canadian international council - open canada, digital marketing plan

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOCIAL!MEDIA!PLAN!COMM$486S/JRNL$520A$

$$

Instructed$by$Paul$Cubbon$and$Alfred$Hermida$$$$$

Developed!By:!Jessica$Greschner$

Ian$Holliday$Julia$Kalinina$Shanel$Khaliq$

$$

March$25,$2014

TABLE!OF!CONTENTS!!

1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………..! pg.$2!!

2. SITUATIONAL!ALALYSIS…………………………………………………………………………………….! pg.$2!The$Existing$Audience……………………………………………………………………………..$ pg.$2!Competitors……………..………………………………………………………………………….…$ pg.$2!Social$Media$Presence…………………………………………………………………………….$ pg.$2$

!

3. PROJECT!OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………………………………….………! pg.$3!!

4. TESTING……………………………………………………………………………………………………………! pg.$3!Test$1:$Using$Hashtags…………………………………………………………………………….$ pg.$3!Test$2:$Created$and$Curated$Content$on$Facebook……………………..………….$ pg.$4!Test$3:$Leveraging$Competitors……………………………………………………………….$ pg.$5!Test$4:$Reaching$Out$to$Student$Organizations…………………………...………….$ pg.$5$!

5. MORE!TESTS!TO!BE!RUN………..…………………………………………………………………………! pg.$7!Test$1:$Framing$Content$on$Facebook$and$Twitter……………………..….……….$ pg.$7!Test$2:$Facebook$Events$Calendar……………………………………...……………….….$ pg.$7$!

6. MORE!SOCIAL!MEDIA!RECOMMENDATIONS…………….………………………………………! pg.$8!Considering$Other$Platforms……………………………………...………….……….….….$ pg.$8!Identity$Inconsistency$[$$“OpenCanada”$and$“The$CIC”$…..….………………….$ pg.$9!Social$Media$Management$Tools$–$HootSuite$vs.$TweetDeck………………….$ pg.$10!Exploring$Paid$Advertisements……………...……………………………….……….….….$ pg.$10$!

7. PROJECT!LIMITATIONS……………………………………………..………………………………………! pg.$11!!

8. CONFLICTS!OF!INTEREST…………………………………………..………………………………………! pg.$11!!

9. APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………………………………………………! pg.$12!Appendix$A:$Social$Media$Plan$Process…..…………………………..………………….$ pg.$12$Appendix$B:$Current$Audience………………..…………………………..………………….$ pg.$12$Appendix$C:$Competitive$Analysis…………..…………………………..………………….$ pg.$15$Appendix$D:$Instructions$Received$by$OpenCanada$for$Hashtag$Test….….$ pg.$16$Appendix$E:$Hashtags$Data……………………..…………………………..………………….$ pg.$16$Appendix$F:$Creation$and$Curation$of$Content$Test…………....………………….$ pg.$17$Appendix$G:$Creation$and$Curation$of$Content$Test…………....………………….$ pg.$18$Appendix$H:$Content$Framing……………………………….…………....………………….$ pg.$18$Appendix$I:$HootSuite$for$OpenCanada……………………………....………………….$ pg.$18$Appendix$J:$Exploring$Paid$Advertisements…………..…………....………………….$ pg.$22$ $

OpenCanada$Social$Media$Plan$–$UBC$COMM$486S$&$JRNL$520A$$

$

2$

1.!INTRODUCTION$$OpenCanada$defines$ itself$as$ the$digital$media$platform$of$ the$Canadian$ International$Council$ (CIC),$a$non[partisan$ foreign$ policy$ research$ council$ headquartered$ in$ Toronto.$ OpenCanada.org$ is$ both$ the$online$home$of$all$the$CIC$branches$and$a$publishing$platform$for$foreign$policy$content.$The$goal$of$this$report$is$to$present$a$social$media$strategy$for$OpenCanada$to$help$it$grow$and$engage$its$audience$(See$Appendix$A).$$$2.!SITUATIONAL!ANALYSIS$$The!Existing!Audience:$OpenCanada’s$audience$on$social$media$differs$ from$ its$audience$as$a$whole.$While$managers$ told$us$they$would$ like$ to$ increase$ OpenCanada’s$ popularity$ among$ students$ and$ non[Canadians,$ it$ appears$that$those$groups$are$well$represented$in$the$social$media$audience,$especially$on$Twitter:$$

Twitter$ Facebook$ OpenCanada.org$

→$More$than$6,800$followers$(March$24,$2014)$→$Majority$of$most$influential$followers$from$outside$Canada$→$“Student”$is$second[most$prominent$word$in$bios$of$@TheCIC’s$followers$(behind$“international”)$

→$More$than$2,500$likes$(March$ 24,$2014)$→$Largest$age$group$among$ likers$is$18$to$35$→$Slightly$more$men$than$ women$→$Toronto is$most$common$ city$among$likers$

→$313,958$visits$in$2013$→$66%$from$Canada,$11$per$cent$from$U.S.,$3$per$cent$from$U.K.$→$Management$says$anecdotally$that$students$are$a$weak$demographic$

(See$Appendix$B)$$Competitors:!$OpenCanada’s$ primary$ competitors$ are$ other$ foreign$ policy$ non[profit$ organizations$ and$ think$ tanks,$both$Canadian$and$international,$and$publications$like$Foreign$Policy$and$Foreign$Affairs.$OpenCanada’s$audience$on$social$media$is$smaller$than$those$of$most$of$these$competitors.$In$terms$of$quality$(based$on$best$practices),$OpenCanada’s$Twitter$presence$is$as$good$as$or$better$than$those$of$its$competitors.$This$is$not$the$case$on$Facebook,$where$the$standout$in$the$field$is$The$Wilson$Center$(See$Appendices$B$and$C).$$Social!Media!Presence:$OpenCanada$ focuses$most$of$ its$ effort$on$ Facebook$and$Twitter.$However,$ it$ also$micro[publishes$on$Google+,$Tumblr,$visual.ly,$LinkedIn,$and$YouTube.$It$has$an$RSS$feed$and$sends$a$weekly$newsletter$to$subscribers$on$Fridays.$Twitter$is$by$far$the$most$regularly$updated,$followed$by$Facebook;$other$social$networks$are$less$active.$!!!!!!


$

3$

3.!OBJECTIVES$$Based$on$conversations$with$OpenCanada’s$leadership,$we$identified$three$main$objectives$of$a$social$media$strategy.$$$

OBJECTIVE$ METRICS!FOR!SUCCESS$

1.!Extend'OpenCanada’s'social'media'reach'to'new'audiences:$focusing$on$students$and$the$US$market.$$

Facebook:$Page$likes$Twitter:$Followers$

2.$Increase'engagement'with'existing'audience:$enhance$relevance$(real$and$perceived)$of$OpenCanada$content$to$existing$audience$to$(1)$encourage$engagement$and$(2)$to$attract$new$audiences.$

Facebook:$Pageviews,$comments,$shares,$likes$Twitter:'Replies,$retweets,$favorites$

3.$Optimize'OpenCanada’s'social'media'management'return'on'effort:'Evaluate$the$following:$$

● Number$of$platforms$used$by$OpenCanada$$● Management$tools$● Paid$advertisements$● Branding$inconsistencies$

[Number$of$followers*$+$Engagement**]$÷$Time$spent$managing$social$media$*$(in$target$audience)$**$(likes,$retweets,$comments,$replies,$shares,$and$favorites)$

$We$ concentrated$ on$ Facebook$ and$ Twitter$ because$ these$ platforms$ host$ most$ of$ OpenCanada’s$audience.$Other$platforms$are$evaluated$in$section$four.$$$$4.!TESTING!$The$tests$were$run$for$varying$periods$of$time$over$two$weeks$in$March$2014.$Scott$Young$ran$the$tests$on$Twitter$and$Cameron$Tulk$and$Andrew$Reddie$ran$the$Facebook$test.$$!Test!1:!Using!Hashtags!$

Hypothesis:$ Joining$ conversations$ on$ Twitter$ by$ using$ hashtags$ will$ increase$ interactions$(favorites,$retweets,$and$replies)$on$tweets$by$@TheCIC.$$Method:$We$asked$the$client$to$increase$its$use$of$hashtags$and$to$use$one$OpenCanada[specific$and$one$general$hashtag$per$tweet.$The$hope$was$that$Twitter$users$would$come$to$associate$@TheCIC$and$its$hashtags$with$the$broader$conversations$in$which$they$take$part$(See$Appendix$D).$$$Implementation:$ The$ client$ posted$ 32$ tweets$ without$ hashtags$ and$ 41$ tweets$ with$ hashtags$(both$counts$exclude$replies$and$retweets).$The$vast$majority$of$hashtags$used$were$related$to$ongoing$ stories$ (i.e.$ #Ukraine,$ #Afghanistan),$ rather$ than$ broad$ topics$ (i.e.$ #foreignpolicy,$#cdnpoli)$or$OpenCanada[specific$conversations$(i.e.$#CICreads,$#CICRR).$$$


$

4$

Findings:$ Tweets$ with$ hashtags$ were$ retweeted$ 39$ times,$ favorited$ 14$ times,$ and$ replied$ to$once$ over$ the$ course$ of$ one$ work[week$ (Monday$ to$ Friday).$ In$ contrast,$ tweets$ without$hashtags$ were$ retweeted$ 55$ times,$ favorited$ 19$ times,$ and$ replied$ to$ once$ during$ the$ same$period.$ On$ a$ per[tweet$ basis,$ the$ advantage$ for$ tweets$ without$ hashtags$ is$ even$ more$pronounced,$as$there$were$fewer$of$those$tweets$in$the$analysis$to$begin$with.$Numbers$for$the$tweets$ without$ hashtags$ are$ skewed,$ however,$ by$ two$ of$ @TheCIC’s$ most$ interacted[with$tweets$ of$ the$week,$ both$ of$which$ contained$ photos.$ Removing$ these$ two$ tweets$ leaves$ the$totals$for$the$non[hashtag$category$at$35$retweets,$15$favorites,$and$one$reply.$$$Conclusion:$This$ test$disproved$our$hypothesis$ [$ it$ showed$a$negative$correlation$between$the$use$of$hashtags$on$the$@TheCIC$account$and$the$rate$of$follower$engagement.$It’s$possible$that$a$ larger$ sample$ size$ would$ yield$ different$ results,$ but$ at$ this$ point$ we$ recommend$ that$OpenCanada$treat$the$continued$use$of$hashtags$on$@TheCIC$as$a$low$priority.$A$higher$priority$that$should$be$subject$to$further$testing$is$the$use$of$photos$in$tweets.$Nearly$all$of$@TheCIC’s$most$interacted[with$tweets$during$the$test$period$contained$photos$(See$Appendix$E).$$$$

Test!2:!Created!and!Curated!Content!on!Facebook!$Hypothesis:' Adjusting$ the$ balance$ between$ curated$ and$ created$ content$ may$ increase$ the$engagement$of$current$audience$members$and$make$OpenCanada$more$appealing$to$potential$audiences.$$

$Procedure:'The$client$was$asked$to$post$in$Facebook$4[6$times$daily$for$two$weeks.$Of$these,$2[3$were$ to$ be$ created$ (OpenCanada.org$ original$ content)$ and$ 2[3$ were$ to$ be$ curated$ (external$content).$$Implementation:'This$ test$ began$ on$March$ 10th$ and$ lasted$ for$ two$weeks;$ 4[6$ posts$ per$ day$were$posted$to$the$OpenCanada$Facebook$page$each$weekday.$$$Findings:'$

When' to' post:'Most$ of$ the$ activity$ on$ the$ OpenCanada$ Facebook$ page$ happens$ on$weekdays$between$9$a.m.$and$10$p.m.$Eastern.$This$may$guide$the$OpenCanada$team$on$when$to$focus$effort$on$Facebook.$Posting$at$night$or$on$weekends$is$less$effective.$$Page' Likes:$ Total$ page$ likes$ over$ the$ course$ of$ the$ two[week$ test$ (this$ includes$ 4$“unlikes”)$increased$from$2,480$to$2,518$[$an$increase$of$38$new$likes.$In$the$two$weeks$preceding$this$test,$gross$page$ likes$ increased$by$31.$The$number$of$daily$posts$during$those$ two$weeks$was$ larger$ than$ it$had$been$ in$ late$ January$and$ late$February,$when$new$“likes”$to$the$page$increased$by$23$on$average$every$two$weeks.$$Page' visits' (timeline' views):$ During$ the$ two$weeks$ of$ the$ test,$ pageviews$ significantly$increased.$Furthermore,$pageviews$were$significantly$higher$ in$March$[$when$the$page$showed$more$activity$[$than$in$January$and$February.$

$Popular' Content:$ The$ posts$ that$ get$ the$ most$ reach$ are$ posts$ about$ upcoming$ CIC$events$ that$ are$ posted$ on$ Mondays.$ OpenCanada.org$ original$ content$ tends$ to$ get$


$

5$

slightly$ more$ reach$ than$ externally[sourced$ content.$ However,$ outlier$ posts$ make$ it$difficult$ to$ base$ analysis$ on$ averages.$ Appendix$ F$ compares$ the$ reach$ of$ created$ and$curated$ posts$ and$ includes$ #CICevents$ posts$ in$ a$ third$ column$ to$ compare$ to$ both$averages.$

$Conclusions:$Posting$more$content$on$Facebook$generates$more$pageviews,$content$reach,$and$new$ page$ “likes.”$ Few$ “unlikes”$ were$ recording$ during$ the$ period$ of$ intensive$ posting,$suggesting$that$ there$ is$ interest$ for$CIC/OpenCanada$content$on$Facebook.$Though$pageviews$and$ post$ reach$ increased,$ there$ was$ no$ corresponding$ increase$ in$ post[engagement$ (“likes,”$comments,$ and$ shares).$ However,$ that$ pageviews$ and$ reach$ increased$ suggests$ audience$interest.$The$biggest$predictor$of$high$page$views$was$that$a$post$featured$upcoming$CIC$events.$These$posts$largely$outperformed$other$posts$posted$on$the$same$day$and$week.$$

$$Test!3:!Leveraging!Competitors!

$Hypothesis:$Engaging$with$competitors$will$expose$OpenCanada$to$potential$audiences$and$will$in$turn$increase$the$number$of$actual$followers.$Other$effects$of$this$practise$will$be$increasing$the$credibility$and$stature$of$the$OpenCanada$brand$in$the$realm$of$foreign$policy.$$Procedure:$ We$ asked$ OpenCanada$ to$ comment,$ like,$ and$ retweet$ the$ Facebook$ and$ Twitter$posts$of$ a$diverse$ range$of$ competing$organizations$ (See$Appendix$C).$ idea$was$ to$add$value,$demonstrate$expertise$and$gently$suggest$that$competitors$may$also$enjoy$OpenCanada$content.$$Implementation:!The$test$began$on$March$10th$and$lasted$the$work$week.$Most$retweets$were$from$ news$ outlets$ such$ as$ BBC,$ CB,$ New$ York$ Times,$ Guardian$News$ and$ Radio$ Canada.$ The$Council$on$Foreign$Relations,$the$Asia$Pacific$Foundation,$and$the$Diplomat$(the$APF$magazine)$were$also$retweeted.$On$Facebook,$OpenCanada$liked$two$posts$of$CIGI$live$lectures.$$Findings:!The$number$of$followers$and$page$likes$increased$over$the$testing$period;$however,$it’s$difficult$to$establish$what$specifically$contributed$to$the$increase.$Findings$were$also$restricted$by$ the$ fact$ that$OpenCanada$did$not$make$comments$on$competitors’$posts,$which$may$have$gathered$more$attention$from$their$audiences.$$Conclusions:!Because$a$ reason$ for$ increased$ likes$ can’t$be$established,$no$ specific$ conclusions$can$be$drawn$ from$ this$ test.$We$do,$however,$ recommend$extending$ this$ testing$period,$ and$conducting$ it$ in$ isolation$(not$while$testing$other$things$as$well).$Secondary$research$seems$to$confirm$our$hypothesis$that$engaging$with$competitors$can$grow$one’s$audience1.$$$$

Test!4:!Reaching!Out!to!Student!Organizations!$

Hypothesis:$ By$ engaging$ with$ spaces$ on$ Twitter$ and$ Facebook$ where$ students$ share$international$ relations$content,$or$even$ just$ following$ them$or$ liking$ their$pages,$OpenCanada$can$increase$the$number$of$student$followers$they$have.$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Thompson, Kelly. "Do You Engage Your Competitors on Social Media?." Alexander. N.p., n. d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.


$

6$

$Method:$The$client$was$asked$to$identify$and$reach$out$student$associations$on$different$social$media$ platforms.$ Specific$ actions$ were$ suggested$ for$ testing$ which$ included$ Liking$ a$ page,$Following$a$Twitter$Account,$replying$to$a$tweet,$and$commenting$on$a$post$on$specific$profiles$which$ included$APSS$ [$U$of$T,$PSSA$–$UBC,$PSSA$ [$McGill$ International$Association$ for$Political$Science$Students$(See$Appendix$G).$$

$$Implementation:'During$ the$ week$ of$ March$ 11th,$ OpenCanada$ took$ the$ following$ actions$ to$reach$out$to$student$associations:$

$$$$$$$$$ $STUDENT!ASSOCIATION$ ACTION!TAKEN$

APSS$–$U$of$T$ Liked$Facebook$page,$posted$on$Facebook$page$

PSSA$[$UBC$ Followed$PSSA$[$UBC$

UBC$IRSA$ Followed$UBC$IRSA$

PSSA$[$McGill$ Followed$PSSA$[$McGill$

IAPSS$ No$evidence$of$action$taken$$$

Findings:$Because$of$the$actions$the$OpenCanada$took$to$reach$out$to$these$student$organizations$the$following$actions$resulted:$

● The$APSS$[$U$of$T$liked$Open$Canada$on$Facebook$● PSSA$UBC$followed$OpenCanada$back$

$The$ IRSA$ of$ UBC$ and$ the$ PSSA$ of$ McGill$ did$ not$ reciprocate$ OpenCanada’s$ follow.$ A$ more$dynamic$ interaction$ between$ OpenCanada$ and$ the$ student$ organization$ in$ question$ was$expected.$The$lack$of$interaction$could$have$been$a$result$of$a$small$sample$size,$and$the$lack$of$comments$ or$ calls$ to$ action$ that$ may$ have$ been$ more$ personal.$ Since$ February$ 20th,$ the$number$of$Twitter$followers$(6,602$to$6,886)$and$Facebook$page$likes$(2,480$to$2,521)$increased.$The$ objective$ of$ this$ test$ was$ to$ attract$ student$ followers$ that$ were$ a$ part$ of$ student$associations.$Although$we$do$not$have$the$ability$to$analyze$new$Facebook$followers,$on$Twitter$out$of$ the$ last$250$people$to$ follow$OpenCanada$17%$had$student$ in$their$profile$description.$According$to$FollowerWonk,$“student”$is$still$the$second$most$common$word$in$the$profiles$of$all$followers.$

$Conclusion:$This$test$was$limited$by$sample$size.$We$can$hesitantly$conclude$that$reaching$out$to$ student$organizations$ can$ yield$more$page$ likes$ and$ followers.$We$ recommend$ testing$ the$impact$ on$ posting$ comments$ on$ the$ pages$ of$ student$ organizations$ or$ reply$ to$ their$ tweets.$Because$this$is$a$more$personal$reaction,$the$results$may$be$more$drastic.$$

$$!!!!!!


$

7$

5.!MORE!TESTS!TO!BE!RUN!$The$team$proposed$two$tests$that$were$not$run.$Here$we$outline$what$we$proposed$and$what$we$can$gather$about$the$tests’$potential$from$other$findings.$!Test!1:!Framing!Content!on!Facebook!and!Twitter!$

Hypothesis:$Adjusting$how$content$is$framed$on$Facebook$and$Twitter$can$increase$engagement$hence$framing$1[2$posts$daily$as$a$question$on$Facebook$and$2[4$on$Twitter$will$increase$engagement$with$content$(likes,$shares,$comments,$views).$$$Procedure:'$

On'Facebook:$Every$day$for$one$week,$post$1[2$posts$that$frame$content$as$a$question$rather$than$a$statement2$(See$Appendix$H).$$$On'Twitter:'Every$day$ for$ one$week,$ post$ 3[4$ tweets$ that$ frame$ content$ as$ questions$rather$ than$ statements.$Conversely,$ try$using$ “riskier”$or$more$ creative$ language$ (See$Appendix$H).$

$Why'Try'This:'Research$suggests$framing$content$as$a$question$can$lead$to$more$page$view.$It$is$a$ form$ of$ participatory$ journalism$ and$ it$ gives$ your$ brand$ a$ chance$ to$ engage$ more.$ Most$brands$have$experienced$increased$engagement$ i.e.$commenting$and$exchange$of$views$when$content$has$been$framed$as$a$question$or$has$invited$opinion3.$(Lavrusik,$2013)$

$!Test!2:!Facebook!Events!Calendar!$$

Hypothesis:'Maintaining$ an$ events$ calendar$ on$ Facebook$ will$ attract$ new$ audiences$ to$ the$CIC/OpenCanada’s$Facebook$site$in$addition$to$creating$value$for$audiences$and$CIC$branches.$$$Procedure:'Start$an$events$calendar$on$Facebook$and$input$the$events$on$the$OpenCanada$site$(usually$ published$ as$ an$ “upcoming$ CIC$ events”$ on$ Facebook)$ into$ the$ Facebook$ calendar.$Provide$links$to$these$events$on$the$Monday$events$posts$on$Facebook.$$$Why'Try'This:'The$“CIC’s$upcoming$events”$posts$on$Facebook$gains$the$biggest$audience$reach,$suggesting$that$there$is$a$big$audience$for$CIC$events$information.$The$events$calendar$is$also$a$good$way$to$connect$and$involve$CIC$Branches.$$

$$$$!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!2$In$our$proposal$of$tests,$we$phrased$the$procedure$as$such:$“Post$1[2$posts$that$use$“riskier”$or$more$creative$language,$or$communicate$in$a$way$that$you$typically$would$not.”$We’ve$revised$this$test$to$framing$the$post$as$a$question$rather$than$a$statement.$$3$Lavrusik,$Vadim.$“Best$Practices$for$Journalists$on$Facebook”.$2$May.2013.$<https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook[media/12[pages[best[practices[for[media[companies/518053828230111>.$


$

8$

6.!MORE!SOCIAL!MEDIA!RECOMENDATIONS$$Considering!Other!Platforms:!Initially,$we$thought$that$OpenCanada$would$benefit$from$focusing$on$a$few$social$media$profiles$rather$than$many.$Posting$on$many$with$limited$time$for$each$could$make$some$platforms$appear$unfinished$and$therefore$unprofessional.$Each$platform$serves$a$unique$purpose;$however,$the$return$on$effort$is$different$for$each$platform.$$$

Google+:$The$ biggest$ reason$ to$maintain$ the$ a$ CIC/OpenCanada’s$Google+$ account$ is$ because$Google+$improves$ SEO$performance.$ In$ fact,$ using$ the$ +1$ button$ generates$ 3.5$ times$more$ visits$ than$sites$without$the$button.4$The$ability$to$target$specific$circles$is$also$valuable$[$within$circles,$and$Google$ripples$help$to$identify$key$influencers.$The$audience$on$Google+$is$less$active$than$other$platforms$ with$ users$ spending$ an$ average$ of$ just$ 6$ minutes$ per$ month$ on$ the$ platform.$(Compared$to$8$hours$per$month$on$Facebook)5.$$$We$recommend$finding$ways$to$keep$an$updated$profile$but$to$avoid$investing$a$lot$of$time$into$it.$ Using$ the$ HootSuite$ platform$ would$ be$ useful$ here.6$To$ further$ improve$ OpenCanada’s$Google+$presence,$we$recommend$choosing$a$branded$and$visually$appealing$cover$photo.$$$LinkedIn:$On$ LinkedIn,$ content$ is$ posted$ less$ frequently$but$often$quite$meaningfully.$ The$OpenCanada$LinkedIn$group$is$active$[$users$engage$in$discussion$more$than$competitors$(many$of$which$do$not$ have$ a$ LinkedIn$ group).$ The$ OpenCanada$ LinkedIn$ page$ is$ not$ active$ with$ a$ modest$following.$ Therefore,$ we$ recommend$ maintaining$ a$ professional$ profile$ and$ posting$ only$organizational$ highlights$ every$ couple$ of$ weeks.$ Content$ highlighted$ should$ not$ be$ time$sensitive.7$$$Tumblr:$New$content$ to$OpenCanada’s$Tumblr$account$has$not$been$posted$since$December$13,$2013$despite$ previous$ images$ being$ quite$ powerful.$ Using$ these$ sorts$ of$ images$ on$ Facebook$ and$Twitter$ as$ well$ [$ where$ visuals$ are$ also$ effective$ in$ increasing$ reach$ [$ may$ be$ useful.$ We$recommend$that$OpenCanada$consider$whether$irregular$posts$on$Tumbler$make$the$platform$appear$ unfinished$ or$ neglected.$ If$ so,$ we$ recomment$ that$ OpenCanada$ either$ terminates$ its$Tumblr$account$or$posts$more$regularly.$To$post$more$regularly$with$a$limited$increase$in$effort,$OpenCanada$could$use$HootSuite$and$whenever$a$photo$is$posted$to$Facebook,$it$could$also$be$posted$to$Tumblr.$$$YouTube:$OpenCanada’s$ YouTube$ channel$ currently$ has$ several$ videos$ of$ discussions$ on$ foreign$ policy.$Although$these$videos$are$not$regular,$we$acknowledge$the$value$in$having$a$YouTube$channel$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4$Hubspot,$.$"Battle$of$the$New$Social$Networks."$HubSpot.$2013:$n.$page.$Web.$24$Nov.$2013.$<http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/blog/docs/ebooks/google_plus_vs_pinterest_where_should_you_market_your_business.pdf>.$5$$Hubspot,$.$"Battle$of$the$New$Social$Networks."$HubSpot.$2013:$n.$page.$Web.$24$Nov.$2013.$<http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/blog/docs/ebooks/google_plus_vs_pinterest_where_should_you_market_your_business.pdf>.$6$We$discuss$the$benefits$of$HootSuite$and$TweetDeck$below,$pg$…$.7$$(Kopecky,$2013).$Kopecky,$Julliet.$"LinkedIn:$Pages$vs.$Groups."$Marketing'Land.$21$Jan.$2013:$n.$page.$Web.$22$Mar.$2014.$<http://marketingland.com/linkedin[pages[vs[groups[vs[answers[30011>.$


$

9$

available$for$future$video$conferencing$events.$$$$Visual.ly:$Visual.ly$ is$ the$ world's$ largest$ community$ for$ sharing$ infographics$ and$ data$ visualizations.$Infographics$ and$ data$ visualizations$ are$ shifting$ the$ way$ people$ find$ and$ experience$ stories,$creating$a$new$way$of$seeing$the$world$of$data.$$$OpenCanada$ has$ a$ compiled$ an$ impressive$ portfolio$ of$ infographics.$ We$ recommend$ and$encourage$OpenCanada$to$continue$developing$this$collection.$ It$ is$not$worthwhile$to$increase$the$ followers$ on$ the$ platform$ because$ it$ has$ a$ niche$ audience.$ Visual.ly$ is$ well[suited$ for$portfolio$uses.$$

$$Identity!Inconsistency!]!“OpenCanada”!and!“The!CIC”!on!Social!Media:$There$ is$ a$ branding$ inconsistency$ between$ OpenCanada's$ organizational$ name$ (CIC),$ web$ name$(OpenCanada)$ and$ its$ social$media$ profiles$ (CIC$ on$most$ social$media$ platforms$ except$ Tumblr).$ The$disconnection$in$names$creates$confusion$and$may$detract$from$the$audience’s$ability$to$find$different$platforms.$Consistency$ is$generally$the$number$one$rule$ in$branding.$One$solution$ is$renaming$the$CIC$on$social$media$to$OpenCanada:$$

Reasons'supporting'a'name'change:$● “The$Canadian$International$Council”$sounds$less$accessible$to$the$public$(a$council$is$usually$

a$ small,$ closed,$ sometimes$ esoteric$ group$ of$ people)$ than$ “OpenCanada”,$ which$ sounds$more$like$a$digital$news$site$that$interacts$with$the$public.$$

● Foreign$policy$is$often$seen$as$an$esoteric$discussion$–$a$belief$that$OpenCanada$is$actively$trying$to$change.8$A$name$change$may$be$a$good$way$to$increase$the$organization's$online$approachability.$$

Reasons'against'a'name'change'/'Limitations'$● The$CIC$has$a$long$history.$A$name$change$may$cause$friction$between$different$parts$of$the$

CIC$identity.$● The$CIC$has$developed$brand$equity$that$may$be$lost$if$it$were$to$be$renamed.$● Some$CIC$branches$are$reluctant$to$embrace$OpenCanada$as$a$digital$news$platform.$Many$

branches$see$the$key$role$of$the$CIC$as$a$way$to$bring$foreign$policy$speakers$(and$therefore$conversations)$ into$ their$ communities$ through$ events$ and$ speakers.$ These$ branches$may$support$live$events$over$an$online$presence,$and$this$may$impact$they$they$perceive$a$name$change.$

$It$may$make$sense$to$rename$OpenCanada's$social$media$accounts$from$the$“CIC”$to$“OpenCanada”$to$avoid$branding$inconsistencies$because$the$social$media$platforms,$are$digital$media$platforms$working$for$the$CIC,$not$the$CIC$itself.$OpenCanada's$social$media$platforms$can$make$it$explicit$in$their$banners$that$they$are$the$online$publishing$arms$of$the$CIC$to$mitigate$name$change$risks.$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!8$One$of$OpenCanada’s$goals$is$to$stimulate$civil$society$and$engage$more$Canadians$in$Canada's$international$affairs.$One$of$the$ways$OpenCanada$seeks$to$achieve$this$goal$is$by$acting$as$a$digital$news$platform$for$foreign$policy$news$(See$Taylor$Owen$and$Robert$Muggah,$“Better$Think$Tanks,$Better$Foreign$Policy,”$OpenCanada.org,$October$16,$2013,$accessed$March$24,$2014,$http://opencanada.org/features/the[think[tank/essays/better[think[tanks[better[foreign[policy/;$and$Taylor$Owen,$“Four$Ways$to$Reinvigorate$the$Canadian$Foreign$Policy$Debate,”$OpenCanada.org,$$June$20,$2011,$accessed$March$24,$2014$http://opencanada.org/features/blogs/dispatch/four[ways[to[re[invigorate[the[canadian[foreign[policy[debate/.$


$

10$

Social!Media!Management!Tools!–!HootSuite!vs.!TweetDeck:$One$of$our$goals$is$to$ensure$that$OpenCanada$is$able$to$manage$their$social$presence$as$efficiently$as$possible.$Currently$OpenCanada$uses$TweetDeck$but$we$wanted$to$determine$if$this$was$the$best$tool$to$use.$Here$we$compare$two$leading$social$media$management$tools,$HootSuite$and$TweetDeck910:$$$$$ TWEETDECK$ HOOTSUITE$

Cost$• TweetDeck$is$free$for$all$users$ • HootSuite$comes$in$free$and$paid$forms.$The$

HootSuite$Pro$(recommended)$version$is$$10/month.$

Interface$

• Downloadable$desktop$version$available$for$OC,$Mac,$and$mobile$devices.$Powered$by$Adobe$AIR$which$drains$system$resources.$

• Column$based$interface,$all$profiles$are$viewed$in$one$screen.$

• Easy$to$use;$simple$navigation.$

• Browser$based$interface;$downloadable$version$available$for$Mac,$and$mobile$devices$

• Social$media$profiles$are$viewed$in$tabs.$• Complex$and$overwhelming$for$new$users.$$

Accounts$• Allows$users$to$add$multiple$accounts$in$one$

window.$$

• Allows$users$to$add$an$unlimited$number$of$$accounts$each$given$their$own$tab.$

Platform$• Compatible$with$Facebook$and$Twitter$only.$ • HootSuite$can$be$integrated$with$almost$

every$social$network$through$the$platform$or$using$apps.$

Features$

• Autoscheduling$available.$• Built$in$link$shortener.$• Filtering$option$to$clean$up$stream$from$

unwanted$posts.$

• Autoscheduling$available,$even$from$an$excel$spreadsheet$(up$to$50$at$once).$

• Extensive$and$customizable$analytics$reports.$• Team$management$and$communication$skills.$• Built$in$link$shortener.$• Extensive$search$streams,$filtering,$and$klout$

capabilities.$• Many$plugins$for$added$capabilities.$

$$Although$ HootSuite$ can$ be$ more$ difficult$ to$ navigate$ at$ first,$ we$ believe$ that$ it$ is$ better$ suited$ for$OpenCanada’s$operations.$Their$monitoring,$publishing,$analyzing,$and$team$management$features$offer$the$ sophistication$ required$ of$ OpenCanada’s$ advanced$ social$ media$ presence$ (See$ Appendix$ I).$ We$therefore$ recommend,$ learning$ and$ then$ adopting$ the$HootSuite$platform$ to$ streamline$ social$media$management$in$the$future.$$$$$Exploring!Paid!Advertisements:$Paid$advertisements$on$social$media$platforms,$especially$Facebook$and$Twitter$where$OpenCanada$is$most$active$appears$to$be$an$extremely$promising$endeavor.$It$ is$a$way$to$break$through$the$“clutter”$viewers$are$exposed$to.$You$can$speak$directly$and$exclusively$to$the$people$you$want$to$by$using$the$rich$data$available$on$these$various$platforms.$Therefore,$social$media$advertising$has$a$cost$per$reach$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9$Murphy,$Michael.$"Updated$TweetDeck$vs.$HootSuite$Pro."$Technology'Reviews.$14$Jun$2013:$n.$page.$Print.$<http://tweetdeck[vs[hootsuite.reviews.r[tt.com>.$10$Clark,$Taylor.$"TweetDeck$vs.$HootSuite:$Which$Twitter$Client$is$the$Best$Marketing$Tool."$TaylorClark.co.$13$Apr$2013:$n.$page.$Print.$<TweetDeck$VS$HootSuite:$Which$Twitter$Client$is$The$Best


$

11$

ratio$that$is$by$far$the$lowest$of$all$media$channels11.$We$recommend$undergoing$a$thorough$2[4$week$testing$period.$The$metrics$for$success$of$this$testing$period$include$high$click$through$rates$(CTR),$and$follower$acquisition$(See$Appendix$J,$K,$and$L).$$$7.!PROJECT!LIMITATIONS$$The$main$limitation$of$this$project$was$that$our$testing$phrase$which$was$limited$to$time$and$ability$to$adapt$tests$as$they$were$run.$We$did$not$post$on$any$of$the$social$platforms$ourselves$and$tests$were$facilitated$OpenCanada’s$management.$$$8.!CONFLICTS!OF!INTEREST$$None$ of$ the$ authors$ of$ this$ study$ identified$ any$ conflicts$ of$ interest$ in$ working$ on$ this$ project.$ The$project$was$completed$as$part$of$a$UBC$course$and$supervised$by$two$UBC$faculty$members.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!$

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11$Carroll,$Jason.$"Social$Media$ROI$in$Advertising$Terms$(CPM)."$SocialMedium.$30$Oct$2012:$n.$page.$Web.$20$Mar.$2014.$<http://www.socialmedium.com/blog/social[media[roi[in[advertising[terms[cpm/>.$$!

! 12!

9.#APPENDIX##Appendix#A:!Social!Media!Plan!Process##Our#process#for#developing#a#strategic#plan#for#OpenCanada#included#the#following:#

• Understand!OpenCanada!and!develop!objectives.!• Analyzed!OpenCanada’s!audience,!competitors,!and!current!social!media!presence.!!• Developed!hypotheses!on!how!to!fulfill!OpenCanada’s!social!media!goals.!!• Developed!six!tests!to!evaluate!these!hypotheses!four!of!which!were!tested.!!• Drew!conclusions!from!test!results!and!developed!recommendations.!!

##Appendix#B:!Current!Audience!#The! CIC! has! told! us! that! it! would! like! to! expand! its! reach! among! students! and!markets! outside! of! Canada,!particularly!the!United!States.!Our!audience!research!is!broken!down!into!two!broad!sections:!!

• First!is!an!analysis!of!the!CIC’s!existing!audience!on!social!media,!with!comparison!to!the!audience!for!the!CIC!website!OpenCanada.org.!!

• Second! is! an! analysis! of! the!behaviour! of! those!who! comprise! the! target! audiences,! including! those!students!and!nonJCanadians!that!follow!the!CIC’s!competitors,!but!not!the!CIC.!

!Existing#Audience#on#Twitter:!

• Followers:#6,602!(as!of!Feb.!20)!• By#Influence#as#measured#by#FollowerWonk’s#“social#authority”#metric:#More!than!50!per!cent!(56.4)!

have!a!“social!authority”!between!1!and!10.!o Only!3!followers!have!a!social!authority!greater!than!80,!and!only!29!(less!than!1!per!cent)!have!

a!social!authority!greater!than!70.!!o Of! that! total! (those!with! SA! greater! than! 70)! 10! appear! to! be! institutional! accounts! and! 19!

appear!to!be!individual!accounts.!o Only!7!of!these!29!accounts!indicate!someplace!in!Canada!in!their!“location”!field.!The!majority!

are!foreign,!mostly!from!U.S.!and!U.K.!Three!of!the!7!CanadaJbased!accounts!are!institutions,!rather!than!individuals.!

o This!leaves!22!highly!influential!accounts!based!outside!of!Canada!JJ!including!7!institutions!and!15!individuals!JJ!that!follow!@TheCIC!and!might!be!worth!reaching!out!to.!

o This%analysis%can%be%done%for%the%93%accounts%with%social%authority%scores%between%60%and%70%as%well.!

! There!are!37!institutional!accounts!and!56!individual!accounts!in!this!group.!There!are!35! Canadian! accounts! and! 58! nonJCanadian! accounts! (including! locationJunspecified!accounts)!in!this!group.!

• By#Influence#as#measured#by#the#number#of# followers#CIC’s# followers#have:#Nearly!75%!of!@TheCIC!followers! have! less! than! 500! followers! themselves.! Another! 23%! have! between! 500! and! 5,000!followers.!

o The!average!number!of!followers!for!@TheCIC’s!followers!is!3,760.05,!but!the!median!is!187.!o A! total! of! 33! accounts! with! more! than! 100,000! followers! follow!@TheCIC,! and! another! 29!

accounts!with!between!50,000!and!100,000!followers!follow!@TheCIC.!o Of!the!33!accounts!with!more!than!100,000!followers,!20!appear!to!be! institutional!accounts!

and!13!appear!to!be!individuals.!Again,!most!appear!to!be!outside!of!Canada.!o The%same%analysis%for%the%29%accounts%between%50,000%and%100,000%followers.!

! 11!appear!to!be!institutions!and!18!individuals.!13!Canadian,!16!nonJCanadian.!

! 13!

• By#FollowerWonk#bio#and#location#word#clouds:#The!most!common!single!word!in!the!Twitter!bios!of!@TheCIC! followers! is! “International.”! The! second! most! common! is! “student.”! This! would! seem! to!indicate! that,!on!Twitter!anyway,!@TheCIC! is! reaching! the! student!demographic.The! twoJword!word!cloud!doesn’t!rank!“student”!as!highly.!The!most!common!phrases!here!are,!in!order:!“human!rights,”!“international! relations,”! “political! science,”! “international! affairs,”! “public! policy,”! and! “foreign!policy.”!“Student”!appears!as!part!of!the!eighth!mostJpopular!phrase:!“phd!student,”!which!is!followed!by!“phd!candidate.”!

o A! theory! to! account! for! this! disparity:! The! secondJ! and! thirdJmost! common! phrases! could!easily! be! paired!with! the!word! “student”! in! the! bios! of! individual! users! JJ! i.e.! “international!relations! student”! or! “political! science! student.”! Both! of! those! phrases! are! also! university!majors.!

• The! location!word!cloud! is!more! indicative!of!the!concerns!CIC!management!has!shared!with!us:!The!first!seven!words!are!CanadaJrelated,!with!Washington!being!the!first!place!not!in!Canada!to!appear!on!the!list.!

!Existing#Audience#on#Facebook:!

! Likes:!2,428!! By#publicly#available#insights:!

o The!most!popular!age!group!is!25J34,!which!could!include!a!lot!of!grad!students!o The!most!popular!city!is!Vancouver,!which!doesn’t!bode!well!for!outsideJCanada!reach!

! By# LikeAlyzer:# This! free! service! looks! at! your! Facebook! page! and! recommends! actions! to! take! to!improve!it.!Here’s!a!link!to!its!report!for!the!CIC:!!http://likealyzer.com/facebook/canadianinternationalcouncil!

o While!LikeAlyzer’s!report!jumps!right!to!the!strategy!portion!of!a!social!media!plan,!some!of!its!insights! are! valuable.!Of! particular! interest! is! the! “engagement! rate,”! a!metric! arrived! at! by!dividing!the!“people!talking!about!this”!number!by!the!total!number!of!page! likes.!LikeAlyzer!says!an!engagement!rate!of!7!per!cent!or!greater!is!good.!The!CIC!engagement!rate!is!1.6!per!cent.!

!Where#is#the#Conversation#Happening?!

On#Twitter:!!By!far!the!most!active!hashtag!I!found!related!to!topics!The!CIC!covers!is!#cdnpoli.!In!10!minutes,!the!#cdnpoli!often!has!more!than!30!new!tweets,!while!#cdnfp!JJ!the!hashtag!for!Canadian!foreign!policy!discussion! JJ!has! just!a!handful.!Attaching!both!hashtags! to! relevant! tweets! could!bolster!@TheCIC’s!visibility!among!its!core!demographic:!Canadian!foreign!policy!enthusiasts!and!political!junkies.!

!!

Another!broad!but!active!hashtag!is!#foreignpolicy,!which!usually!has!fewer!new!tweets!in!10!minutes!than!#cdnpoli,!but!more!than!#cdnfp.!Importantly,!the!users!tagging!their!tweets!#foreignpolicy!seem!to! be!mostly! based! outside! of! Canada,! many! in! the! U.S.!@TheCIC! could! bolster! its! visibility! in! this!demographic!by!including!that!hashtag!in!relevant!tweets.!

!A!few!users!unaffiliated!with!the!CIC!have!picked!up!on!using!the!#CICreads!and!#CICRR!hashtags!as!a!way! of! drawing! attention! to! articles! Canadian! foreign! policy! wonks! (including/especially! @TheCIC)!might!be! interested! in.!These!are!folks!who!already!know!about!and!follow!@TheCIC,!but!having!the!#CICReads!tag!in!their!streams!is!basically!free!advertising!for!@TheCIC.!Encouraging!it!with!retweets!and!favourites!could!help!the!hashtag!grow.!

!Many!global!political!events!end!up!with! their!own!hashtags!on!Twitter.!@TheCIC!could!promote! its!stories!about!these!events!by!using!both!its!preferred!CIC/CanadaJbranded!hashtag!(#CICRR!or!#cdnfp,!

! 14!

most! likely)! and! the! preferred! hashtag! of! those! events! (#Ukraine! or! #SOSVenezuela,! to! use! recent!examples).!

!Including!more!than!two!hashtags! in!a! tweet! is!bad!form,!but!@TheCIC!could!use!multiple! tweets!of!the!same!story! throughout! the!day! JJ!each!one!with!two!hashtags,!one!CIC/CanadaJbranded!and!the!other!native!to!the!target!discussion!JJ!to!insert!its!stories!and!its!voice!into!the!existing!conversations!and!provide!a!link!back!to!its!home!territory!for!interested!viewers.!

!!# On#Facebook:!

As!on!Twitter,!the!hashtags!#cdnpoli!and!#foreignpolicy!seem!to!be!more!active!than!#cdnfp.!That!said,!there! is!noticeably! less!content!overall!on!each!of!the!three,!so! it’s!unclear!to!what!degree!users!are!monitoring!the!hashtags!and!using!them!to!communicate.!On!the!one!hand,! the!conversation!seems!less!cluttered!here!than!on!Twitter,!meaning!The!CIC!could!gain!more!of!a!share!of!the!total!stream!of!these!hashtags!by!using!them!in!its!posts.!On!the!other!hand,!a!larger!share!of!a!smaller!audience!may!not!prove!useful.!

!The!CIC!has!used!hashtags!(primarily!#CICReads)!on!Facebook!posts!in!the!past,!though!with!less!of!a!response! from! readers! than! on! Twitter.! The! CIC! may! want! to! consider! using! the! #cdnpoli! and!#foreignpolicy! tags!alongside! its!branded!tags,!but!should!refrain! from!using!more!than!two!tags!per!post,!as!on!Twitter.!!Much! of! the! conversation! around! foreign! policy! on! Twitter! seems! to! take! place! on! the! institutional!pages!of!think!tanks!and!media!organizations!like!The!CIC.!!!Foreign!Policy!magazine!posts!only! links!to! its!own!articles,!but!receives!several!comments,! likes!and!shares!on!each!post.!The!same!is!true!of!the!Council!on!Foreign!Relations,!though!nearly!all!of!its!posts!are! photos,! with! links! in! the! caption! text.! Interestingly,! LikeAlyzer! is! displeased! with! both! of! these!approaches.! It! recommends!more! variety! in! types! of! posts! to! both! groups! (and! to! The! CIC,! for! that!matter).!!The!CIC!actually!scores!better!than!CFR!in!LikeAlyzer’s!“engagement!rate”!statistic,!mostly!because!of!CFR’s! tremendous! advantage! in! total! likes! (nearly! 160,000! compared! to! 2,500).! Foreign! Policy! also!receives!a!failing!grade!in!its!LikeAlyzer!engagement!rate,!which!is!3.6!per!cent!(7!per!cent!is!considered!the!threshold!for!good!engagement).!!The!CIC!competitor!that!does!it!best,!according!to!LikeAlyzer’s!metrics,!is!The!Wilson!Center,!which!has!an!engagement!rate!of!9.7!per!cent!for!its!20,000!followers.!!In! raw! numbers,! each! of! the! organizations! mentioned! here! are! getting! more! engagement! from!Facebook!than!The!CIC.!One!way!to!start!changing!this!could!be!to!post!on!their!timelines,!whether!by!commenting!on!their!articles!(and!sometimes!including!relevant!links!back!to!CIC!or!thirdJparty!stories)!or!posting!directly!onto!their! timelines.!The!former! is!more! likely!to!be!seen!by!casual!visitors!to!the!competitors’!pages,!but!the!latter!is!more!likely!to!be!seen!(and!potentially!shared)!by!the!competitors!themselves.!!General!advice!that!LikeAlyzer!offers!for!The!CIC!and!all!of!the!competitors! I!ran!through!it! is!to!post!more!questions!and!calls! to!action! (like! if!you!agree,!etc.),!and!to!be!sure!to!respond!to!people!who!post!things!on!your!timeline.!While!this!won’t!necessarily!increase!The!CIC’s!total!likes,!it!will!leave!the!

! 15!

existing!audience!more!satisfied!with! its! relationship!to!The!CIC,!and!perhaps!more! likely! to! interact.!!LikeAlyzer! reports! for:! Foreign! Policy! (http://likealyzer.com/facebook/foreign_policy_magazine)! CFR!(http://likealyzer.com/facebook/councilonforeignrelations)!Wilson!Center!!(http://likealyzer.com/facebook/woodrowwilsoncenter)!

!!Appendix#C:!Competitive!Analysis!#! FACEBOOK! TWITTER!

OpenCanada.org!(Facebook,%Twitter,%Google+,%Tumblr,%YouTube)!

Page!Likes:!2,418!55!talking!about!Likes!on!posts!(Feb.!5J12):!14!Shares!(Feb.!5J12):!0!Comments!(Feb.!5J12):!0!

Followers:!6,547!Following:!980!Retweets!&!Favorites!(Feb.!12):!43!(Feb.!11):!54!(Feb.!10):!56!

The#Wilson#Center!(Facebook,%Twitter,%YouTube)!

Page!Likes:!19,573!1,442!talking!about!Likes!on!posts!(Feb.!5J12):!771!Shares!(Feb.!5J12):!113!Comments!(Feb.!5J12):!38!

! More!effort!put!towards!Facebook.!Higher!engagement!rates!likely!a!result!of!number!of!people!following!

! Created!and!curated!content!

Followers:!10.3K!Following:!2,521!Retweets!&!Favorites!(Feb.!12):!68!(Feb.!11):!24!(Feb.!10):!42!

! Less!effort!devoted!to!Twitter.!! Created!(mostly)!and!curated!content!

The#Lowy#Institute#of#International#Policy!(Facebook,%Twitter,%LinkedIn)!

Page!Likes:!3,338!60!talking!about!Likes!(Feb.!5J12):!7!Shares!(Feb.!5J12):!6!Comments!(Feb.!5J12):!0!

! Content!is!similar!to!OpenCanada.!! Emphasis!based!on!Twitter,!with!less!frequent!

Facebook!posts!! Created!(mostly)!and!curated!content!

Followers:!23.2K!Following:!1,251!Retweets!&!Favorites!(Feb.!12):!50!(Feb.!11):!37!(Feb.!10):!52!

! More!effort,!and!more!frequent!tweets!! Created!(mostly)!and!curated!content!

Foreign#Policy#Magazine#(Facebook,%Twitter)!

Page!Likes:!546,!500!26,135!talking!about!

! Similar!content!to!OpenCanada.!!! Visual!and!catchy!posts.!!! Enticing!titles.!!! Equal!effort!devoted!to!Facebook!and!Twitter.!! Only!Foreign!Policy!content!

Followers:!424K!Following:!402!

! Similar!content!to!OpenCanada.!Similar!titles!and!uses!of!links.!!

! Mostly!foreign!policy!content!with!some!retweets!from!other!relevant!source!

The!following!competitors!are!reported!more!generally!to!get!a!general!snapshot!of!their!social!media!presence.!!

CSIS! ! Likes:!215,000!Active!engagement!and!conversation!

! All!CSIS!content!published!

Followers:!53.4K!Following:!1624!

! Created!(85%)!and!curated!content!(15%)!! Extensive!use!of!images!in!Tweets!

CFR! Likes:!159,000!! All!created!content!! Visual!profile!! High!level!of!engagement!! Equal!emphasis!on!Facebook!and!Twitter!

Followers:!140k!Following:!11k!

! Mostly!created!content!! Equal!emphasis!on!Facebook!and!Twitter!

Bloomsbury#Politics#(Twitter)%

No!Facebook!page!found.! Followers:!395!! Following:!719!! Created!(70%)!and!curated!(30%)!content!

!!

CIGI#(Facebook,%Twitter)%

Likes:!5219!! Mostly!publish!their!own!content!! Little!engagement!

Followers:!4615!Following:!315!

! All!created!content!

! 16!

! No!visual!component!to!profile! ! Little!engagement!

Royal#United#Services#Institute!

Likes:!15,093!! Focus!on!Facebook!! High!engagement!! Not!very!visual!

Followers:!17.1K!Following:!519!

! Only!created!content!! Moderate!engagement!

Within#The#Wilson#Center#(ECFI,!Royal!United!Services!Institute,!Emphasise!News,!CIGI)!

#!Appendix#D:!Instructions!Received!by!OpenCanada!for!Hashtag!Test!!Once!a!day!for!1!or,!better!2!weeks!(as!time!permits),!Tweet!using!one!CICJdominated!(#CICreads,!#CICRR)!and!one!external!hashtag!(#cdnpoli,!#foreignpolicy,!#Ukraine![or!other!breaking!news!topic]).!Make!sure!to!use!one!of! each! type,! and!do!not! include!more! than! two!hashtags!per! tweet.! The! idea! is! to!expose! followers!of! the!broader!hashtags!to!the!CICJdominated!ones,! in!hopes!that!they!will!associate!the!CIC!with!the!conversation!they’re! following! and! be! more! likely! to! use! CICJdominated! hashtags! and! share! CIC! content! in! the! future.

To! use!more! than! two! hashtags,! tweet! the! same! link!multiple! times! (a! couple! hours! apart)! using! different!hashtag!combinations.

Note:! Broad! hashtags! including! #foreignpolicy,! #internationalrelations! are! used! primarily! by! american!audiences.

Run! this! test! many! times! if! time! and! effort! permits! J! we’d! like! to! see! if! posts! formatted! like! this! attract!increased!retweets.!#Appendix#E:!Hashtags!(Data!analysis!from!Test!1)!!!!####################

Tweet Hastag(s)+used Retweets Favorites Replies10:33%AM%(%14%Mar%2014 #Afghanistan 2 0 012:44%PM%(%15%Mar%2014 #Afghanistan 2 1 08:35%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Afghanistan 1 0 08:22%AM%(%13%Mar%2014 #Arctic 2 2 09:44%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Ashton%#Iran 0 0 04:38%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #askBaird 0 0 08:57%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #cdnfp%#CICtweet 1 0 03:52%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Chile 0 0 011:59%AM%(%11%Mar%2014 #CICReads 0 0 07:04%AM%(%13%Mar%2014 #CICReads 0 0 05:30%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #CICReads%#Syria 2 0 01:29%AM%(%14%Mar%2014 #CKFTA%#Quebec 2 0 112:02%AM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Crimea 3 4 06:20%PM%(%15%Mar%2014 #Crimea 3 0 09:54%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Crimea%#Ukraine 1 0 07:30%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 #CSEC 2 0 010:15%AM%(%14%Mar%2014 #EU%#CICReads 1 0 011:36%AM%(%12%Mar%2014 #indyref% 1 1 01:10%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #infographic% 1 1 011:15%AM%(%15%Mar%2014 #Iran%#CICReads 0 0 012:25%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 #MDGs 2 0 011:16%AM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Odessa%#Ukraine 0 0 04:38%PM%(%15%Mar%2014 #R2P%#Ukraine 1 0 04:44%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #R2P%#Ukraine 1 0 02:44%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 #Russia%#Ukraine 0 0 05:21%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Russia%#Ukraine 1 0 07:26%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Russia%#Ukraine 2 0 010:51%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 0 0 011:21%AM%(%14%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 1 2 011:28%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 1 0 011:32%AM%(%15%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 1 1 012:34%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 0 1 03:11%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 0 0 08:27%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Ukraine 1 1 02:31%PM%(%14%Mar%2014 #Venezuela 2 0 03:35%AM%(%14%Mar%2014 #Venezuela 0 0 05:12%AM%(%13%Mar%2014 #Venezuela 1 0 05:37%AM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Venezuela 0 0 06:41%PM%(%11%Mar%2014 #Venezuela 0 0 09:10%PM%(%12%Mar%2014 #Venezuela 1 0 08:55%PM%(%15%Mar%2014 #Yanukovych 0 0 01:25%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 none 1 0 01:25%PM%(%15%Mar%2014 none 2 0 010:12%AM%(%12%Mar%2014 none 0 0 010:20%AM%(%11%Mar%2014 none 0 0 010:32%AM%(%13%Mar%2014 none 2 1 010:36%AM%(%11%Mar%2014 none 1 0 010:37%AM%(%11%Mar%2014 none 5 3 110:57%AM%(%12%Mar%2014 none 1 0 010:57%AM%(%14%Mar%2014 none 0 1 011:18%AM%(%13%Mar%2014 none 0 0 011:27%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 none 0 0 011:30%AM%(%11%Mar%2014 none 1 0 012:13%PM%(%15%Mar%2014 none 0 0 012:23%AM%(%13%Mar%2014 none 0 0 012:43%PM%(%13%Mar%2014 none 1 2 0

20%More%data%points%were%analyzed%with%similar%methodology.%For%the%sake%of%space,%they%have%not%been%included%here.

Total+Followers Notes261 Both%Ottawa,%jobs%unclear

4156 Rwandan%student,%Iceland%Ambassador,%Retired%soldier121 "location%varies,%often%Boston"942 Oskarsson's%second%appearance%on%the%chart00

418 Think%tank%guy%from%Edmonton000

763117262 Ibb.%was%author%of%link%in%the%tweet,%replier%called%him%"a%quack"

3835 tweet%includes%photo%(map%of%Crimea)991 All%affiliated%with%universities%(first%two%students)

2500 DFATD%rep%in%Waterloo3231 Carvin%is%a%professor%in%Ottawa,%Kiambiroiro's%fourth%appearance%here

26 bio%unclear701

29400

439 Oyakojo's%second%appearance%here0

253 Ottawa(based,%affiliation%unclear767 author%of%piece0

2384521 art2u2%lists%location%as%Miami%Cuba

01060 Journalist%&%Techie610 sociologist%at%Memorial%University809 Author%of%the%post822 author%of%the%piece0

822 author%of%the%piece181 Third%appearance%in%this%chart%for%both%users0

188 South%African%user0032 Describes%herself%as%an%intern014 Seems%to%be%a%student%based%in%Toronto

7874 Singer%a%CEO%(of%Grand%Challenges%Canada)00

392 Oyakojo's%third%appearance%here235

5695129 Iceland%ambassador%again660 Ottawa,%job%unclear00

1370 author%of%the%piece0090 Kiambiroiro's%fifth%appearance%here


! 17!

####################Appendix#F:!Creation!and!Curation!of!Content!Test!!This!data!averages!the!reach!of!created!and!curated!posts!on!the!CIC!Facebook!page.!It!was!found!by!adding!the!total!reach!of!(1)!OpenCanada!original!content!and!(2)!externallyJsourced!content!and!then!dividing!by!the!number!of! each!post! to! get! the!average! reach! for! each.! There!were!a! couple!outlier!posts! in! each! category!which! affected! averages! but! #CICevent! posts! were! consistent! outliers.! For! this! reason,! #CICevent! reach! is!included!in!a!third!column,!to!compare!its!reach!to!the!created!and!curated!content!averages.!!!!!###################









26 bio%unclear701

29400




















26 bio%unclear701

29400












Created'Content Curated'Content #CICevents3/3/2014 220 294 2384/3/2014 370.5 1355/3/2014 195.6 1866/3/2014 334 1377/3/2014 179 08/3/2014 0 09/3/2014 0 0

10/3/2014 174 0 28111/3/2014 134.5 24712/3/2014 149 1372013:03:14 153 128.32014:03:14 164 134.52015:03:14 0 02016:03:14 0 02017:03:14 174.6 141.3 2522018:03:14 115.5 165.32019:03:14 105.3 145.62020:03:14 105.3 125.32021:03:14 106.5 73.5

Testing(Period

Yellow1text1indicates1the1days1that1test1was1being1run.

! 18!

Appendix#G:!Student!Organization!Test!Procedure!#

Student#Association Platform How#to#Reach#Out

APSS!J!U!of!T Facebook Like!Page:!Conversation!on!the!page! in!very! internal.!For!a!start!try! just! liking! their! page.! We! know! the! CIC! already! has! a!relationship!with!this!group.!

PSSA!J!UBC Twitter Follow:!Similar!to!U!of!T,!try! just!following!the!@UBCPSSA.!They!may! follow! you! back! and! then! those! (students)! who! see! who!UBCPSSA!follows!may!follow!you!too!

PSSA!J!McGill Twitter Reply! to! Tweet:! McGill! seems! to! have! a! lot! of! professor! vs!student! debates.! This!may! be! a! good! time! to! jump! in! and!wish!those!students!good!luck!

International!Association!for!Political!Science!Students

Facebook Comment:! Discussion! is! vibrant! on! this! page! and! therefore!jumping!in!to!provide!a!thought!or!too!would!be!appropriate.!For!example,!post!a!link!to!your!work!on!Ukraine!when!they!post!on!that.

#Appendix#H:!Content!Framing!#

Instead#of#This:! Try#This:#!

There!are!better!ways!to!approach!China's!interest!in!the!Arctic!than!fretting!about!dragons!on!our!threshold,!argues!Jeremy!Paltiel.!

Should!Canada!be!concerned!about!China’s!interest!in!joining!the!Arctic!Council?!Jeremy!Paltiel!says!yes,!but!not!for!the!reasons!you!might!think.!

The!Ukrainian!Parliament!wants!to!send!the!ousted!president!to!the!International!Criminal!Court.!Easier!said!than!done,!argues!Mark!Kersten!

Could!Ukraine’s!ousted!president!be!tried!at!the!International!Criminal!Court?!OR,%if%OpenCanada%has%more%confidence%in%its%audience’s%knowledge:!Could!Yanukovych!be!tried!at!the!ICC?!

#R2P!has!been!described!as!the!fastest!developing!international!norm!in!history.!But!has!it’s!moment!passed?!opencanada.org/features...!

Is!#R2P!obsolete?!A!look!at!whether!the!fastJgrowing!international!norm!may!be!getting!left!in!the!dust.!opencanada.org/features…!

##Appendix#I:!HooteSuite!for!OpenCanada!!HootSuite! is! a! social!media!management! system! for! businesses! and!organizations! to! collaboratively! execute!campaigns!across!multiple!social!networks!from!one!secure,!webJbased!dashboard.!Three!of!Hootsuite’s!most!valuable!capabilities!include!monitoring,!publishing,!and!analyzing.!!!Monitoring:%

OpenCanada.org!considers!themselves!to!be!Canada’s!hub!for!international!affairs.!They!need!to!be!up!to! date!with! the! latest! in! Canadian! foreign! policy,! and! to! some! degree! international! foreign! policy.!

! 19!

Although,!OpenCanada.org!is!gaining!information!from!university,!and!academic!or!policy!institutions,!knowing!what!is!being!said!on!social!media!by!key!audiences!provide!further!context.!Knowing!trends!within!the!topic,!what!key!influencers!are!saying!and!about!what,!and!seeing!what!topics!of!discussion!are!generating!buzz!can!help!frame!dialogue!and!content.!!!Using! Hootsuite,! there! are! a! variety! of! tools! that! can! help! an! organization! monitor! their! social!environment.!They!include!search!streams!to!which!keyword!filters,!klout!filters,!or!geographic!filters!can!be!added,!and!other!useful!plugins.!

• Search!Streams:!You!can!add!a!search!stream!that! is!a! feed!of!your!particular!search!results.!For! example,! your! could! add! a! search! stream! for! “foreign! policy! Canada”,! “Canada!immigration”,!or!“Canada!China”.!Then,!anything!that!contains!these!words!(not!necessarily!in!this!order),!will!pop!into!this!feed.!Adding!an!‘or’!between!two!phrases!will!yield!results!from!either!of!the!searched!phrases!or!both.!For!example,!“Foreign!Policy!Canada!or!Foreign!Affairs!Canada”.!!Putting!quotations!around!the!searches!yields!searches!of!exact!phrases.!!

• Keyword!Filter:!You!can!then!filter!your!streams!based!on!keywords.!For!example,!if!you!had!a!“Canada! China”! search! stream! and! then! wished! to! see! only! content! that! had! to! do! with!“Huiyong%Holdings”,!they!could!filter!their!stream!to!see!only!that!content.!This!could!be!useful!to!observe!conversations!relative!to!very!specific!topics.!!

• Klout!Filter:!Klout!scores!are!an!influence!metric!that!provides!a!measurement!of!a!user’s!social!reach.! Filtering! your! home! feed! or! search! column!with! Klout! is! a! quick! trick! for! prioritizing!which! followers! to! engage! with! at! different! times! and! to! see! what! they! are! saying.! So! for!example,!if!you!have!a!search!stream!on!“Canada!defense”,!and!you!filter!by!klout!score,!your!search!will!be!organized!to!show!the!people!that!engage!with/discuss! the!topic! the!most.!So!perhaps,!in!this!cases!Rob!Nicholson,!the!Canadian!Minister!of!National!Defense!may!come!up,!or!perhaps!an!opinionated!student!blogger!passionate!for!the!issue.!!

• Location!Based!Searches:!In!order!to!append!location!sensitivity!to!your!search,!add!a!geocode,!followed!by!the!geographic!coordinates!of!the!area!you’re!interested!in!monitoring,!and!then!the! distance! from! that! point! you’d! be! interested! in!monitoring,! in! kilometers.! This! could! be!useful! in! determining! how! people! from! different! regions! feel! about! a! certain! subject.!OpenCanada.org!could!use!this!to!stimulate!debate!or!dialogue!on!social!media.!!

• Useful!Plugins:!Some!plugins!can!be!used!to!tack!onto!the!HootSuite!platform!to!enhance!the!monitoring!process.!Some!useful!plugins!include:!

o Trendspottr:!You!can!see!trending!content,!hashtags!and!sources!from!a!list!of!popular!topics.! At! that! point! you! can! share! content! or! simply!monitor! if! or!when! a! topic! of!interest! is! of! particular! interest.! OpenCanada.org! could! get! ideas! as! to! content! that!may!earn!particularly!high!traction!among!audiences.!

o ContentGems:! Similar! to! Trendspottr,! you! can! view! a! stream!of!web! content! for! the!Interests!you!have!specified!in!your!ContentGems!account!(i.e.!International!relations,!foreign!policy,!etc).!

o Stay!at!the!forefront!on!the!latest!trends!and!news!from!the!HootSuite!dashboard!o RankSpeed:! To! determine! how! your! audience! feels! towards! your! content! (what!

generates! a! response,! and! what! type! of! response?)you! can! use! RankSpeed! to! filter!tweets!based!on!positive!and!negative!sentiment!analysis.!Rankspeed!can!also!be!used!to!categorize!tweets,!and!specify!the!time!ranges!to!focus!on!specific!events.!

!Note:%TrendSpottr,%ContentGems,%or%search%streams%may%also%be%a%way%to%identify%content%to%be%curated.%%

!!%

! 20!

Publishing:%Hootsuite’s!facilitates!the!management!all!of!your!social!media!sites!on!one!platform.!Your!HootSuite!platform! is! an! interface! for! many! social! media! platforms! including! Twitter,! Facebook,! LinkedIn,!Google+,!Foursquare,!Wordpress,!and!Mixi!(Japanese!social!network).!You!can!post!to!almost!any!social!network! from! the! Hootsuite! platform! (And! there! is! also! an! Ow.ly! URL! shortener! is! built! into! the!message!field!).!!!Hootsuite! then! allows! more! functions! that! make! publishing! content! even! easier.! Three! of! these!functions!include!scheduled!publishing,!and!cross!platform!publishing,!and!Hootlet.!!!

• Scheduling! can! ensure! you! are! keeping! a! consistent! social! media! presence.! Not! only! is! this!helpful!for!tweeting!consistently,!but!it!also!allows!you!to!track!how!often!you!are!publishing!content!amongst!your!followers!and!make!sure!you!aren’t!flooding!their!feeds.!Tweets!can!be!manually! scheduled! (you! choose! content! and! time),! bulk! scheduled! (you! choose! a! series! of!posts!and!times),!autoscheduleling!(you!decide!content!and!Hootsuite!publishes!it!when!your!content!usually!does!best).! It! is! important! to! recognize! the! risks! in! scheduling.! Sometimes,!a!scheduled!tweet!or!message!can!be!scheduled!and!sent!out!but!some!facts!or!circumstances!have!changed.!This!could!therefore!jeopardize!the!reputation!of!OpenCanada.org.!!

• Cross!platform!scheduling!is!the!ability!to!post!to!multiple!channels!at!the!same!time.!However,!this! function! not! appropriate! for! most! content.! Remember! the! differences! in! the! content!posted!on!each!social!network.!For!example,!Facebook!is!more!visual!than!Twitter,!and!Tweets!need!to!be!shorter.!Furthermore,!you!Twitter!audience!may!be!different!than!your!Facebook!audience.!To!avoid!these!risks!I!would!tailor!all!content!to!their!specific!social!network.!!

• Hootlet! is!a! tool!used!to!simplify!content!sharing!via!HootSuite!and!distribute!the!content! to!multiple!social!networks!and!even!schedule!your!posts.! In!essence!whenever!you!find!a!page!that’s!worthy!of!a!share,!click%the%owl%Hootlet%button%on%the%top%right%corner!of!your!browser!window! and! the! Hootlet! compose! box! will! appear.! It! will! automatically! add! the! title! and! a!shrinked!URL! into! the! share! box.! You! can! then! highlight! text! in! the! article! you! also!wish! to!appear!and!choose!which!social!network(s)!you!wish!to!share!the!content!on.!!

!For! the! networks! that! are! not! built! directly! into! Hootsuite,! they! have! apps! that! allow! you! to! fully!integrate! all! of! your! social! media! practices.! Apps! include! ones! for! YouTube,! Instagram,!WordPress,!Vimeo,! Reddit,! Storify,! MailChimp! Stumble! Upon,! and! Slide! Share! to! name! a! few.! Because!OpenCanada.org! has! a! YouTube! channel,! this!will! be! useful! for! them! to! easily! share! their! videos! on!other!social!networks.!!

!Analytics:%

To! measure! engagement,! amplification,! reach,! and! the! success! of! different! social! media! strategies,!Hootsuite!analytics!is!essential.!Hootsuite!Analytics!allows!you!to!create!a!custom!report!that!can!include!everything! from! link! clickJthroughs,! clicks! by! region,! top! referring! sights,! follower! growth! across! the!platforms!among!other! things.!!You!choose!which!stats!you!want! in!your! report,! then!choose!how!often!you!want!it!emailed.!The!report!is!made!to!be!shared,!so!you!can!export!to!PDF!or!CSV,!you!can!print!it!and!you!can!even!customize!it!with!logos!and!headings.!Using!the!analytics!tools!you!can!get:!

• Facebook!insights!• Google!analytics!• Twitter!profile!statistics!• Ow.ly!click!statistics!

!For!OpenCanada.org,!could!use!analytic!feature!to!tell!what!content!is!received!the!best!at!what!times,!and!then!pull!out!key!insights!to!guide!their!social!media!strategies!going!forward.!Other!key!ideas!pulled!from!

! 21!

the!analytics!report!would!be!how!people!are!landing!on!each!social!network,!number!of!views!vs!number!of!likes,!comments,!or!shares,!or!the!like.!!

!Team%Management:%

HootSuite! Teams! provide! a! useful! system! for! optimizing! the! efforts! of! a! team!working! on! a! unified!social!media!strategy.!OpenCanada.org!could!use!this!if!they!wished!to!distribute!the!responsibility!of!social!media!to!multiple!people.!!!On! HootSuite,! account! owners! and! advanced! team! members! can! invite! colleagues,! clients,! and!contractors! to! teams!using!email!addresses!and! then!are!arranged!on!an!organizational!panel.!Then,!different!levels!of!permission!can!be!set!to!dictate!what!levels!of!authority!each!team!member!has.!For!example,!some!people!may!only!be!able!to!view!analytics,!while!another!person!may!be!able!to!post,!comment,!and!share!freely.!!HootSuite!can!also!help!streamline!workflow!within!an!organization.!If!multiple!people!or!departments!are! working! together,! HootSuite! team! management! can! assign! messages! to! the! appropriate! team!members! for! followJup.! Managers! can! then! track! responses! and! turnaround! times.! In! the! case! of!OpenCanada.org,! specific! authors! may! be! delegated! to! respond! to! comments! on! certain! postings!because! they! are! particularly! knowledgeable! on! the! subject!matter.! Draft!messages! can! be! shared,!commented!upon,!and!when!a!draft!message!has!been!resolved!they!are!clearly!marked.!!!As!stated!previously,!monitoring!is!very!important!on!social!media.!Substantial!monitoring!is!required!on!social!media.!Team!members!will!need!to!stay!on!top!of!mentions,!hash!tags,!contest!submissions!and!more.!The!team!can!be!coordinated!with!shared!search!and!keyword!streams!to!capture!campaign!relevant!content!from!your!social!networks.!!

!!The! capabilities! of! Hootsuite! are! vast! but! using! the! platform! optimally! can! help! organizations! like!OpenCanada.org,!manage!the!dynamic!and!complex!realm!of!social!media.!!!!####################

! 22!

Appendix#J:!Exploring!Paid!Advertisements!!Paid!Advertisements!J!Facebook!!

!#############################################

About& Pros&• When%you%create%ads,%they’ll%be%shown%in%different%

placements%on%Facebook%depending%on%your%goal%and%your%targeting%and%creative%choices.%Your%ad%may%look%slightly%different%depending%on%who%sees%it.%For%example,%if%you’re%promoting%a%Page%post%and%someone%sees%it%because%a%friend%has%liked%it,%they’ll%see%social%information%with%your%ad%that%says,%“Jane%Doe%liked%this.”%

• There%are%two%ad%varieties.%InFstream%ads%which%appear%within%the%newsfeed,%and%rightFrail%ads%which%appear%on%the%right%side%of%the%screen.%InFstream%ads%typically%achieve%higher%CTRs%and%will%show%up%on%the%mobile%applications.%RightFrail%rates%are%not%seen%on%mobile%devices.%

• On%Facebook,%you%can%“boost”%a%post.%This%is%not%the%same%as%an%advertisement,%and%simply%increases%the%probability%that%your%audience%will%see%it%in%their%news%feed.%%

• Facebook%uses%a%pay%per%click%or%pay%per%impression%cost%structures%Pay%per%impression%is%less%expensive%but%means%you%could%be%paying%for%something%people%are%not%even%looking%at.%

• Facebook%has%a%huge%audience,%and%many%people%use%it%actively%• Facebook% has% incredible% user% insights% and% therefore,% you% can%

target% specific% consumers% easily.% You% can% target% Precisely% the%right%people%in%the%right%ways:%o Custom%audiencesF%Allow%you%to%upload%a%list%of%people%you%

would% like% to% contact% (could% be% current% customers)% and%Facebook% will% reach% those% people.% Useful% for% people% with%large%databases%

o Facebook% exchangeF% Lets% advertisers% reach% specific%audiences% on% Facebook% based% on% actions% that% have% taken%online% –% like% visiting% a% website.% It% helps% you% reach% people%who%have%expressed%interest%through%their%online%behavior.%%

o Ad% targeting% can%also%be%based%on%demographics% gathered%through%information%(i.e.%age,%location,%interests)%

o Conversions% trackingF% You% can% track% if% users% pursue% call% to%action% stated% in% ad% (i.e.% Subscribe% to% newsletter,% or%comment%on%post)%

o You%can%think%local.%Facebook’s%targeting%allows%you%to%only%serve% your% ads% in% a% certain% area,% even% down% to% specific%towns.%%

• You% can% easily% measure% your% reach% before% and% after.% When%designing%your%ad%Facebook%tells%you%how%many%people%are%likely%to%see%it.%%

• Facebook%ads%snowballs,%meaning%if%someone%clicks%on%your%page%and%likes%your%page,%this%shows%up%on%the%Facebook%news%feeds%of%all%their%friends.%

• You% can% use% images% that%make% ads%more% eye% catching.% Testing%ads% with% different% images% is% often% a% good% (and% interesting)%practice.

• What%appears%on%a%Facebook%news%feeds%is%a%bit%of%a%mystery%based%on%Facebook’s%own%algorithm.%This%is%widely%regarded%as%the%main%disadvantage%for%organizations%using%Facebook.%Therefore,%by%purchasing%an%ad,%you%can%guarantee%that%your%content%is%being%shown.%

Cons&• Sometimes%Facebook%advertising%is%largely%dismissed%by%

users%simply%because%Facebook%is%known%for%having%a%very%personal%aspect.%Many%people%pay%more%attention%to%what%their%friends%are%doing%than%advertisers.%As%a%result,%conversion%rates%and%clickFthrough%rates%are%low.%

• Sometimes%an%ad%can%get%people%onto%your%sight%but%getting%them%to%stay%and%interact%is%more%challenging.%%Often%times%AdWords%are%associated%with%increased%bounce%rates.%

• The%amount%of%effort%required%to%customize%different%ads%is%often%underestimated.%

Facebook&Ads&&&OpenCanada&• Facebook%advertisements%can%target%very%specific%audiences%which%could%then%be%directed%to%the%OpenCanada%Facebook%page,%or%

their%website.%Facebook%would%be%particularly%appealing%for%reaching%the%student%segment;%as%this%is%the%platform%they%use%most%(Widrich,%2013).%%

• We%recommend%trying%the%inFstream%ads%where%higher%click%through%rates%are%achieved%(Widrich,%2013)%which%could%direct%viewers%to%the%website%or%the%OpenCanada%Facebook%page.%Ads%directing%viewers%to%the%website%would%offer%similar%benefits%as%AdWords%but%more%demographically%targeted%and%with%lower%clickFthrough%rates.%%

• Like%any%paid%ad,%the%image%and%accompanying%text%must%be%extremely%enticing.%General%statements%about%broad%topics%tend%not%to%be%as%intriguing.%I%would%recommend%trying%a%specific%ad%that%people%may%find%interesting.%An%example%of%the%text%could%be:%o For$students:$How$does$Kim$Jong$Un$balance$his$fetish$of$Nike$trainers$and$anti<American$propaganda?$Like$

OpenCanada.org$to$join$the$discussion.$$o For$Topic$Enthusiasts:$Are$the$Olympic$games$about$overcoming$differences$or$displaying$nationalism?$Like$OpenCanada.org$

to$join$the$discussion.$(I$would$like$to$do$further$research$regarding$which$segments$respond$to$different$types$of$ads)$

• We%recommend%trying%the%inFstream%ads%where%higher%click%through%rates%are%achieved%(Widrich,%2013)%which%could%direct%viewers%to%the%website%or%the%OpenCanada%Facebook%page.%Ads%directing%viewers%to%the%website%would%offer%similar%benefits%as%AdWords%but%more%demographically%targeted%and%with%lower%clickFthrough%rates.%I%would%recommend%running%a%twoF%week%trial%period%to%do%testing%to%determine%what%kind%of%results%are%possible.%Facebook%ads%have%been%very%successful%in%some%industries,%and%less%successful%in%others.%At%this%time,%it%is%hard%to%determine%the%success%that%would%be%seen%for%OpenCanada.%

$$!

! 23!

Appendix#K:#!Paid!Advertisements!–!Twitter:!!

!#############################################

Promoted(Account( Promoted(Tweet( Promoted(Trends!• The$Promoted$Account$ad$goals$are$to$

increase$the$number$of$relevant$followers$to$a$Twitter$profile.$The$ads$are$featured$in$Twitter$search$results$and$within$the$Who$To$Follow$section.$Promoted$Accounts$are$suggested$to$users$based$on$ad$targeting.$

• "Ad$copy"$in$the$form$of$a$tweet$can$be$shown$with$the$ad$to$communicate$to$viewers$what’s$in$it$for$them.$

Caution:$• Twitter$matches$your$promoted$account$

to$potential$followers$by$matching$key$words$and$profile$descriptions.$Therefore,$your$profile$description$and$other$words$are$paramount.$

• Promoted$Tweets$appear$directly$in$the$timeline$among$nonCpaid$tweets.$Twitter$regularly$analyzes$the$engagement$rate$of$the$advertisers$tweets$to$identify$five$of$the$most$engaging$to$create$an$ad$to$serve$to$users$automatically.$Advertisers$can$also$select$specific$tweets$that$can$be$changed$anytime.$

Caution:$• It$isn’t$clear$how$Twitter$shows$which$

ads$to$show$• You$are$relying$on$the$content$of$the$

tweet,$so$the$tweet$must$be$particularly$novel$or$exciting$to$entice$people$to$engage$with$it.$

• Promoted$trends$are$featured$next$to$the$users$timeline$on$twitter.com$among$the$organic$Twitter$trends$and$are$tailored$for$users$based$on$location$and$who$they$follow.$

• Ads$appear$at$the$top$of$the$trending$topics$list$and$are$also$compatible$on$mobile$devices.$Promoted$Trends$are$currently$in$beta$with$a$small$selection$of$advertisers.$

Caution:$• This$doesn’t$yet$exist!$Something$

to$keep$on$your$radar.$$

Ad(Targeting(Ad$targeting$varies$slightly$with$the$ad$format,$but$generally,$Twitter$ads$can$be$targeted$by:$• Interests:$Adding$more$user$names$and$interests$can$expand$the$number$of$people$to$reach.$• Followers:$Adding$a$user$name$targets$people$similar$to$that$user's$followers.$• Keywords:$Target$users$or$searches$containing$the$specified$keywords.$Searches$on$trending$topics$can$be$automatically$

targeted$as$an$option.$One$may$also$want$to$use$the$option$of$excluding$tweets$in$which$keywords$are$used$with$negative$sentiments.$

• Television:$Available$for$U.S.$advertisers$running$national$TV$ads$who$have$Twitter$account$managers.$An$interesting$one$to$look$up!$

• Devices(or(platforms:$Choose$from$a$variety$of$options$of$mobile$OS$types$and$desktop$and$mobile$web.$• Geography:$Enter$countries,$states/regions,$metro$areas,$or$postal$codes$most$relevant$to$your$campaign.$The$smaller$the$

region$the$more$expensive$the$ad$will$get.$$• Gender:$Males,$females,$or$"any"$options.$• Tailored(audiences:$Using$customer$data,$Twitter$will$match$a$user's$account$to$information$shared$by$ads$partners$for$targeting$

ads.$Data$that$can$be$used$includes$cookie$IDs,$email$addresses,$twitter$IDs$and$must$come$from$a$specific$Twitter$ad$partner.$$Budgets(and(Bids(• Budgets$or$maximum$willingness$to$spend$are$set.$$• This$budget$is$then$broken$down$into$a$daily$budget/$maximum$spend.$You$can$control$the$pace$of$when$ads$are$shown$so$ads$

can$be$spread$out$or$accelerated$as$quickly$as$possible.$• Promoted$Account$ads$are$priced$on$a$costCperCfollower$(CPF)$basis$with$advertisers$paying$for$new$followers$gained$($1.50C

$2.00$per$new$follower).$Because$not$many$OpenCanada$competitors$use$this$tactic,$bid$prices$are$expected$to$be$quite$low.$$• Promoted$tweets$use$costCperCengagement$pricing.$An$engagement$is$a$retweet,$reply,$favorite,$or$follow.$• The$higher$bid$the$more$likely$the$ad$will$appear.$The$recommended$bid$is$one$suggested$by$Twitter.$$Twitter(Ads(&(OpenCanada(• Promoted$tweets$and$promoted$accounts$could$be$a$great$way$to$reach$new$audiences$and$those$interested$in$foreign$policy.$

Also,$because$you$can$set$budgets,$this$investment$can$be$sized$appropriately$for$OpenCanada.$OpenCanada$also$has$a$strong$and$enticing$Twitter$activity.$

Promoted$Accounts:$Revise$account$description$and$target$ads$based$on$keywords,$interests,$and$followers.$• Currently:$Official$Twitter$feed$for$the$Canadian$International$Council$and$http://OpenCanada.org$C$Canada’s$hub$for$

international$affairs.$• Suggested$(to$try):$Add$key$terms$that$someone$may$use$when$searching.$Having$the$words$“politics”,$“economic”,$“foreign$

relations”,$“global”,$or$the$like.$$o Canada’s$foreign$relations$hub$for$discussion$involving$on$international$politics,$economics,$and$ideas.”$

Promoted$Tweets:$$Engage$in$promoted$tweets$to$reach$new$potential$followers$based$on$interests$and$keywords.$• Promote$tweets$that$will$catch$the$attention$of$the$audience.$These$tweets$will$show$up$on$the$feeds$of$people$already$

interested$in$foreign$policyC$so$what$will$they$find$interesting?$Shocking?$Novel?$Content$is$paramount.$$• Using$Twitter’s$suggested$tweets$could$be$useful,$while$specifically$generated$tweets$can$be$used$to$target$pacific$users.$For$

example,$a$tweet$about$the$interaction$of$educational$institutions$could$be$interesting$to$students?$!

! 24!

Appendix#L:#!Paid!Advertisements!–!Google!AdWords:!#

##############################################

Pros% Cons%• To#Attract#Customers:%In#North#America,#90%#of#people#search#for#a#product#or#service#on#

Google.#Google#AdWords#increases,#your#likelihood#of#being#seen#and#clicked#on#when#potential#consumers#are#searching.#

• Immediate:#Instantaneous#implementation#yields#fast#results.#The#campaign#can#also#be#ended#at#any#time.#

• Measurability:%Advanced#analytics#platform#show#that#ads#were#clicked#on,#how#often,#and#what#keywords#worked#(and#didn’t!)#

• You#only#Pay#for#Results:%The#“Pay#Per#Click”#system#means#you#only#pay#if#a#user#clicks#on#your#ad#to#visit#your#website.#You#pay#for#the#benefits#you#reap.#

• Flexibility#and#Control:%Google#AdWords#allows#changes#to#keywords#or#ad#descriptions#to#be#made#at#any#time.#AdWords#campaigns#can#be#customized#to#target#different#local#geographic#locations#or#language#groups.#

• Accommodates#a#Small#Budget:%On#Google#AdWords#there#is#no#minimum#spend,#and#therefore#can#be#as#small#as#$1#a#day.#

• AdWords#can#Improve#Organic#Traffic:%A#visitor#that#got#directed#to#your#site#from#a#paid#advertisement#may#become#a#repeat#visitor#and#return#to#your#website#from#an#organic#search#in#the#future.#

• AdWords#is#Easier#than#SEO:#Although#search#engine#optimization#is#a#very#important#aspect#of#your#digital#web#presence,#AdWords#is#often#much#easier#to#implement.#SEO#requires#altering#your#web#content#that#may#include#working#with#a#web#developed.#

• Finding#keywords#that#“work”#or#generate#clicks#is#actually#very#hard#and#requires#a#lot#of#testing.#They#must#replicate#user#search#behavior#but#broad#terms#rarely#work#because#so#many#advertisers#are#trying#to#use#them,#and#too#narrow#of#keywords#are#not#searched#regularly#enough.##

• Sometimes#an#ad#can#get#people#onto#your#sight#but#getting#them#to#stay#and#interact#is#more#challenging.##Often#times#AdWords#are#associated#with#increased#bounce#rates.#

• The#amount#of#effort#required#to#customize#different#ads#is#often#underestimated.#

Tips%for%Developing%the%“Ad”%The#ad#is#what#Google#will#show#when#your#ad#appears.#Best#practices#and#tips#are#stated#below:###• Headline:#The#headline#must#communicate#the#benefits#of#the#company#in#a#detailed#manner.#This#may#involve#a#call#to#action#

or#value#proposition.#Using#the#OpenCanada#or#CIC#name#could#be#useful,#but#you#may#also#choose#more#specific#titles#if#you#think#that#it#will#appear#to#be#more#what#the#searcher#is#looking#for.#

• Description#lines:#The#description#lines#must#describe#your#benefits,#value#proposition,#or#call#to#action#in#more#detail.#For#example,#the#title#of#an#article,#a#rhetorical#question#

• Display#URL:#The#display#URL#needed#to#be#short#and#simple.#We#chose#to#make#the#display#URL#www.ultrafit.ca.#We#chose#this,#as#it#is#the#only#part#of#the#ad#that#has#the#company#name.###

• Destination#URL:#This#needed#to#direct#the#consumer#to#what#the#ad#was#talking#about.#If#it#is#a#call#to#action#(i.e.#subscription#to#newsletter)#or#a#specific#“interesting”#article#(i.e.#Digital#Diplomacy#in#Canada)#

• The#ad#in#Google#appears#as#follows:##

Headline###!###Arctic#Sovereignty#Claims#(hypothetically)#Description#line#1###!###Canadian#International#Council#and#Open#Canada##Description#line#2###!###A#Hub#for#International#Relations#and#Foreign#Policy#Discussion#Display#URL#(links#to#destination#URL)####!###www.opencanada.org#Destination#URL###!###The#Arctic#article#

AdWords%&%Open%Canada%• AdWords#may#be#a#good#way#to#drive#traffic#to#the#website#as#a#way#to#make#an#initial#connection#with#a#possible#reader.#

However,#this#method#will#likely#be#ineffective#if#effort#and#testing#is#not#exerted.#We#do#not#suggest#proceeding#with#this#strategy.##

• #Because#keywords#must#reflect#the#search#behaviours#of#your#target#audience,#OpenCanada#would#be#bidding#on#keywords#representing#specific#topics#they#publish#about.#Therefore,#it#would#require#a#constant#manipulation#of#ads#and#keywords.#Bidding#on#broader#search#terms#like#International#Relations,#or#foreign#policy,#would#likely#have#high#bid#prices.#Simply#buying#the#search#terms,#Canadian#International#Council,#or#OpenCanada#would#not#be#effective#because#those#search#terms#would#connect#searchers#to#the#OpenCanada#site#anyways.#

!

! 25!

BIBLIOGRAPHY!!Carroll,!Jason.!"Social!Media!ROI!in!Advertising!Terms!(CPM)."!SocialMedium.!30!Oct!2012:!n.!page.!Web.!20!Mar.!2014.!<http://www.socialmedium.com/blog/socialJmediaJroiJinJadvertisingJtermsJcpm/>.!!Clark,!Taylor.!"TweetDeck!vs.!HootSuite:!Which!Twitter!Client!is!the!Best!Marketing!Tool."!TaylorClark.co.!13!Apr!2013:!n.!page.!Print.!<TweetDeck!VS!HootSuite:!Which!Twitter!Client!is!The!Best!!Hubspot,!.!"Battle!of!the!New!Social!Networks."!HubSpot.!2013:!n.!page.!Web.!24!Nov.!2013.!<http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/blog/docs/ebooks/google_plus_vs_pinterest_where_should_you_market_your_business.pdf>.!!Lavrusik,!Vadim.!“Best!Practices!for!Journalists!on!facebook”.!2!May.2013.!<https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebookJmedia/12JpagesJbestJpracticesJforJmediaJcompanies/518053828230111>.!!Murphy,!Michael.!"Updated!TweetDeck!vs.!HootSuite!Pro."!Technology%Reviews.!14!Jun!2013:!n.!page.!Print.!<http://tweetdeckJvsJhootsuite.reviews.rJtt.com>.!!Widrich,!Leo.!"Social!Media!in!2013:!User!Demographics!For!Twitter,!Facebook,!Pinterest!and!Instagram."!Buffer.!2!May!2013:!n.!page.!Print.!<http://blog.bufferapp.com/socialJmediaJinJ2013JuserJdemographicsJforJtwitterJfacebookJpinterestJandJinstagram>.!#

canadian international council - open canada, digital marketing plan

Marketing

med facebook