The New Nonprofit Employee

Social media marketing is an impactful—and often, cost-effective—one-to-one relationship-building tool for businesses. While it may allow you to speak to many people at once, it also allows for more of a personalized interaction with your audience or customers. For nonprofits, social media marketing can be just as beneficial as it is for a for-profit business.  It’s a great way to build support for your organization, grow your number of volunteers, and increase donations. In order for your social media marketing to thrive, the commutation to your audience must be your top priority.

Engagement is the key element to a functional social platform. While it comes in many forms, communication with your audience is the leading form of engagement. This makes it crucial to respond to those who support you on social media in a timely manner, whether it’s a simple reply to comments or engaging in a particular thread—this is a feature that can be very effective when used on a consistent basis. In turn, anyone who manages the social accounts of your nonprofit must be well-versed and have a firm handle on some of the social media best practices, ensuring that your organization maintains a positive reputation.

As social media marketing evolves, new tools and platforms continue to emerge, along with new improvements to how you can better reach and interact with your audience. Best practices continue to be centered on the human experience.

Here are the top 5 social media DO’s for nonprofits:

• DO target your market. When deciding which platforms will work best for your nonprofit or what type of content will result in the best conversion, you should make a conscious effort to know your audience.
• DO focus on specific platforms. While it may be tempting to jump on board with the newest social platform craze, it’s important to focus on the platforms with the most potential benefit for your organization.
• DO develop targeted campaigns. Develop content that speaks to specific groups and people. Also, it’s okay to have more than one type of audience member—that’s the benefit of running multiple targeting campaigns.
• DO interact with your followers. Responding to comments and thanking your audience members for sharing your content can go a long way toward making them feel included.
• DO use your analytics data to improve.  Studying the analytics behind each post is good habit to get into. You’ll be able to see how each piece of content performed and what kind of content to post in the future.

Here are the top 5 social media DON’Ts for nonprofits:

• DON’T use generic messages. Social media works best when the content speaks to a specific audience. Refrain from filling your profile with messages that don’t resonate with anyone in particular.
• DON’T forget to update. Not being active on your social media accounts can result in a loss of followers and engagement. The best way to measure growth is staying relevant.
• DON’T solely request funds/commitment. If you only push out content that is asking for donations, this can be off putting to your audience. Be sure to offer content that provides value along with publicizing your charitable needs.
• DON’T ignore comments. While it’s not necessary to respond to every comment, it’s a good rule of thumb to “thank” your audience as often as possible. Also, if someone leaves a complaint, make sure to respond in a timely manner.