CANFAR Social Media Strategy

Welcome!

Beneath this explanation is CANFAR's social media strategy. It's currently under development, and we'd LOVE your help in figuring out a way to help us stay dynamic online. Feel free to add, delete, chop, expand, suggest, or create anything on the document. You can't mess it up! There's no such thing as mistakes.

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THE GOAL.

• Build a community of people engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
• Increase CANFAR’s brand presence both online and offline.
• Increase offline volunteerism, event attendance, campaign participation and donations.
• Increase opportunities for fundraising through online & social media channels.
• Make CANFAR a leader in the Canadian not-for-profit social media arena.

THE STRATEGY.

• Engage with our audience and allow them to develop a deeper connection to CANFAR.
• Develop partnerships with outside actors online, including other AIDS organizations, celebrities, bloggers, new sources and potential sponsors.

THE TACTICS.

Creation of a Social Media Committee.

• WHY? For large-scale announcements, events and campaigns we would like to build buzz around, CANFAR will send emails to this group, providing them with sample messages that they can post on their social media channels.
• WHO? A group of people who have a large online presence via Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, LinkedIn, etc. Engage HIV/AIDS-related student clubs from universities/colleges and see if they would be interested in joining the committee and/or sending out CANFAR blurbs/messages about HIV/AIDS-related info and upcoming events to their club member lists (via e-mail, club webpage, etc.)

Develop more CANFAR content.

• WHAT? CANFAR content would be developed internally for external use. It would utilize different mediums to spread a short and succinct message about CANFAR or HIV/AIDS generally. Mediums include:
  • Infographics
  • To share information around HIV/AIDS: stories that talk about the human impact as well as stories about medical innovation in addressing the pandemic
    • To promote CANFAR Campaigns
    • To promote HIV/AIDS Awareness
    • Timed for 30th Anniversary of the medical diagnosis of AIDS?
  • News stories & blog posts
    • CANFAR in the news
    • Updates of projects and fundraisers
    • Discuss what the staff are up to
  • Videos
    • Profile CANFAR funded research projects?
    • Interview clips with funded researchers or behind-the-scenes look at the laboratory?
  • Creating RSS Feeds for CANFAR’s website (generating more traffic)
  • Vlogging (CANFAR Youtube Channel - weekly entries from staff, interns, volunteers and special guests… featuring ‘behind the scenes’ exclusives, staff introductions, important announcements/reminders, event features, etc. Could also include CANFAR researchers - particularly younger researchers who might be more comfortable with the medium)
  • Smartphone App.
    • Mobile version of Canfar.ca?

• HOW? CANFAR-created content will be developed by the Communications & Marketing team, as well as volunteers, in conjunction with staff members.
• people tend to go with what is already being done and using the same strategy. Be edgy, different.. that is the best way to capture and audience but don't forget about your audience needs.

Further develop CANFAR's presence on individual social media channels.
For all of these we need to connect with more people/organizations and build the community

• YouTube
• Twitter
  • make twitter about using tweets as a sign post back to the information you want them to see. Use bit.ly
• Facebook
• Flickr
• LinkedIn
• 4Square
• Facebook
  • should be used sparingly. don't bore your audience and inundate them. Make it factual and mix it up with YouTube clips
• TEDX is a great medium for new information - use the clips
• LinkedIn is a great resource for funding and connections to professionals

Promote and utilize our new website.

• How can we best do this?
  • Fundraiser specifically online? Require people to sign up and donate? What incentives could there be…?
  • run contests
  • make it about your audience… they will come to the site if you make it about them and what they need.

Develop a content calendar.

• April
  • Promotion of Our Future Without AIDS (YPC event, April 30)
  • Promotion of CANFAR goes to Kenya
• May
  • Our Future without AIDS social media campaign
  • CANFAR goes to Kenya (May 9 to May 23)
• June
  • Post-CANFAR goes to Kenya communications
  • 30th Anniversary of the medical recognition of HIV/AIDS
• July
  • CANFAR has Pride (Pride Parade on July 3)
• August
• September
  • Promotion of AIDSbeat
• October
  • Promotion of AIDSbeat (October 14)
  • Promotion of CANFAR's Bloor Street Entertains
• November
  • Promotion of CANFAR's Bloor Street Entertains (November 30)
  • Promotion of CANFAR's Red Ribbon Campaign
• December
  • Promotion of CANFAR's Red Ribbon Campaign & World AIDS Day (December 1)