Coming up on March 21 from 6:00-8:00 p.m at Catalyst Ranch., Social Media Club Chicago is hosting an event that will be interesting to anyone who wants to know how to grow a community around a cause. Promising to be an inspiring, and informative event, here are the details from Social Media Club Chicago.

The speaker, Jonny Imerman, is the founder of Imerman Angels. While fighting cancer at 26 years old, Jonny had loving support from family and friends, but never met anyone his age who was a cancer survivor.  In 2003, Imerman Angels was founded to connect each cancer fighter to one survivor who is the same age, same gender, and someone who has already beaten that particular type of cancer. If you’re in the Chicago area, register for social media for social good today with Jonny Imerman today.

Social Media For Social Good: Strategies For Nonprofits, For-Profits & Agencies

WHY IS THIS EVENT DIFFERENT?

Are you interested in social media for social good?  Want to hear something different than the “usual” social media advice?  Join us for an interactive evening and a unique presentation!

Social Media Club Chicago presents an evening with Jonny Imerman, founder of Imerman Angels. During this live interview, he’ll answer questions about how he’s successfully integrated social media while also creating a strong offline presence, international awareness and live events of all types and sizes over the last 9 years.  Imerman Angels utilizes everything from Twitter & Facebook to T-shirts and wrist bands.  The big difference: He not only built Imerman Angels fast but it’s been built to last and is still growing – and he’ll share how in an interview with Mark J. Carter.

During the interview Jonny and Carter will talk about:

1. Creating a results driven social media presence for nonprofits
2. Creating powerful collaborations: the ups and downs (and do’s and don’ts) of partnering with for-profit companies for social good campaigns
3. Jonny’s advice for what you and your company or nonprofit can do in today’s business world to utilize social good the RIGHT way for the RIGHT reasons (and get real results)… and what NOT to do when working with charities that actually hurts nonprofits.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Nonprofits: Learn something beyond the usual advice “set up a Facebook page and raise some quick money”.  You’ll hear real world, proven strategies that you can take back to your organization and use the next day.
• For Profit Companies: Learn how “social good” and social media mix into your for profit marketing plans and bridge the gap between “making a difference” and “making a dollar”
• Agencies: Learn new ideas and ways to integrate social good into your current client projects and how and when to pitch “social media for social good” to gain new clients.

Jonny Imerman: Jonny Imerman is the founder of Imerman Angels. While fighting cancer at 26 years old, Jonny had loving support from family and friends, but never met anyone his age who was a cancer survivor.  In 2003, Imerman Angels was founded to connect each cancer fighter to one survivor who is the same age, same gender, and someone who has already beaten that particular type of cancer.

Mark J. Carter: Founder of ONE80; connecting the worlds of nonprofits and for-profits to create cause marketing campaigns & events for business authors, corporations and community causes.  Past projects range from organizing the first Chicago Twestival and founding Networking For A Cause to running book launches for Tim Sanders (“Saving The World at Work” and “Today We Are Rich”).  Current projects include marketing and sponsorship campaigns for Dreams For Kids (501c3) and working with the Founder of TED Talks on his next game changing conference.

Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Time: 6:00pm- 8:30pm

Location:  Catalyst Ranch

656 W. Randolph Suite 3W

Chicago, IL 60661

Tickets: $10 Advance/$20.00 at the door Price includes: Program, Domino’s Pizza by @Ramon_DeLeon and drinks.

Social Media Club Chicago relies on sponsors to provide quality events for social media professionals monthly. Our sponsors receive exposure to thousands of connectors via email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Plancast and more! If you are interested in sponsoring a future SMC Chicago event, please contact Jeannie Walters at jeannie@360Connext.com.

 SMC Chicago Board Members

-  Barbara Rozgonyi [@wiredprworks], Founder

-  Jeff Willinger [@jwillie], President, Chicago SMC chapter.

-  Amy Korin [@interactiveamy], Coordinates Volunteers 

-  Tim McDonald [@tamcdonald], Manages Communications

-  Jeannie Walters [@jeanniecw], Oversees Logistics

-  Carolyn Martin [@cm_socialmedia], Online Marketing

Contact:

-  http://smcchicago.org

-  smcchicagonews@gmail.com

-  @smcchicago on twitter

-  @www.facebook.com/SMCChicago

- 630.207.7530 or 312-970-0846

 SMC Chicago Chapter

Social Media Club’s primary mission is to expand digital media literacy, promote standard technologies, encourage ethical behavior and share best practices. We bring together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators. Essentially the people who create and consume media who have an interest in seeing the ‘media industry’ evolve for everyone’s benefit. We are more than just USERS, we are the reason the tools exist – we are the people who communicate our thoughts and ideas near and far. Join us and let’s shape the future together!

Three out of four marketing and PR workshops for IAPD IPRA went well: lots of space, time and room for conversation. When I saw the room for my Social Media Sampler presentation, I got a bit concerned. Fifteen minutes before I was set to start, it was already almost full. When the crowd started spilling out of the room, I offered to record my presentation for playback.

While the audience here is parks and recreations agencies, much of the information is all purpose. You’ll find the slides and the recording posted for replay. I’ll leave these up for a week or so. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to ask your questions in the comment box.

Please note that this information is copyright protected.

Image: Barbara Rozgonyi for www.thesociallens.com of Dr. Ted Flickinger, accepting an award from Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, which I used as an example of how to share images. View the award luncheon photos here.

Looking for a social media marketing or PR workshop presenter?
Contact me at corywestmedia @gmail.com or on twitter @wiredprworks.

Next week, I’m honored to present four programs at the IAPD/IPRA [Illinois Association of Park Districts - Illinois Park and Recreation Association conference]. Thanks so much to Jessica Alexenko of the Lisle Park District for booking me to speak at two workshops and two breakout sessions. We started talking about the conference almost a year ago and just last week I met several people at two different events who told me how much fun I would have at the conference.

In preparation for my sessions, I started scrolling back to think of stories I could share about park districts and realized that communities rely on local park districts for programming and facilities to shape activities, talents, teams, events, friendships and well, a whole lot of livelihood.

Our family photo album is filled with images from park districts and their programs: Magical Morning Workshop, ballet, creative movement, art, soccer, breakfast with Santa, playing at the park, walks around the lake and black and white images I developed in my photography class. I’m really looking forward to speaking to this group, meeting up with our local park district reps and reconnecting with a college friend who’s an area park district board member.

If you’ll be there, too leave a comment, send me a text message at 630.207.7530 or get in touch with me @wiredprworks on twitter.com.

Here are my sessions.

Wired Writing Workshop: How to Write for Screens, Spiders, Networks and People!
Barbara Rozgonyi, Founder, CoryWest Media, LLC
No matter what your grades were like in English class, chances are your teachers taught you how to write for print. But, great grammar and spotless spelling aren’t what you need for success in writing online. In this workshop, you will learn how to compose, format, package, repurpose and send your message so it gets action. You can use these skills every day in every message you compose to be read online (and off).
Participants will: (1) learn to organize and create informative or persuasive content that generates results; (2) learn to use tools and strategies to package content for multiple applications from print to online applications such as Facebook and Twitter and create a workplan that will guide consistent development throughout the organization to save time and improve quality.

Real-ize Your Virtual Brand: New Age Marketing/PR
Barbara Rozgonyi, Founder, CoryWest Media, LLC
Learn how to capture attention, start a conversation and convert searchers into customers using the power of virtual public relations! With the dawn of the social media revolution, the standard press release evolved into a dynamic new format that lets you take control of the story, presentation and distribution. Discover how you can tap into the PR power of the Internet – today and tomorrow – create news releases that attract readers, robots and search engines and dramatically increase your online visibility overnight.
Participants will: (1) learn how to bypass the press and easily track search engine rankings and readership for future success; (2) learn to masterfully convert simple press releases into multimedia Web sites.

Social Media Sampler: Test Drive the Latest in Marketing and Networking!
Barbara Rozgonyi, Founder, CoryWest Media, LLC
Blurring the lines between networking, marketing, public relations and communications, social media nurtures relationships that grow your business community online. You’ll find out how social media marketing can polish your profile, enhance your professional image and present you as the industry leader you are. In this session you’ll go on a live test drive and learn how social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Blogs and YouTube can benefit you and your agency. You will take away a social media owner’s manual that includes an action guide, resource directory, profile checklist and tips to grow your network.
Participants will: (1) take away a social media owner’s manual that includes an action guide, resource directory, profile checklist and tips to grow their network; (2) learn how to effectively and creatively utilize social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Blogs and YouTube.

Demystifying PR: Five Ways to Become an Expert News Source
Barbara Rozgonyi, Founder, CoryWest Media, LLC
Discover five ways to become an expert news source with new media tools and techniques you can start using today. Going beyond the meaning of PR as public relations or press releases we’ll cover: page rank; platform research; professional reputation; personal relevance; and process repetition. In one hour you’ll be on your way to planning your route to expert status. Participants will: (1) discover how to find and contact media sources; (2) learn how to craft traditional and social media press releases.

Images: Barbara Rozgonyi from the www.thesociallens.com copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

Your Turn: What’s your parks and rec story? How would you – or do you – share it via social media?

Leave it to Chris Brogan to write what I’ve been thinking about. In his post, Grow Bigger Ears in 10 Minutes, Chris walks you through a process for listening to conversations online. You need to do this. It takes a surprisingly short amount of time to tune into online conversations – using Chris’ system.

And, you need to do something else: talk to people. In person – about what’s important to them and how you and your organization connect with their life.

Talk to lots of people, face to face, on the phone or via skype – especially if you rely on members or donors for their volunteer and financial contributions.

One person may give the impression that everything’s almost okay while another in their circle will give you the real story. And then, a third person will add their perspective from the organization’s point of view. You need to hear all of it.

In my corporate life we used to have focus groups. Several people would come in for lunch and a few dollars. We’d sit around a table and have a kind of contrived conversation. We didn’t really know what was on their mind, we only recorded what they told us.

Here at CoryWest Media, we tell our clients to let us talk to their best customers – when we want success stories.

But, the loudest stories we want to hear the most are the quietest and the least trackable: people who say they like you, but don’t want to offend you by telling you why they really don’t like you.

Tracking conversations online is huge, but for organizations who don’t have a place for online conversations, commentary comes out at the fitness center, in the grocery store, at the coffee shop and my favorite place – a friendly family room. If you want to know what people are saying about your organization, test out these hearing aids.

Hearing Aids to Improve Community Public Relations 

1. Call people you miss – ask them where they went and why.

2. Find out what people are looking for – exactly – before you invest time and effort in anything new.

3, Look for patterns and holes in your process. Where do people tend to drop off?

4. Is there a problem with conveying your message – or how it’s being delivered?

5. How can you get closer? Where’s the living room?

6. Put on a pot of coffee or set out a cooler and invite people over to talk regularly.

7. Detect where your people are talking online and unlock their keyword codes. They, go back to Chris’ model and add that information in.

8. Appoint or recruit ambassadors to represent your organization in the community.

9. Be a face people recognize and connect to something you stand for: your business, your family and your communities.

10. Let’s keep the list going – add your ideas in the comments and I’ll bring them back up here in the post. 

It sounds strange, but sometimes I forget that I’m a photographer. A photographer who is published, sells images and truly loves making pictures.

Giving strategic marketing advice, crafting news releases and coaching clients is different than being the one capturing images, but it’s how I usually position myself and my Chicago area strategic marketing and public relations company.

Yesterday afternoon I sent an email RSVP to a fund-raising event manager with this line:

“Let me know if you’d like me to take pictures. I’m happy to donate my time and a CD with images.”

Today I got email asking me to get there early and to watch for a list of shots they’d like to have.

Will I be the official event photographer? I don’t know, but I might be. If you’re a photographer who is looking for work, think about donating your time. Here’s what’s in it for you. If you represent a charity that needs an event photographer, feel free to use this list when you contact photographers about shooting your event.

• credit: when your images get published
• recognition: at the event and in charity communications
• promotion: run a live slide show at the event with as they’re being taken images
• portfolio pieces: food, architecture, portraiture – all possible subjects, get permission to reuse
• income: let Photrade take orders and sell images for you
• reach: post images with event/charity tags on site like flickr, facebook
• gratitude: so many people will thank you
• legacy: you’re the one that people will remember as the event image-maker

Your Turn

How do use photography to promote your charity – or business?

Image Credit: Barbara Rozgonyi, copyright 2005-2008