Also think of your social network as a garden. First, think about what you want to grow with a clear strategy. And second, it takes time to nurture, grow and reap the rewards of a strong social network. Don’t have the strategy, resources or time? I’m glad to show you how I can help. Shoot me a Tweet (@dougmetzgar) using hashtag #socialnetwork.

Some great links to check out:

• Charities and Non-Profits on Twitter
• Social Media for Social Causes Study: The Results
• 5 Events That Have Used Social Media for a Good Cause
• Digital Charity Toolbox: 50+ Ways to Get Your “Give” On

 Do you have any other examples of how non-profits can use social media?

For the last two years I’ve been working under the business name of Lion’s Tooth Marketing. I chose the name in a hurry and didn’t expect it to get far, figuring that inspiration would strike and, voila, I’d have a new name. Not so. Over time, I established myself with new clients as a channel and community expert under the Lion’s Tooth brand. It has a good story, which relates to social media, but it isn’t one that doesn’t translate well in an elevator pitch.

I prefer a brand to mean something, to my clients, myself and my colleagues. Like a surgeon attempting to operate on himself, there’s nothing harder than coming up with your own brand identity. 

After brainstorming, bouncing ideas off of respected colleagues and really working on something that was meaningful, I renamed the business Meshwork Marketing. I’m excited to announce that my official identity and site will go live in June 2009. I’ll keep this blog here, but once the new site’s live, I’ll roll the content over and grow it from there. I hope you’ll join me.

PS — the new site will rely on my favorite blogging platform, WordPress.

First, don’t Tweet about how cool your company or brand is. I’m following you because I’m interested in you, think you have something unique to share, have already bought into what/who you are, and may want to RT your Tweet. 

Second, don’t try to sell me on your real estate, insurance, chocolates (yes, chocolate) or some MLM program. I get enough solicitations in the mail and at work after regretfully adding my cell number to the local chamber business list. If you’re an expert in your field and I want your services, I want to know more about what you’re thinking, your industry trends, and how you approach your field. 

Third, think about your audience. Don’t be an amateur by vomiting useless information. Be relevant. Be informative. Share. Be cool.

Comments?

I always enjoy getting these questions from the Twittercurious — “What’s Twitter and what does it do? Isn’t it a big waste of time? How do you keep up?” I respond with “What do you have to say and what do you want to know?”

Sure, Twitter cold be a time-wasting utility. But it’s not if you manage your time and efforts well. You have to be focused. Like I tell my clients — stay focused on the message, not the medium. The true value in Twitter is understanding what you want to say that’s relevant to your followers, and knowing what you want to get out of it. 

My social media-focused colleagues and I find Twitter useful for sharing marketing information, new social media tools, giving props to each other for their achievements with clients, and much more. I also like to follow news sources, from global to local. I love the guy who Tweets local speed traps around downtown Boise. And I’m exploring the utility in Twitter for non-profits. It’s a great tool for engaging donors with updates on fundraising, industry statistics that reinforce the need for your organization and achievements. Here are some interesting perspectives on Twitter in The New York Times. And here are 13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners.

How do you make Twitter useful in your personal and professional lives?

• Listen First — Download podcasts and listen to what others in your field are talking about. Like blogging, is there important information you can share with others? Where to search? Start with iTunes. 
• Frequency — Will your podcast be a one-off or part of a series?
• Length — Keep your podcasts short — 1 to 3 minutes in length is about right. Some podcasts are longer, such as radio programming and recorded webinars.
• Quality — The quality of your podcast should match your brand. If you’re about quality, do it right. I’ve listened to some great informational podcasts, but have been turned off to some that are not focused in content and feature terrible sound quality.
• Timing — Expect to spend about 20 minutes per published minute when producing your podcast. Apple has some great podcast tools onboard.
• Talent — If you’re considering a series of podcasts, create, or pay a service, to develop custom bumpers (the front- and back-end of a podcast). They create a sense of consistency and a unique format that’s all yours. I like to use this talented Boise-based artist, Jim Poston.
• Music —  Unless you created the music yourself, seek out royalty-free or podsafe music. You can find lots of resources online. 

Here are two podcasts I produced for a local synagogue, which have sealed the deal for a lot of people looking to move to Boise, ID. If you need more information, comment on this post and I’ll get right back to you.

Ask Yourself

• What problem(s) am I trying to solve?
• Do I want to increase my sales?
• To how many audiences am I communicating (e.g. B2B, B2C, product segments, etc.)?
• Do I possess specialized knowledge that I can share, without giving away the farm, that positions me as a knowledge expert in my field/region/business?
• What do I want to achieve through social media? 
• Can I afford 1-2 hours a week focused on my social media efforts?
• What tools will I use to measure the success of my social media efforts?

Together, these questions should lead up to a strategy, regardless of whether social media is part of your efforts or not.

 Social Media Strategy

Your social media strategy should revolve around your web site. Your strategy could include the following tools to direct traffic back to your site:

• LinkedIn (a tool for business contacts or B2B prospecting)
• Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Tumblr (tools for building a community around your product or brand)
• Twitter (a microblogging tool limited to 140 characters)
• Blogs (used for knowledge sharing, announcements, podcasting and more)

Read more about some of the tools we recommend to Meshwork Marketing customers. Remember, social media is no silver bullet, but it will engage you in the conversation around your product/brand/specialty. And social media will position you as the subject-matter expert in your field; generate fresh content for your site; and play a strong role in boosting your site’s page rank in search engines.

Hot Off The Press

Say you like to read the latest on gardening. An RSS feed is like a publisher sending you a customized magazine every day, with the latest blog posts, podcasts, videos, opinions and news about gardening.

How do you know if a site is RSS-enabled? Take a look at the address bar in your browser. Look to the right side of the bar. See the blue RSS or orange box ?

Subscribe To A Feed

Click on the blue RSS or orange box to see the RSS feed link. Copy that link and paste it into your RSS reader or aggregator. The RSS reader checks the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds. 

If your web site is RSS-enabled, readers eager for the latest updates on your web site can program their RSS reader or aggregator (e.g., your browser, Yahoo, iGoogle, Google Reader, etc.) to pick up the latest posts or feeds from your web site, blog, podcast, Tweet, etc.

Be The Blog

If you’re selling a product or passionate about something, you should blog. It’s a way of promoting yourself as a subject-matter expert. As a colleague of mine once said, “Blogging makes people smarter.” Blogging forces you to be clear about what you’re saying. And it forces you to be honest since you may get called on an inaccuracy. But it ultimately stimulates dialogue, engages people and builds community. 

New To Blogging?

Try WordPress.com. You can start a blog, practice with the tools and set up a somewhat custom domain name (like the one up in your address bar — meshworkmarketing.wordpress.com). If you like what you see, buy a custom domain and hosting on which to host your blog.

Short On Ideas?

Sometimes the ideas or latest news don’t come to you through searches or links sent by colleagues. Or you get blogger’s block. No sweat. Like Google keyword searches, sign up for free Google Alerts and get daily news and information by e-mail.

Engage Now

Get out there. Read other blogs. Learn something. Argue. Discuss. Post links. Have fun.