5 'P's" for Your Social Media Marketing Success
By: Jeremy Juhasz

Small businesses and nonprofits face a different set of circumstances when it comes to social media marketing than their larger for-profit counterparts, namely, smaller budgets, fewer employees and a greater priority on traditional forms of marketing.

For those charged with marketing, the biggest first step toward making social media an integral component of the plan may be convincing your organization. Despite widespread use of social networks for personal connections, the leadership of smaller organizations often questions its effectiveness as a marketing tool and whether they'll see a return on their investment.

I've developed and implemented social media strategies for a variety of organizations -- for-profits, nonprofits, and individuals. For all of them, I've discovered, when it comes to social media, it's important to remember the 5 P's:

1.) Plan - Identify what you hope to accomplish and create a strategy to take you there. Too many nonprofits and small businesses dive into social media because they "have" to and don't consider a plan of action before they do so. Make a list of what you want to accomplish. Is it to gain more donors? Get a higher attendance at your annual fundraiser? Increase sales?

Make it a priority to identify goals so you can create the social media strategies for meeting them.

2.) Patience - Nothing happens overnight. It takes time to develop relationships and establish credibility with your brand and your target audience. Over time, events and a steady pace will win out. Rushing leads to mistakes.

The type of patience I'm referring to is a long-term mindset. When day-to-day activities seem arduous and, at times, unfulfilling, know that each day builds to the greater goal. March on.

3.) Persistence - You must be stubbornly committed to your goals and your strategy. Keep plugging away and give your plan a fair amount of time and analysis before you pull the plug. If you know the plan is a good one, it's not a good ideas to panic and change course simply because you're not seeing results as quickly as you'd like.

That said, circumstances change, not every strategy works, and you need to also be willing to recognize that it is time to try something new.

Be persistent in implementing your plan and in monitoring whether you're reaching the objectives that will take you to your goal.

4.) Pay (what you can) - These days, especially on Facebook, it's a pay-for-play landscape. Pay where you can, if you can. The results can provide the spark you need to drive a specific campaign or to increase your overall visibility to your target market. It can also be a very affordable alternative to other digital advertising options.

5.) Prioritize - I can't stress enough the importance of time management. If your marketing staff consists of only one or two people, it's essential that you stay on top of your social media strategy by prioritizing your quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily objectives and goals. Nonprofits and small businesses face countless new daily challenges. Sometimes we lose track of what's most important. Take the time to identify those tasks critical to your success and make them a priority.

You can succeed with social media even if your organization doesn't have the brand recognition of a multi-billion dollar corporation. If you remain even-keeled and set realistic goals, the return on investment will follow.

About Jeremy Juhasz

Jeremy Juhasz is a social media strategist at EMSI Public Relations and a panelist for the Tampa Bay Marketing Summit, (www.tampabaymarketingsummit.com) on Aug. 8. Jeremy has  years of experience managing social media marketing for the nonprofit sector, including launching social media and online strategies for  Feeding America Food Bank and Goodwill affiliates. His multi-media background includes work as a newspaper reporter and as a marketing professional.  He's a graduate of Alfred University and attended Kent State's School of Communication and Information, public relations.

Summer is the season for fairs and festivals! The Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport, Iowa, is one of the longest running fairs in Iowa, going strong for 95 years. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, July 29 - August 3. The fair has a great line-up of Grandstand shows each night, including Eli Young Band, Lady Antebellum, Craig Morgan, Cheap Trick, Alan Jackson, Jerrod Niemann, and carnival games and shows throughout the grounds every day.

The awarding winning and nationally recognized Quad City Air Show will be in flight August 9-10 at the Davenport Municipal Airport. After being named the Best Large Civilian air show in 2011 by the United States Navy, the Quad City Air Show is proud to the first time appearance of the United States Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, the fifth-generation fighter aircraft and the finest aviation performers in the world. There are also airplanes on display giving an opportunity to talk to the pilots, and over 200 ground exhibits with activities such as: Army Challenge course, flight simulator, games, and more.

The annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa, is from July 31st-August 3rd. The Bix Jazz Festival continues to celebrate the life and musical contributions to jazz by Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke in his birthplace city alongside the Mississippi River. LeClaire Park continues to be the outdoor music venue, along with two indoor venues for the festival that include the RiverCenter and Adler Theatre in downtown Davenport, Iowa. Bix fans come from all over the world to enjoy the music and visit some of the places where Bix played and lived.

It's a huge tug of war across the Mississippi River during the Great River Tug Fest. At 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 9, boats and barges yield the right of way to a 2,400-foot, 680-pound rope that stretches between Port Byron, Ill., and LeClaire, Iowa. The events leading up to the big tug include a parade and fireworks on Friday night, carnival, 5K walk/run, and live music.

Chill out in The District of downtown Rock Island, Ill. for Ya Maka My Weekend on August 8-9. This island-themed event features reggae music, steel drums, Caribbean food, an open air marketplace, and a giant sand beach complete with palm trees and tiki torches. Ya Maka My Weekend starts at 5 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The annual River Roots Live Music Festival in LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport, Iowa, on Aug. 15-16 combines the hottest music acts on the road today with great up and coming acts. Numerous bands are taking the stage, including Los Lonely Boys, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, North Mississippi Allstars, ZZ Ward, Ben Kweller, and more. There will also be great food including BBQ ribs from national ribateurs. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight.

Floatzilla 2014 is the Quad Cities 5th Annual paddle sports festival on Saturday, August 16 that culminates with a Guinness World Record attempt at 2 p.m. at the largest flotilla of kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards on the protected backwaters of Lake Potter, at Sunset Marina in Rock Island, Ill. The festival will include guided launches at 8 a.m. for all skill levels on the Quad Cities Water Trails and beginner-friendly paddling lessons and programs. Registration includes one Floatzilla t-shirt per paddler, commemorative boat sticker, registration wrist bands, free music and rib fest at 'River Roots Live', free parking, and free shuttle to off-site parking for 'floats.'

Lt. Governor Simon: Protect Women`s Access to Health Care  

AURORA – Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will tour a health clinic in Aurora on Wednesday and advocate for full access to birth control coverage and preventive care.

"A woman`s decision to use birth control is a personal one, and her boss should not be able to interfere with it," Simon said.

Simon`s visit comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that some corporate employers can use religious objections to deny access to birth control coverage. Legislation to override the decision is expected to move on Wednesday, and Illinois voters will be asked to weigh in on an advisory referendum in November asking whether any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides prescription drug coverage should be required to include prescription birth control.

TIME: 2:15 p.m.

DATE: July 16

LOCATION: Aurora Health Center, 3051 E. New York St., Aurora

NOTE: Simon`s tour will be private due to patient confidentiality. The media availability will take place in the clinic waiting room.

LOS ANGELES, July 15, 2014 - Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization which unites the skills of military veterans with first responders, has appointed David Burke as its director of field operations. He replaces Vince Moffitt, who will take on a new role as incident management team chief. Burke is a 2003 graduate of Bettendorf High School, and his family resides in Davenport.

"I am excited and humbled by this opportunity to take on more as we scale TR's capabilities to help an even greater number of people affected by disasters, while giving veterans a renewed sense of purpose," said Burke, a veteran Marine officer. "I'm also very grateful for the mentoring I've received from Vince and look forward to helping him build out our incident management teams."

Burke has served as deputy director of field operations since April. He came to Team Rubicon as an AmeriCorps VISTA to volunteer with the programs team, Oct. 2013. When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, he moved into field operations and helped manage the response. In Dec. 2013, Burke joined the staff as senior field operations associate.

"David has done a tremendous job as my deputy and has shown his potential to make this next step," said Moffitt. "I have complete confidence in him to continue the direction already set, as well as take it to the next level."

As director of field operations, Burke will develop and execute the strategy to train, prepare and respond to domestic and international disasters. He will be responsible for establishing and maintaining strong working relationships with counterparts in various federal agencies and voluntary organizations participating in emergency response operations.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Team Rubicon enlists volunteers from across the country. The nonprofit has experienced explosive growth?from a team of eight to more than 16,000 members?since its founding in 2010.

Because TR's ability to respond to any disaster depends on the commitment of these volunteers, Burke will be tasked with managing development of divisional, regional, and state competencies, to include response plans, and incident specific, standard operating procedures.

"In a short-period of time, David has shown himself to be a passionate, proven leader," said Jake Wood, CEO and cofounder of Team Rubicon. "He has the vision necessary to take Team Rubicon to the next tier as we look to not only grow our capabilities, but afford our members the training, tools and mentorship needed to perform our mission."

Team Rubicon was founded in the wake of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake by Wood and William McNulty, both Marine veterans. It now has more than 60 operations under its belt, including Haiti, Superstorm Sandy, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The nonprofit has already responded to more than a dozen tornadoes and floods this year. Beyond disaster relief, Team Rubicon helps veterans find a renewed sense of purpose?vital as many return to civilian life after more than a decade of war.

While in the Marines, Burke served as a logistics officer and deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, for meritorious service while serving in leadership roles above his pay grade, including executive officer of Headquarters Battalion, 2^nd Marine Division Forward, Camp Leatherneck Afghanistan, in 2011.

Burke holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Iowa. He currently resides in El Segundo, Calif., with his wife Amanda, also a Marine veteran and member of Team Rubicon.

To learn more about Team Rubicon's mission, visit www.teamrubiconusa.org.

About Team Rubicon Team Rubicon (TR) unites the skills and experience of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. TR offers veterans a chance to continue their service by helping and empowering those afflicted by disasters, and also themselves. For more about Team Rubicon, visit www.teamrubiconusa.org.

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