Julie Bacon : : Consulting, Programs, Campaigns, Marketing Communication

When it comes to tackling your online presence, determining which tools and services are appropriate and how they can be used together can be overwhelming! Here are just a few things to consider and if you are hungry for more check out my new eBook.

• Do what is right for your organization – no more, no less! • Do your homework! Define your audience and write those personas – you’ll be glad you did! • The more people you involve to support your online endeavors, the more imperative it will be to have some policies and guidelines in place to guide content creation. What’s appropriate to blog? Do you have to watch your language because children are listening? Do you have a policy about “tagging” photos in facebook? You get the idea. This is a new world and it evolves fast so your guidelines may have to be reviewed a couple times throughout the year. • Be sure you are getting signed waivers from people who appear in photos and videos both in print and online. • Your Web site may need to be ADA compliant so be sure you and your support team knows what that means and how to do it. • Allow your audience to guide you. If your user community is going nuts on Facebook then spend time there. This isn’t giving in to your users, it’s called listening to your customers!  • These technologies are evolving fast! You will need to upgrade one or more aspects of your online presence throughout the year so plan for it. • Speaking of planning … have a “roadmap” of what you will take on over the next however-many quarters. Not only will you have built-in goals, you will be able to logically fend off anxious board members and executives who are full of advice! • Know your limits. It’s better to do a few things well than many things poorly! • Ask for help! you aren’t the first organization to do any of these things!