Social media: Here's how you doitright.

September 19, 2012 2:03 PM

How can I locate someone to provide a day of social media / online presence consulting to a non-profit in the Philadelphia area?

I am on the Board of Directors of a national nonprofit organization. The staff is extremely enthusiastic, but they are floundering on social media stuff. (Previously.)

Although the organization has put some of its literature online (some of it behind a registration wall, ugh), its communications in general are very old media-focused. I'd unfavorably characterize some of the attitude as, the website is a repository for static content which is updated every decade or so.

My latest idea is that I have enough room in some funds allocated for strategic planning to bring in someone who Knows What They're Talking About, to take a look at our website and social media presence, and tell the staff what they could be doing better.

I am NOT looking to hire someone to run our social media campaigns or to re-write our website, although we clearly need to be able to do both (among many other things).

Does this type of consultant exist, and what would they cost? And how do I go about finding / vetting / hiring them?

posted by QuantumMeruit to computers & internet (4 answers total)

They certainly exist. They would be likely to charge $50 - $125 per hour. Be sure to get references from past clients and follow up on them.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:26 PM on September 19, 2012

If you're in Philly, ask Alex Hillman for references. http://dangerouslyawesome.com/about-me/ He's very friendly and knows a lot of people who would do a good job at this. He might also provide this service himself.
posted by michaelh at 3:33 PM on September 19, 2012

You can definitely find this sort of thing; I've done it myself (though, sadly, not in Philadelphia). You might want to contact your local Social Media Club, for names and/or references of reputable consultants. Chapters vary widely in activity and scope, but you might find that attending meetings is a good way to learn about trends and meet people with useful skills.

Once you bring in a consultant, it might be a good idea to designate a staff member to attend at least a few times a year (either SMC meetings or other seminars, workshops, etc.) and then fill in colleagues on key points covered. Depending on the work environment, this can help foster stronger involvement and more sense of ownership of online communication strategy.
posted by Superplin at 6:22 PM on September 19, 2012

Our local business school has a professor who specializes in this topic. Yours might too.
posted by gentian at 12:45 AM on September 20, 2012