The AFL-CIO Is All A-Twitter!

1. The AFL-CIO Is All A-Twitter! Overview of the Federation’s Social Media Program February 24, 2010 Danielle Hatchett Social Media Manager, AFL-CIO Facebook: www.facebook.com/aflcio Twitter: www.twitter.com/aflcio

2. Social Media: Growing Fast • 3 out of 4 Americans use social technology • 1 in 3 online Americans post to social networks at least once a week • Users spend at least 5hrs and 30 min per month on average on social networking sites • 99% of social media users believe organizations should have a presence in social media • 37% of internet users aged 18-29 use blogs or social networking sites as a venue for political or civic involvement compared to: • 17% of online 30-49 year olds • 12% of 50-64 year olds • 10% of internet users over 65

3. Social Media: Growing Fast • Provides additional platforms to spread your message outside of traditional means • Plug your cause, raise awareness about an issue, spread the word, and update your network • Allows opportunity for instant feedback from your constituents; tap into word of mouth. • Connect with influentials (i.e. bloggers, policymakers, press, advocacy organizers and people with large networks) • Provides organizing opportunities (Help for Haiti)

4. Developing A Social Media Strategy • Do some research and find out where your audience is • Spend some time listening to the conversation • Create a campaign around the launch of new social media platforms • Produce engaging content

5. Questions We Asked (or wish we had asked!) Before Getting Started • Who will manage the site? • Who can post items to the site? • What kinds of items are appropriate for the site? • Are we prepared to let go of control of our brand just a little? • How does engaging users via social media integrate with our overall communications/marketing strategy? • How will we measure success or failure? (views, number of followers/subscribers, comments)

6. Establishing A Social Media Policy • Clearly state: • Anyone distributing content is acting as a representative of your organization and should ask responsibly in that vein • Social networking sites are public. Do not post any information you don’t want the world to see • Any social networking site exists to advance the goals of the organization. Personal opinions that defame or tarnish its image are not allowed. • Legal reminders about plagiarism, profanity, and defamatory statements which could land your organization in court.

7. AFL-CIO Social Media Tools • Blog: http://www.blog.aflcio.org • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aflcio • Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/aflcio • YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/aflcionow • Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/labor2008 • Ustream: (live broadcasts)- http://www.ustream.tv/user/aflcionow • Digg-social news website made for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the Internet

8. AFL-CIO Now Blog • 113,000+ page views per month • 4-10 posts daily on issues important to working families; 1 post minimum on Saturday and Sunday • 20,000 subscribers to our daily blog news e-mail • Weekly post on Firedoglake, which gets 40,000-50,000 visits a day • Each top officer has a Huffington Post column where we quickly publish blogs under their bylines on breaking issues and big campaigns • Cross-posting of blogs across the progressive network (Daily Kos, Everyday Citizen) • Conversation and feedback occur in the comments

9. Facebook • 9100+ fans • Links to our blogs/national news items • Post questions to spark conversation • Use Event feature to spread word about events and campaigns • Provide space for open discussion. Wall is open so fans/affiliates can post relevant content of interest to our audience

10. Twitter • 3900+ followers; following 1100+ • Followed by reporters from CNN, The Hill, AP, NPR, ABC –reciprocal spreading of content • Share links to blog posts and other news items • Spread content of unions/affiliated organizations (retweeting) – we’re listening, not just broadcasting; we’re participating in the greater allied community • Retweet content from our media staff, bloggers, and Sec-Treas. Shuler which gives us more of an authentic voice • Live tweeting of events – integrated into blog posts (retweeting) • Instant feedback from followers

11. YouTube • 230+ videos; 500+ subscribers to our channel • Embed video into our blog posts, e-mails and throughout our website

12. Flickr • Central repository for state feds and central labor councils to post and share photos from campaigns, rallies and other events – easy sharing • Convention photo galleries and officer photos

13. Campaigns – Convention 2009 • Comprehensive convention website (convention actions/resolutions, photo slide shows, video clips, blog feeds, interactive maps of Pittsburgh) • Up to the minute coverage on the blog of all convention activity • Staff were equipped with flip video cameras. Recorded breakout sessions and delegates sharing thoughts on the agenda and future of labor movement. Videos posted on YouTube. • Heavy promo via Facebook and Twitter starting three weeks before. • Web-streamed entire Convention for the first time; Page included Twitter and Facebook feeds • Photo galleries on Flickr; Major convention speeches on YouTube • Live tweeting of major speeches which also streamed on the blog

14. Convention 2009: Results • Results: • Facebook: Gained over 800 fans (content generated over 1500 “likes” and we received over 400 total comments) • Twitter: Added over 500 followers and we made it into the trending topics for a short period during Obama’s speech • You Tube: Combined 15,000+ views on all of our Convention videos

15. Campaign: President Trumka Open for Questions • Implementation • Google Moderator • Ustream TV • Cover it Live • Promotion • Twitter • Facebook • Blog – Ours + Cross-posting • E-mail – Lists/Listserves/

17. Campaign: President Trumka Open for Questions (Results) • Google Moderator: 323 people asked 160 unique questions and cast 6,744 votes. • Ustream: 4,607 unique viewers. • Cover it Live: 520 participants, 160 comments, 188 tweets. • Website: 5,465 page views.

18. Campaign: President Trumka Open for Questions (Results) • Twitter: 48 unique tweets/RTs and the bit.ly link generated 324 clicks. • Facebook: Event generated 149 RSVPs and 159 “maybes” + 436 actively said they were not attending.

19. AFL-CIO Social Media Group • Communications staff from unions and affiliated organizations sharing resources, successful social media campaigns, strategies, and tools • Working on development of social media training tools that can be distributed to unions • Trainings- Social Media 101 and 102

20. Trainings • Social Media 101and 102 • Overview – • Definitions; importance in communications strategy; usage stats • Questions to consider before making it a part of your communications strategy • Twitter – • How to set up a profile and start tweeting • Finding people to connect with • Clients you can use to better manage your experience • Specific ways to build community • Facebook- • Fan page vs. Group? • Setting up a fan page • Applications you can use to create campaigns • Benefits of advertising on Facebook

21. Join our Social Media Group • Danielle Hatchett • dhatchet@aflcio.org • www.facebook.com/aflcio • www.twitter.com/aflcio