Category Archives: Social Media

Positive Environmental and Sustainability Content on Social Media

#OceanOptimism and #ClimateHope – Finding Positive Environmental and Sustainability Content on Social Media
Stephanie Ferguson, The Idea Tree Consulting
February 12, 2016

As a social media manager I see a lot of negativity online, especially in the environmental movement. Often we post only the bad news, which is of course a necessary first step to tackling a problem, but sometimes overwhelming. And it can result in so many comments that are simply humanity-hating, decrying our very species as a plague on the Earth. Such comments are so counter-productive as they imply we can not change or build a sustainable society, but are doomed by our “nature” to simply destroy and use-up.

So it’s a relief to find positive, forward-looking content on sustainability and the environment on social media, and there are two hashtags are out there that can help you find it.

Continue reading →

Is everyone seeing my Facebook posts?

Is everyone seeing my Facebook posts?
Stephanie Ferguson, Social Media Specialist, The Idea Tree Consulting
February 2, 2015.

This is a great and surprisingly common question that I was asked this morning by one of my clients, so I thought I would post the answer for everyone to see. Most people don’t realize this but Facebook does filter what people see in their newsfeeds. It happens with both profiles and pages, but probably to a greater extent with pages.

Facebook has an algorithm known as “Edgerank” that decides what goes into people’s newsfeeds, and while they keep the exact criteria a secret, generally it’s based on how popular something is, how many likes/comments/shares (collectively known as engagement), how recently it’s been posted and how frequently any given user actually engages with you. Continue reading →

Facebook page vs Facebook profile: what’s the difference and which one should your organization use?

Facebook page vs Facebook profile: what’s the difference and which one should your organization use?
Stephanie Ferguson, Social Media Specialist, The Idea Tree Consulting
January 30, 2015

One of the most common questions from organizations (and businesses) is should I use a Facebook profile or a page? What difference does it make? The answer is that organizations should definitely be using a page, and here are some of the top reasons why.

1. It technically violates Facebook’s terms of service and you can be deleted for using a personal profile for anything other than an individual person and Facebook does shut down these kinds of profiles. The last thing you want to see when you try to access your organization’s Facebook account is this (and I’ve personally seen it happen to groups who stuck to a profile, it’s heartbreaking):

sorry thumb Continue reading →

How often to post on Facebook?

How often to post on Facebook?
Stephanie Ferguson, Social Media Specialist, The Idea Tree Consulting
January 23, 2014

For non-profits and NGOs, how often to post on Facebook is a common question. New Facebook users may be tempted to post as often as they can, and others might make the mistake of underutilizing their account. Both of these approaches are not optimal and don’t allow you to make the most of your social media efforts.

First let’s look at what the “optimal” level of posting is like based on studies that have asked this question. A look at 2,600 of the most liked Facebook pages and how many posts they posted per day showed that the best liked pages posted less than once per day, or 4-6 posts per week.[i] Continue reading →

Posting With Purpose

Posting with purpose: why you need a social media strategy
Stephanie Ferguson, Thinking Partner, The Idea Tree Consulting
November 12, 2014.

A social media strategy allows you to link the goals of your organization to the interactions you are creating with your social media channels. With every post, tweet, pin, or photo, you should be posting that content for a reason, not just because you like it, or because it’s remotely related to your subject of interest, or it’s what other organizations seem to be doing. Why? Because every bit of effort you put into your social media content should be advancing the goals of your organization, not just giving you a presence on a particular social media platform.

It pains me to see organizations (and businesses) simply treat their Facebook page or Twitter feed as a box that needs to be ticked: as long as they have an account and there’s some activity regularly, they can consider their social media job done. Understandably, resources are limited, time is tight and volunteers may be scarce, but social media is an incredibly powerful tool, and if you have a strategy, it’s easy to make that tool work for your organization and your cause.

Here is an example of some social media use that is good, but just not quite going far enough. Continue reading →