Digging Deeper: Tools to Plan Your Nonprofit’s Social Media Outreach
You know “why” you do it. You also know why your supporters should give you money and volunteer.
But can you masterfully convey that “why” to your audience and make them truly care about your organization’s cause?
Tell Your Story, Engage and Get Results
Social media provides a great opportunity to do what nonprofits do best: share the story of their cause.
While some nonprofits today are just beginning to dip their toes into the social media waters, others have been embracing it in full-force and are utilizing it in strategic and innovative ways.
Platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are all social media tools available to educate the online community about your mission and the impact of your work. They can also generate much-needed web traffic.
Let’s Get Acquainted
In order to derive the most benefit from including social media in your organization’s marketing plan, it must be part of an overall business strategy. And each of the tactics employed must directly support your strategic goals and objectives.
Here’s the tricky part: with so many social media platforms available, which sites and tactics are the most appropriate?
Despite the common desire to blanket the entire social media space, it is not always appropriate to participate on every single platform available.
Ultimately, it’s more important to carefully select the right social medium to complement a specific effort or project.
Here are some of the most popular sites and tools:
At this point, pretty much every nonprofit today realizes the importance of having a Facebook page. There are many third-party apps that can seamlessly integrate with Facebook to help your organization engage with different audiences, build relationships, promote events and collect donations. In general, it’s best to utilize Facebook to communicate softer, feature-type news and build your community.
A centralized location for people who want to make a change, spread news, or offer help and support in real-time, all in 140 characters or less. With Twitter, nonprofits can stay connected to followers by sending quick updates or relevant information that is timely and interesting.
With over 380 million members in more than 200 countries and territories, this platform is the world’s largest professional network. Whether you’re trying to increase your visibility, market your services, recruit staff or share expertise, you can use LinkedIn to get you there.
A photo-sharing app that turns mobile photos instantly into art. Take a photo with your iPhone, add special editing and effects, all with one tap. Instagram also allows you to share your images on other platforms, like Facebook and Twitter.
The Bottom Line
Whatever outreach channels you choose, never go silent. Make an effort to regularly communicate with your supporters and donors—and always make sure that all delivery channels are integrated to convey a consistent message.