If you're reading this, odds are you're on staff at a nonprofit (or are an incredible volunteer) and you're facing one (or more) of the following problems:
1. Your organization does NOT have an existing, or much of an existing, social media presence and you are beginning the process of deciding where to start, what platforms to use, and how you are going to roll out content going forward.
2. You aren't seeing the results you were expecting.
3. You and/or your staff are stretched too thin with far too little reward and you need to decide where to focus and quick.
Whether you are struggling obtaining the results you're looking for, or just getting started, I'm going to go through each platform that your organization should be on and why.
Start with Facebook.
I know Facebook has recently been a platform of much discussion in terms of its relevance, but let's look at the demographics:
81% of 18-29 year olds use Facebook.
78% of 30-49 year olds use Facebook.
65% of 50-64 year olds use Facebook.
41% of 65+ year olds use Facebook.
And while the users under the age of 18 are more likely to use apps like Instagram and SnapChat, the demographic that drives online donations, community partnerships, and boasts major click-thru conversions is Facebook.
Develop a content strategy based on your organizational goals, create an editorial calendar, and focus hard on Facebook for digital fundraising, important updates, selling tickets for events, and engaging volunteers and donors.
Almost equally as important, establish a solid Instagram presence and engage your community.
While the click-thru rates of Instagram for nonprofits aren't as high as Facebook, Instagram is incredibly effective in 3 specific things:
1. Building brand awareness.
2. Building brand loyalty.
3. Creating a community around your brand, full of loyal brand ambassadors. your organization to focus three critical element
Build your presence on Instagram through photos and graphics that illustrate the power and importance of your cause, combined with using key hashtags, and engaging with your community.
Twitter is your best resource for social connections with other organizations, and gaining community credibility.
For a nonprofit, twitter is less crucial than Instagram or Facebook, but still plays an important role in the social media trifecta for a nonprofit organization.
Many organizations often feel that Twitter yields little to no results and takes too much time to monitor. However, Twitter is a gold mine of engagement and community exposure when you use it for what it does best: Business to Business, or Organization to Organization marketing and interaction.
By following and interacting with other like-minded organizations, your presence on Twitter goes from trying to come up with witty one-liners, to have powerful discussions that gain exposure and help grow your market share in the community.
If you are new to social, need to seriously reconsider your social practices, or narrow your focus to get the most for your time, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the social media workhorses of the nonprofit sector.
I hope you've enjoyed and learned from this article. For more on social strategy, and all things marketing (especially for the nonprofit organization) follow me on social, the blog, and subscribe to Taylor Brand Consulting.