How Your Non-Profit Social Media Can Expand Your Influence Online [Part Two]

Social Media MarketingIn our previous post, we delved into the cornerstones of building a solid online presence such as a strong, optimized website, creating a blog, and using email marketing.  In this segment, we present an overview of social media management and mobile marketing.

Non-Profit Social Media Engagement that Wows

We don’t have to convince you that social media has been an altogether game-changer for non-profits.  The question is, are you using it to its greatest potential?

Best practices for social media management vary by type, however, here is a quick guideline for how, what, and then to post to each social media major player:

  • Facebook – post media rich (photo and video) content once or twice a day for maximum engagement.  Ask questions, conduct surveys and polls, and facilitate contests using social media tools (we like Sprout Social) to get people talking.  Use “Facebook Causes” to take advantage of all this social media giant’s benefits available to your non-profit.
  • Twitter – tweet multiple times a day, including retweeting relevant content from like-minded or complementary organizations.  Tweet pictures, blog posts, and important news as it happens.  Follow as many people as you can that can influence your follower growth in a positive way.
  • YouTube – connect visually for real impact to entertain, enlighten, and inform.  Keep videos short and to the point – attention spans are short in the digital world.  Try to add a new video at least once a week.
  • Pinterest – this social media newcomer will help drive serious traffic back to your website like no other site out there.  Like so many other social friendly sites, you can use your Facebook or Twitter account to login, or create one of your own.  Follow boards and pins that are related to your non-profit in some way, and re-pin content to gain your own followers.  Pinterest has a new business page that can be easily used by charities and non-profits to grow awareness and attract corporate sponsors.
  • Tools to manage it all:  Having your social media siloed can be time-consuming and an inefficient way to integrate each page.  Some of our favorite social media management tools to help you write, schedule, post, and measure your campaigns are Sprout Social, HootSuite, and Sendible.

Don’t Forget Mobile

The number of people accessing the web on smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices is staggering.  One of the best ways to include mobile in your marketing mix is through text marketing.  This can be integrated with your email marketing and also managed as a separate campaign.  In your opt-in box (ideally on your home page), include a field for website visitors to give their mobile phone number.  Text marketing has an astonishing open rate of 95% – meaning greater reach and conversion rates if executed properly.  Keep all text messaging under 160 characters and limit use to a couple of times a week.

Your online influence will grow only as fast as you effectively manage and maintain it.  With coordinated effort and a well thought-out strategy, you’re on your way.