CHASING IMPACT: WHY GRADING YOUR ORGANIZATION MATTERS
Mike Farag
I help faith-owned and faith-led organizations maximize their marketing impact and grow | [email protected] | Co-Founder The Bonhoeffer Meeting Space
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “All we need is a new website,” or “We just need to get good at social media.” Those are good intentions that can certainly grow a business, but there’s so much more to the picture. Cultivating your online presence requires a fastidious and careful approach. That’s why we believe grading your organization matters.
That’s right, grading. Just like in school. To grow in your social media impact, you must have a clear rubric in order to know where to invest your time and money. We’ve created that rubric — we call it the Social Media Scorecard.
To grow your business through an online presence, you need a systematic approach that’s more than just a gut feeling. You need data that’s more than a whiteboard full of brainstorming.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about trusting your gut, and you know I love a good whiteboard session. Those are great places to start, but grading your organization backs them up with concrete data so you can feel more confident about your next steps. And when you have done this type of work up front, you save time and money later. It helps you get it right the first time.
At Fervor, when we grade an organization’s social media (including our own), we take a fine tooth comb through every platform — websites, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, leadership profiles, blogs, etc. We use the eight categories on our Social Media Scorecard to give those channels a numerical grade. We ask questions like “Who’s it for?” and “Is the message consistent across platforms?” We assess every channel and consider if it’s worth the investment, or if it needs more attention. Then, we use that data to outline next steps to help an organization reach its goals.
Every dollar that you spend as a business matters. We’re called to steward our finances and our investments well, and our digital presence is an investment. In this era where everyone is constantly online, it’s never been more important to have effective social media. Finding your own version of “effective” is where channel by channel grading comes in, because what works for someone else may not work for you.
You have a unique voice and a distinct audience. Let’s make sure your voice is loud and clear so your audience can join in, and you can reach your goals.
*Reposted with permission from www.createfervor.com