By thinking outside of the proverbial box you can get your non-profit out there in the world. The Cause Agency has compiled some tricks of the trade and other people who are sure to inspire you too.
FOCUS
On being useful – do not seek social media outlets in search of funds.
Show your audience that your non-profit is a useful resource by providing a positive message and donations will become a natural outcome.
BE SEEN
“Using visual stories: That is taking pictures and posting them on sites like Instagram, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, etc. and then writing the story behind it. They could also take videos where the story is and recite it as it plays. I have seen dog shelters do this. They take videos of dogs that came to them in very bad conditions and were then nursed back to health. It’s a complete story. Told visually.” – Mitt Ray, Founder Social Marketing Writing (http://socialmarketingwriting.com/about/)
On Facebook, photos receive 7x times more likes and 10x more shares than links.
“A study conducted by psychologist Albert Mehrabian showed that 93% of communication is nonverbal, since visuals can be processed by the mind 60,000 times faster than text. With this in mind, it’s crucial to tell the story of your mission using appealing visual elements across all of your social platforms. A helpful article on how nonprofits can focus on the visual elements of their social strategy is 5 Ways to Get Visual on Social Media.” – Brian Honigman, Digital Marketing Executive at Marc Ecko Enterprises (http://www.brianhonigman.com)
STAY ACTIVE
Consistency is incredibly vital in building a non-profit and relationship with your followers year-round. Maintain a steady awareness with your followers – out of sight, out of mind is obviously not ideal for growth.
BE SOCIAL
Social media is about being social and interacting with your audience and community. Simply broadcasting your message does not allow followers the opportunity to engage with your cause.
GIVE
Supporters ways to be involved, a Facebook post inviting them to a hands-on event or a tweet seeking their advice. By participating in the cause it will give them a sense of ownership and pride that cannot be bought.
STRATEGY
“Social Media is one piece of the digital marketing equation, and it has a specific role. This is critical for every non-profit to understand. It is not the ‘godsend’ nor the ‘enemy.’ It is one key piece of a three-pronged approach.
Social Media is the ‘conversation driver’ that relies on other content. A non-profit’s blog should be the content center that offers substance and the full detail. As each new posted is created, then email marketing is the mechanism of distribution to extend the reach of the content to the current community. When content is created and distributed, then social media comes in as a way to cultivate conversation, build and extend community, and harness the energy and passion of the non-profits mission. Too many make the mistake of shouting out the needs of their non-profit via social media, rather than seeing it as the conversation and community builder that it can be.
When social media is used well within this 3-pronged online strategy, the entire digital marketing efforts of the non-profit are multiplied.” – Mike Gingerich, Co-Founder TabSite (https://www.tabsite.com)