Monthly Archives: May 2011

Facebook pages with the highest interaction

May 31 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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The most engaged Facebook page

This well-connected website is the chosen one for millions.

Envy may be a sin but it’s an entirely understandable response upon perusing the world’s most engaging Facebook pages.

Idols from theology, pop music and sport dominate. These are not necessarily the pages with the most fans or likers but the pages with the highest percentage of comments, likes and feedback per post. This shows that they are hitting the mark with their audiences. Murder is also a sin but we’d kill for the percentage of interactions these sites enjoy.

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facebook advice part 3

May 30 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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Facebook advice

Hump day woes eased with Facebook

Monday sees the most new posts placed onto Facebook.  Perhaps it’s a pleasant way for comms folk to start their working week. (We’re not talking personal sites here BTW, just brands and organisations).
However Wednesday is the clear winner for the number of (all important) comments and Facebook activity overall.
Combining the three things we’ve learnt so far we know that we are more likely to receive interaction from our Facebook fans and likers if we post earlier in the day, in the last quarter hour of the hour on Wednesday morning. 
Of course all this is more valuable, the more fans you have. Get enough of a following and a 1% rise in interactions can mean hundreds of comments. We wonder which Australian NFP has the most Facebook support and which has the highest percentage of interaction. They could be the same but we bet they ain’t. Pop quix – do you know the percentage of interaction your Facebook efforts gain? Shame on you.
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media training tip

May 27 2011  |   Brett  |  1 Comment
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Hootville offers media training.

Puppies, syringes, lessons.

Let’s face it – some causes are much more sympathetic than others. A smart communicator understands this and shapes her argument accordingly. Example: we previously worked with a smart man who raises millions for seeing eye dogs. He  understood that donors weren’t inspired by helping people with impaired vision as much as they were inspired by the cute puppies. As Squiggle pointed out – it’s all about the puppies. As always; he was right.

Safe injecting rooms are currently a big issue in Victoria. IV drug users are some of the least liked, most villified people in the community yet too many pro-injecting room advocates are talking about meeting the needs of addicts. Wrong. Joe Citizen doesn’t particularly care to offer injectors education, warmth, privacy, clean needles and the like. 

Instead; talk about how a safe injecting room makes streets safer for older people, how business owners can trade unimpeded, how police could be freed to perform other tasks, how playgrounds will be cleared of syringes.  These are some of politicians’ most treasured audiences. Those audiences might also be more persuaded.

There are parallels with mental health advocates. Yes we want services to assist people with mental illness for their own sake but talk up the specific, tangible benefits to other groups in the community. Start with carers who may not need to be fulltime unpaid psych nurses. Go to police who will be able to spend time on othert matters.

For some this is too tricky, cutesy, folksy. To others it’s ‘duh’. Either way, it’s a more effective path to the same end. Take it.

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Australian non profit shows backbone

May 25 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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It’s rare that we see non profits risk their relationship with government. Victorians have had some recent examples with RSPCA Victoria challenging the government on jumps racing and Job Watch highlighting its defunding.

Now we see another example from Environment Victoria which is also being emasculated by the new regime. (Can anyone see a trend emerging?) At least they are going out swinging.

Ask yourself – could our organisation launch such a fight – presuming it had the need and the nerve?

Consider your ducks. Are they in a row?

Are your campaigning ducks in a row?

By ducks we mean – eNewsletter with a big fat engaged database; Twitter account with tuned in followers, website that is easy to update and worth visiting; media contacts ready to take your call?

Do your clients, participants, donors, board members even think of you as an organisation that needs to fight for itself in the first place? Or are you seen as part of the furniture, humbly delivering services until someone in government closes you down?

It’s too late to establish these channels and change the culture when crisis – or opportunity – hit. We think Environment Victoria’s ducks are in fighting formation. Good luck ducks.

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Job listings updated May 26, 2011

May 25 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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We just sent 2000 or so people job listings as part of the Hootville Lowdown. Did you get it? If not; subscribe today.

We don’t want talented can-do, go-getters like you finding gainful employment in the arms manufacturing, tobacco or people smuggling sectors. That’s why we list non profit sector jobs in marketing, communications, fundraising, campaigning, membership and PR in the Hootville Lowdown. We don’t list them on our website – just online.

We select gigs from across the country and across sectors: local government, statuatory authorities, charities, service providers, education, health – you name it. We don’t list positions that are being recruited by professional agencies on behalf of non profit clients – we think agencies charge enough and don’t need our help. Feel free to send us a brief email with any suitable positions in need of a marketing boost. We have created some surges in applications on occasion. Of course it is free. Just briefly detail your organisation, position title and a link to more information. Pass this on to your HR people. Or is it person?

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free Facebook advice part 2

May 24 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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Another day another infonugget with accompanying graphic. It’s every girls’ dream! This time we look at the time of the hour that people post content and comments. It appears that the first 15m of each hour is the time that we make comments on Facebook. We suspect that this may be the ‘settle down to work’ factor.

When people post comments on Facebook

The first 15m is the busiest.

By this we mean that people often start or restart work after interruptions such as lunch or meetings, on the hour. But instead of getting stuck in to their work they check out  Facebook (and their email) before settling down to work.

Anyhoo, surely this suggests that posting in the last 15m of the hour would place you prominently to gain an extra comment or two. And remember – anyone who comments or Likes you will be more likely to have your content appear in their newsfeed.

As we said in the last item, your content probably doesn’t appear in your fans’ newsfeeds unless they have interacted with you previously and recently. If you’re averaging less than 1% interactions you’re largely Facebooking to nobody. Fear not; we can all do better. More on this shortly.

So far, based on the data we should post early in the day and in the last 15m the hour.

Next: days of the week.

Once again thanks to Allfacebook.com and Vitrue.

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Free Facebook advice part one

May 24 2011  |   Brett  |  1 Comment
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Facebook is a curious beast. Most of us use it for personal purposes and fall into the trap of thinking that there’s not much difference between personal use and campaigning / promoting via Facebook.  

Here’s one difference – as a mature, well rounded adult, you aren’t concerned with endlessly building a bigger presence, gathering Fans, increasing the number of comments and deepening interaction. (We sure hope.) 

However as an organisational Facebooker you should be. So how do we do that?   

We’ll be posting some Facebook advice and information for organisations aiming to get more from this medium which commonly fails to live up to expectations. 

Facebook use revealed
That’s strange. Facebook peak useage coincides with working hours. Slackers!

This graph comes from a three year study by company Vitrue of useage habits. We first found it on  Allfacebook.com.

One conclusion we draw from it is that we should post early in the day, before the tsunami of content comes in.

Remember – it’s all about appearing in the other people’s newsfeeds. This is counted as the number of ‘impressions’ your content receives. And NO everything you post does not appear in all your Fans’ newsfeeds. More on this shortly.

Next up: Does the day of the week or the quarter hour during which you post content have an effect on the number of impressions you receive? Clue: yes.

Coming soon: the Facebooks pages getting the most interaction from readers and why. Clue: you’ll be surprised.

Don’t forget, you can always post a comment right here.

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Australian non profit internet awards.

May 23 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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Internet awards for non profits

Like the Logies but for websites.

 

Isn’t it time your genius was recognised? The Australia New Zealand Internet Awards 2011 has categories for non profits which are doing smart things on the interweb.

Register your interest and the giant, oversized novelty cheque could be yours.

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PR campaign takes Lycra option.

May 19 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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Number Woman

Have you met Number Woman?

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is surely headed to an award for this bold, brassy, figure-hugging campaign.

Who’d have thunk campaigning over the cost of 1300 and 1800 numbers could be so fun? ACCAN, that’s who.

It’s reassuring to see non profits utilising marketing lesson #3. Get your audience’s attention.  

Number Woman makes public appearances and yes she tweets. While an invisible plane may not be in the ACCAN budget she does have a catchcry: “Fair calls for all.” Kudos ACCAN!

Check out the campaign website now.

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$600 In the Neighbourhood Special discount: Queensland. Eh.

May 19 2011  |   Brett  |  Comment
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Discounted media training

$600 off for four days. Grab it, why don't you?

Brett is saddling up, heading north and delivering training to the good folk of Danby and Chinchilla in Queensland, Wednesday June 8, eh. 

If any Queensland organisations wish to turn this rather long day trip into a road trip, Monday June 6, Tuesday June 7, Thursday June 9 and Friday June 10 are available for training workshops, eh. 

A $600 In the Neighbourhood discount  applies. Call Brett today on 03 9017 1062, eh.

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