Digital media expert affirms importance of cultivating valuable audiences

Building relationships is critical for organizations that want to mobilize their followers to take action on social media, Shana Glickfield said at the Get It Online: Social Media for Advocacy event March 8. Organizations should be active members of an online community, she said.

Glickfield, a founder and partner at Beekeeper Group, has more than a decade of experience in social media.

Online tools have enormous value as advocacy tools, she said, but using them properly requires an investment of time and strategic thinking.

Glickfield is a proponent of the “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” strategy, popularized by Gary Vaynerchuk’s book of the same name. When organizations have spent time building relationships with their followers, the payoff is greater.

“Do little taps on people to get them engaged with fun and humor,” she said. “The right hook is the call to action.”

An organization’s social media goal should be to develop a voice and persona that make their followers want to spend time with them online. The hard marketing ask feels more authentic when coming from a trusted source.

To strengthen those relationships, Glickfield listed five qualities of compelling content: emotion, creativity, insights, humor, and curation.

Social media producers should also look to leverage mainstream media opportunities by tying their message into an existing conversation.

“It’s always easier to ride a wave than create one,” Glickfield said.

Being creative doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel. There’s just no substitute for good content, she said. In today’s media landscape, good means one thing.

“You need to join the visual revolution,” Glickfield said.

For those who are partial to other tactics, Glickfield noted that social media doesn’t have to replace the in person meetings, emails, and other tools that communicators have previously used. However, one advantage to tweeting at members of Congress rather than emailing them is the accountability that comes from visibility.

“Social media is another opportunity to add a pressure point for the to act,” she said.

This Get It Online luncheon was organized by the Journalism Institute.