this whole blog about telling stories, believe it or not.
TELL IT WELL
Your brand/organization/mission’s success is totally dependent on your ability to clearly articulate it in a concise and consistent manner. In writing class we always called this “telling” versus “showing.” You always want to show and try never to tell. Show me the family you helped (anonymously, of course), show me the difference you made. Don’t just tell me you did. And be consistent. The need for a consistent message is still important even though your method of delivery has changed. If you tweet something and then post something totally different on your Facebook wall – well, let’s just say people notice this stuff.
TELL IT OFTEN
There is no such thing as too much story telling. There is too much asking and too many emails and too many phone calls. but stories are always welcome when they are well told and communicate a real human message. The same story over and over won’t work. But if you are successful in the first of these suggestions, you can’t tell too many stories. You can never know which story works for which supporter when on what channel. I think you get it.
TELL IT WITH PASSION TO ME
Make it personal. Write as if I am sitting across the table from you with a cup of coffee and you are sharing the amazing things your organization has done. You know what I mean. You know when you have passion and when you are writing in panic. Panic never wins support. Passion always does.
