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NPowerNorthwest|www.npowernw.org 11/18/2010
SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
Nonprofitorganizationsshouldcontinuouslybelookingforwaystobemorestrategicintheirsocial mediaefforts.SocialMediaactivitiesshouldadduptomorethanaseriesofcompletedtasksandsimply doing.Beingstrategicrequiresnonprofitsbemoredeliberate,innovative,savvy,andlessreactivein theircommunicationspractices.Nonprofitsareencouragedtoregardsocialmediaasacomponent,not separatefrom,overallcommunications.Ifthegoalistobuildsustainable,efficientandeffectivesocial mediaefforts,itisessentialthatitbeintegratethroughouttheorganizationsprocessesandsystems. Whilealotoffocusis,andrightlyso,putonthedevelopmentofstrategiesandinitiativesthesealonedo notaddressthelargerquestionofsustainability. Willtheorganizationsactuallyfollowthroughonthestrategiesandwhatrealisticallyistheir capacitytodoso? Whataretherealitiesofcompetingneedsandlimitedresourcesandhowdoesthisaffectthe capacityquestion? Whatarerealisticexpectationsforwhatwecanhopetoaccomplishgiventhecurrentrealities? Ifwewishtomakechangestooursystemshowdoweknowwheretostartandhowcanwe trackprogress? Nonprofitsneedtoolstobetterunderstandtheircurrentsocialmediacommunicationsperformanceand capacity,andtogainanimprovedsenseofwhatispossibleintermsofdevelopingefforts.ASocial Mediacommunicationauditisonetoolthatcanhelptomeetthisneed.
SocialmediaCommunicationsAuditsDefined
Asocialmediacommunicationsauditisasystematicassessment,eitherformalorinformal,ofan organizationscapacityfor,orperformanceof,essentialcommunicationspractices.Itdetermineswhat isworkingwell,whatisnot,andwhatmightworkbetterifadjustmentsaremade. Definedinthisway,asocialmediacommunicationsaudithasbothevaluativeandformativevalue.Itis evaluativeinthatitprovidesasnapshotofwhereanorganizationcurrentlystandsintermsofitssocial mediacapacityorperformance.Itisformativeinthatitalsopointstoareasinwhichtheorganization canstrengthenitsperformance. Whilesocialmediaauditsarearelativelynewpractice,communicationsauditsareacommonpractice andhavebeenutilizedforanumberofyears.Theyaremorecommonamongforprofitsthan nonprofits,andnotfamiliartomostnoncommunicationsprofessionals.Auditsaremostoften performedbyexternalcommunicationsorevaluationexperts,butcanalsobeperformedinternally.The intentionistoadaptanalreadytriedandtestedtooltothisnewareaofcommunicationstoincreasethe waysorganizationscanbecomemorestrategicintheirefforts. Thisdocumenthasbeendevelopedasaresourcefornonprofitorganizationsthatwanttobetter understandsocialmediaauditsandthemainstepsinvolved.Itcanbeusedbynonprofitsthateither wanttoselfassessandperformtheirownaudit,ormightbelookingtohireanexternalconsultant. Thisdocumentoutlinesfivebasicstepsinasocialmediacommunicationsaudit.Theauditcanbeapplied toanorganizationoverall,ortoaspecificprojectorcampaignwithintheorganization.Therearemany approachesyoucantaketoperforminganaudit;thisdocumentprovidesguidanceforoneofthe possibilities.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
StepOne:KnowCriticalSocialmediaCommunicationsPractices
Knowingthespecificpracticesassociatedwithsocialmediacommunicationsisthefirststeptoassessing anorganizationsperformanceandcapacitywithrespecttothosepractices.Thesearepracticesthat everynonprofittryingtoimplementsocialmediacommunicationsshouldbeperformingatsomelevel, whetherbyasingleindividualorbymanystaffmembersthroughouttheorganization. Thetableonthenextpageidentifiessixteenessentialsocialmediacommunicationspractices.Theyare groupedintothreecategories:1)strategy,2)implementation,and3)supportandalignment. StrategyIncludesthecoretasksofcommunicationsplanningandstrategydevelopment. ImplementationIncludespracticesmostcommontoanorganizationwithanactivecommunications function. IntegrationIncludesthecoreelementsofintegratingsocialmediacommunicationswithother communicationchannels. SupportIncludesnoncommunicationsspecificpracticeswithintheorganizationthathelpstoensure thecommunicationsfunctionissuccessful. Thetablealsooffersqualitystandardsorcriteriaforeachpractice.Theydescribeinbriefwhatthe practicesshouldlooklike.Thislist,justonitsown,hassubstantialvalueintheauditprocess.Itcanbe usedasachecklisttohelpdetermineifanorganizationisactuallyperformingeachsocialmedia communicationspractice.Butmoreimportantly,theauditprocesscanrevealifqualitycriteriaarebeing met,andifnotwhereimprovementscanbemadeinhowthepracticeisperformed.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
EssentialSocialMediaPractices
SocialMediaPractices Identifiedthevision Identifiedgoalsandoutcomes Selecttargetaudience Platformselection Policies&procedures Listeningresearch Assetevaluation Toolselection Communitydevelopment Trainedrepresentatives Buildvaluablepartnerships Monitor&evaluate Website Blog EMailmarketing OtherSocialMediaPlatforms Printmaterials Offline Supportattheleadershiplevel Allocatesufficientresources Involvestaffatalllevels QualityCriteria/Standards Thecommunicationvisionisinlinewith,butdistinctly different,formthemissionoftheorganization SMARTgoalsandoutcomeshavebeen(Specific, Measurable,Achievable,RealisticandTimely) Specificaudiencegroupsareidentifiedandmay includekeystakeholdersandinfluencers Specificplatformshavebeenidentifiedandselected basedontheirabilitytosupportyourgoals Policiesandprocedureshavebeenputinplaceto clarifyprocessanddefineappropriateimplementation Researchisdonetolearnwhatotherorganizationsare doingandwhattheconversationis Aninventoryofwhatyouhavetoworkwith(staff, knowledge,etc.)andwhatvalueyouadd Platformsareselectedbasedontheirabilitytosupport yourgoalsandaccessibilitytoyourtargetaudience Activestepsaretakentounderstandandfosterthe developmentofyouronlinecommunities Appropriatetrainingisprovidedtothosepeople responsibleforparticipatingonbehalfofyourorg Relationshipshavebeenmadewithinternaland externalstakeholderswhoalignwithyourgoals Activitiesarecontinuouslymonitoredandevaluated forthepurposesofaccountabilityandimprovement. Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweensocial mediaeffortsandyourwebsite Strategiclinkagesandbetweensocialmediaefforts andyourblog Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweensocial mediaeffortsandyouremailefforts Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweenallsocial mediaplatforms Strategiccrosspromotionofsocialmediaeffortsis takingplaceinprintedmaterials Strategiccrosspromotionofsocialmediaeffortsis takingplaceinofflineactivities Managementunderstandsandsupportsocialmediaas partoftheoverallcommunicationstrategyoftheorg Financialandhumanresourcesarededicatedto supportingthesocialmediaefforts SocialMediaisnotseenasanisolatedfunction;most ifnotallstaffmembershavesomeknowledgeand/or participationincommunicationsefforts.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
StepTwo:IdentifyPossibleLevelsofPractice
Toassessanorganizationonthepracticesintheprevioustable,itisimportanttohaveagaugethat helpstomeasureandillustratewheretheorganizationcurrentlystandsintermsofitsperformance. Thatgaugeisofferedhereintheformofapracticematurityscale. Thepracticematurityscaleoffersacontinuumofpossibleperformancelevelsforanygivenpractice.The figurebelowillustratesthescalesfivelevels.Higherlevelsinthescalerepresenthigherlevelsof organizationalcommitmentto,integrationof,andperformanceonthepractice.Eachpracticemaybe classifiedas1)adhoc,2)planned,3)institutionalized,4)evaluated,and5)optimized. PracticeMaturityScale 0 NotPerformed 1 AdHoc 2 Planned
Uncoordinated Unassigned NoResources Deliberate/ managed Resources allocated Responsibility assigned Regularly performed Bestpractices Coordinated Performance Performance measured Progresstracked Practice predictable Regular Regular reflection Continuous improvement
3 Institutionalized
4 Evaluated
5 Optimized
LevelOne:AdHoc
Thecommunicationspracticeisadhocandunorganized.Fewifanystaffandfinancialresourcesare dedicatedtoit.Successisbasedonthecompetenceandeffortsofoneortwoheroicindividuals. Despitethischaoticenvironment,howeverthecommunicationspracticemaybeimplemented successfully.Butbecauseitisuncoordinated,effortsareofteninefficientandgooverbudgetand schedule.Qualitymayalsobevariablebecausedifferentpeopleperformthepracticeovertime.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
LevelTwo:Planned
Thepracticeisplannedanddeliberateasopposedtobeingperformedonareactiveorasneeded basis.Resourcesareallocatedtothepractice,responsibilitiesareassigned,andtheprocessismanaged. Thepracticedoesnotoccurregularly,however,andmaystillbeperformedbyoneortwoindividuals.
LevelThree:Institutionalized
Thepracticeisroutineandpartoftheorganizationsfabric.Theorganizationhasqualitatively determinedthebestwaytoapproachthepracticeandhasinstitutionalizedit.Practicesareknown andcoordinatedwithinandoutsidetheorganization.
LevelFour:Evaluated
Thepracticeisevaluatedandanalyzed.Measuresofperformanceandprogressarecollectedand analyzed.Oftenaquantitativeunderstandingofsuccessisknownandtracked,andtheorganizationhas abetterabilitytopredictorestimateperformance.
LevelFive:Optimized
Becauseofitsrecognizedimportancetotheorganization,thepracticeiscontinuouslyreflectedonand improvementsincorporated. Distinctionsbetweenlevelsoneandtwoarebasedonthedegreetowhichanorganizationisreactive anddisorganized(levelone)versuspurposefulandproactive(leveltwo).Atlevelthree,thepracticeis performedregularly,consistentlyacrossstaffmembers,andhasbeenperformedenoughthatthe organizationhasgainedacertainlevelofproficiencyatit.Atlevelfour,theorganizationhascommitted totrackingthepracticeforpurposesofbetterunderstandinghowtoimproveperformance.The organizationismonitoringthequalityofthepractice.Levelfivedemonstratesanevenhigherlevelof organizationalcommitmenttothepractice,astheorganizationcaresenoughaboutittolearnfromand improveperformanceovertime.
StepThree:AssessCurrentPerformanceandCapacity
Themaintasksforthethirdauditsteparetocollectdataaboutcommunicationspractices,andtouse thatdatatomakeassessmentsaboutorganizationalperformanceandcapacity.Itinvolvesactuallyusing thescaledescribedabovetogaugewheretheorganizationstandsonallessentialsocialmedia communicationspractices.Thefigureonthenextpageillustratesinmatrixformhowthisassessment mightbestructured.Notethatthisauditstepcouldalsoinvolvelookingatactualcommunications strategycontentormaterialsandmakingassessmentsabouttheirquality. Thematrixarraysthetwentyonecommunicationpracticesalongthebottomrow,andarraysthe practicematurityscalevertically.Usersfillinorchecktheboxthatbestrepresentswhereonthescale theorganizationfallsforeachpractice(anexampleofhowthismightlookwhenfilledoutisprovided laterinthisbrief).
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
SocialMediaAuditMatrix
Theorganizationmaybeassessedeitherinternallyorbyanoutsideexpertoneachofthesocialmediapracticeareasusingthefivelevelscale.
Othersocialmediaplatforms
Supportattheleadershiplevel
Identifiedgoalsandoutcomes
Allocatesufficientresources Support
Buildvaluablepartnerships
Communitydevelopment
Trainedrepresentatives
Selecttargetaudience
Policies&procedures
Identifiedthevision
Monitor&evaluate
Platformselection
Listeningresearch
EMailMarketing
Assetevaluation
PrintMaterials
Toolselection
Website
Strategy
Implementation CurrentLevelofActivity
Blog
Integration
Legend
OpportunityGap
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Involvestaffatalllevels
SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
InternalversusExternalAssessment
Itisimportantatthispointtodetermineifassessmentsaboutorganizationalpracticeswillbemade internallyorbyoutsideexperts.Theadvantagestodoingitinternallyarethatdirectcostsarelikelytobe lowerandtheprocessmaybecomeanengagingorganizationalexercisethatbuildscommunications capacityinandofitself.Theadvantagestousingoutsideexpertsaretheirobjectivity,timeand availability,theknowledgetheybringfromotherorganizationsforcomparisonpurposes,andthe credibilitythatmayaccompanytheircredentialsandexpertise.
PotentialCommunicationsAuditMethods
Regardlessofwhethertheauditisdoneinternallyorexternally,acommonsetofmethodscanbeused togatherdataneededtomakeassessmentsaboutpractices.Methodsaredescribedbrieflybelowinthe contextofacommunicationsauditandthenfollowedbyatablethatcomparesthemontime,cost,and informationyield.Itishelpfultonotethatwhiletheuseofoneormoreofthesemethodsis recommended,itisalsopossibletoconductthesocialmediacommunicationsauditinformallyby,for example,askingeachstaffmembertogivehisorherownindependentandsubjectiveassessments basedonexistingknowledgeandexperience,orconveningstafftomakecollectiveassessments. InterviewsProbablythemostcommonauditmethod,interviewsallowthepersonconductingthe audittobetterunderstandcommunicationsrelatedworkprocesses.Interviewsallowrespondents toprovidearichqualitativesenseofhowpracticesareperformedandhowtheorganizationtreats communications.Interviewscanalsobeconductedwiththeorganizationsexternalstakeholdersor targetaudiences. SurveysSurveysorquestionnairesaresecondmostcommonauditmethod.Theycanbe administeredcheaplytoallorganizationalstaffwithinashorttimeframe,andtheyallowfora standardizationandcomparisonofresponses. CriticalIncidentAnalysisStaffareaskedtodescribe,throughanintervieworquestionnaire, specificeffectiveandineffectiveexperienceswithcommunications.Thepurposeistocollect examplesofexperiencesthatstafffindmemorableinordertoseehowcommunicationspractices areperformedwithinsituationalcontexts. NetworkAnalysisNetworkanalysishasgainedmuchpopularityinrecentyearsasamethodfor examininginformationflow,orthechannelsandrelationshipsthroughwhichinformationis exchanged.Itasksindividualswhotheycommunicateandforwhatpurpose.Itrevealsan organizationscommunicationstructure,whichmaybeverydifferentfromitsorganizational structure.Italsorevealswhereblockagesareoccurringandpossibleroutesthatarecurrently untapped. ParticipantObservationTheindividualconductingtheauditparticipatesinorganizationalactivities involvingcommunicationsinordertoseehowandwhenpracticesareperformed.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
ComparingPotentialAuditMethods
ComparingPotential AuditMethodsMethod Interviews Surveys CriticalIncident Analysis NetworkAnalysis ParticipantObservation DocumentReview FocusGroups TimetoNonprofit 3060minuteseach 2030minuteseach 2030minuteseach 2030minuteseach Variable None 12hours Cost Moderately expensive(timeto conduct,analyze) Moderately expensive Inexpensive Expensive(analysis, software) Expensive(time) Expensive(time) Moderately expensive(depends onnumber) InformationYield Qualitative,indepth data Standardizeddata Specificexamplesof practice/processflow Process flow/interactionand integration Processflow Material,message evaluation Qualitativeindepth data;
StepFour:IdentifyAreasforImprovement
Oncetheassessmentsaremade,thenextstepistoidentifyareasinwhichtheorganizationcan improve.NotethatnonprofitorganizationsarenotexpectedtobeaLevel5onallsocialmedia communicationspractices.Rather,theassessmentofwheretheorganizationshouldbemustbebased onanaccountingoftheorganizationsrealisticcapabilitieswithrespecttocommunications.For example,itmaynotbereasonabletoexpectthatallfundingthatcomesintoanorganizationwillhave dollarsearmarkedforsocialmediacommunications.Whileanorganizationcanmakesocialmedia communicationsapriorityandrequestspecificresourcesforit,theoutcomealsodependsonwhat fundersarewillingtosupport. Completingtheauditmatrixonpage6providesanimmediateassessmentofareasinwhichtoimprove. Thefollowingcaseexampleaboutahypotheticalsmallnonprofitpolicyadvocacyorganization demonstrateshowthesocialmediacommunicationsauditcanbeused.Thematrixhasbeenfilledinto representthishypotheticalorganizationsperformanceonthetwentyoneessentialsocialmedia communicationspractices.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
CaseStudyExample SampleOrgAssessment 5.Optimized 4.Evaluated 3.Institutionalized 2.Planned 1.AdHoc 0.NotPerformed Platforms Audience Listening Policies Assets Vision Goals Tools Community Partnerships Resources Involvestaff
Website
Monitor
Training
Strategy
Implementation
Integration
Legend
CurrentLevelofActivity
OpportunityGap
CurrentPerformanceandCapacity:Intheareaofstrategythishypotheticalorganizationhasasolid understandingofbestpracticesandtheneedtosetoverarchingvisionsandgoals.However,theirlack offocusonevaluatingaudienceandformalizingeffortsisclear.Asaresult,withintheorganizationthis createsasenseofcompletenessinregardstoplanningbutoftentimesleavesunansweredquestionsin regardtothevalueofsocialmediafortheorganization.Thisthencreatesasenseoflimited commitmenttoactivitiesandanoveralladhocuseofstaffresourcesandefforts. Regardingimplementation,theorganizationslackofstrategydevelopmenthasleftstaffwithanoverall senseoffeelinglost.Themainfocushasbeentocontinuetowithabroadcastapproachtomessaging withlittlefocusonstrategicimplementationofefforts.Inaddition,thelackoffocusonaformal inventoryofavailableassetshasleftitunclearastowhichstaffisbestsuitedtocompletewhichtasks. Integrationisthestrongestofthefourareasoffocus.Thehistoricalunderstandingofmetricanalysis regardingthewebsitehashelpedestablishafoundationforasimilarapproachtohowsocialmedia effortsareintegrated.Inaddition,asimilarfocusontheenewsletterhasallowedforbaselevel integrationintothiscommunicationchannel.Untilamorestrategicapproachcanbedevelopedand betterwaysofdemonstratingvaluetheorganizationhasdecidedtoholdoffoncreatingablogorusing morethanonesocialmediaplatform. IntermsofsupporttheExecutiveleadershiprecognizestherisingneedtobetterutilizesocialmediafor theorganizationbuthasbeenslowtoallocateappropriateresourcestosupportituntilthevaluecanbe betterdemonstrated.Forsimilarreasonstheroleofsocialmediafortheorganizationatlargehasnot beenextendedbeyondthetwostaffwhohavebeeninformallychargedwithcarryingoutthese responsibilities.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
AreasforImprovement:Whiletheauditprocesshasrevealedanumberofareasthatcouldbefor possibleimprovement,therearesomestrongindicatorsforappropriateprioritization.Thesortof cyclicalrelationshipthatseemstobeholdingbackprogressinmostareasisalackofidentifiedvalue. Withoutclearlyidentifiedvaluesmostareasremainatanadhoclevelandfewresourceswillbe allocatedtosupporttheseactivities.Consequently,withactivitiesbeingperformedatonlyanadhoc levelthereislittleopportunitytofindanddemonstratevalue. Theorganizationcouldgainthegreatestvaluefromprioritizingtwoareas:developingtheirstrategyand buildingonthelevelevaluationofcurrentefforts.Afocusonseeinggrowthinthestrategyandplanning areawouldgivetheorganizationastrongersenseofwhatvaluetheyarelookingforandhopingtogain fromtheirsocialmediaactivities.Therippleeffectofthiswouldalsobethatabetterfoundationwould beinplacetomakemorestrategiceffortsintheotherareas.Secondly,ifthereisnosupportprovided forevaluationofcurrenteffortsthereislittlehopeofseeingdemonstratedvalueatanypoint,whether campaignsaresuccessfulornot. Fornowthesocialmediaeffortswillmostlikelyremainfocusedononeplatformandcarriedoutbythe twoidentifiedstaff.Movingaheadasthevalueoftheseeffortsbecomemorecleartheresponsibility andintegrationacrosstheorganizationshouldbefurtherdeveloped.
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SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditBrief
STEPFIVE:RefinePracticeandRepeattheProcessasNeeded
Thesocialmediacommunicationsauditshouldresultinmorethanjustanidentificationofareasor practicesthatneedtobeimproved.Tomaximizethechancesthatauditfindingswillbeusedandactual practiceimprovedasaresult,theauditshould: Demonstratethroughdatahowcommunicationsproblemsarecausingproblemsinthepresent(as opposedtospeculatingabouttheirfutureimpact).Atthesametime,theauditshouldreinforce practicesthatarecurrentorganizationalstrengths. Generatespecificrecommendationsforhowactualcommunicationpracticecanbeenhanced.Data needtobelinkedtoconcreteactions. Maketransparenttheorganizationalbenefitsofadoptingthoseactions;inadditiontothe weaknessestheyaredesignedtoaddress. Prioritizerecommendationssoorganizationsarenotimmobilizedbytheprospectofimplementing them. Intermsoffrequency,formalcommunicationsauditsshouldbeconductedabouteveryfiveyears. Informalauditsonwhichorganizationsinternallyrevisittheirsocialmediacommunicationscapacityand performancelevelsmaybedonemorefrequently.Auditsshouldalsobeconsideredafteran organizationexperiencesacriticalincidentthatmightaffectcommunications,suchaswhenthe organizationchangesmission,changesleadership,orexperiencesacrisis.
Conclusion
Asdescribedhere,socialmediacommunicationsauditsare,attheircore,anevaluationtool.Unlike mostevaluationtoolsorpractices,however,theydonotfocusontheresultsoroutcomesofan organizationscommunicationspracticesaftertheyareimplementedoramongtheirtargetaudiences. Rather,theyfocusontheorganizationitself,itspracticeandcapacity,andhowtheorganizationhas positionedthecommunicationsfunction.Nonprofitorganizations,however,oftenoverlookthistypeof assessmentasapossibilitywhenaskedtoevaluatetheircommunicationsstrategiesoractivities. Experiencingthesocialmediacommunicationsauditprocess,usingtheapproachdescribedhereor anotherdesignedtowardasimilarend,canbeacriticalpartofanorganizationsprogressiontoward morestrategic,andultimatelymoreeffective,socialmediacommunications.
*Thisdocument,methodologyandframeworkhavebeendevelopedlargelyonthefoundationofresources developedbytheCommunicationsConsortiumMediaCenterforthepurposesofatraditionalCommunications Audit.Bylargelywemeanthemajorityistheirsandourfocushasbeentomodifyitforuserelatedtosocialmedia specificallyandsomeupdatingofcontent.Justgivingcreditwhereitisdue.Assuchweaskthatthistoolbefreely usedandmodifiedtomeetyourneedsasyouseefit.Allthatweaskisthatthetoolbesharedandnotrepurposed forsaleasaproductonitsown.
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