Actually, it may appear that we all know how to manage social media when people discuss social media marketing because we all use it on a personal level. Which means it’s not even a job.
More followers and likes (which aren’t actual goals, we’ll talk about goal setting later) aren’t the results you need if you manage your social media accounts without any forethought.
Social media marketing, like any other skill, takes time to master and keep up to date.
However, let’s be honest: social media marketing is hampered by the limited resources that often characterise nonprofits. Social media is often left to volunteers or treated as an afterthought by organisations that would rather invest in “serious” areas like fundraising or logistics.
Can you define social media advertising for a non-profit organisation? When compared to marketing for established brands, how does it differ?
There is not much of a distinction between marketing for a nonprofit and marketing for a for-profit business. You’re using social media to raise awareness about your cause and encourage people to participate in some way, be it financial (in the case of a brand) or otherwise (in the cases of volunteering, signing petitions, etc.).
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of what makes social media marketing for nonprofits unique.
Nonprofits, like I said before, usually have a smaller social media marketing budget than brands. And because of their smaller staff sizes, the social media may be handled by the marketing director, a public relations expert, or even a volunteer.
Different outcomes are intended. While it’s still important to drive people to the site and get the word out (not for a product, but for a cause), the ultimate goal should be to get people to give back in some way (through donations, volunteer hours, political activism, etc.) rather than to make a purchase.
Initial Action: Establish Your Social Media Marketing Objectives
Knowing your motivation for using social media is crucial for setting effective marketing objectives within these platforms. Not just because everyone else is, and while it’s expected that all businesses will have social media accounts by 2022. What are you hoping to achieve, though, by opting to interact with others through social media?
Gaining more social media “likes” or “shares” is not the goal of social media marketing.
The second step is to identify your target demographic
Now that you know what needs doing, you can start thinking about who you should talk to in order to get things done. Target-group breakdown must begin.
Possibly, you have an innate understanding of who you’re writing for.
After all, your service already puts you in touch with your beneficiaries, so you know what they need and how to reach them through social media.
Step 3: Don’t combine social media campaigns aimed at different groups
At this point, you should know who you’re writing for and what topics they care about. Some content will appeal to a wide range of readers, while other pieces are better targeted.
For instance, your target audience is not interested in reading about the history and significance of your cause. They will, however, be pleased to learn about your endeavours, successes, ongoing initiatives, and so on. Donors and volunteers can benefit from this data as well.
Truth in social media marketing: you don’t have to be everywhere.
Step 5: Determine the most important takeaway (s)
Key messages are, as the name implies, the main points about your nonprofit that you want people to learn, remember, and spread. It serves as both a mission statement and an overview of your company.
Naturally, your central message will need to be interpreted differently for various audiences.
Imagine you’re in charge of the animal shelter’s social media accounts. Here’s how to craft your message for the specific subset of readers you have in mind.
Step 6: Make a policy for using social media.
Avoiding PR disasters and making it simple for anyone on your team to assist with social media marketing (or take over when you need time off) are both benefits of having a social media policy. There are two main reasons why it’s important for nonprofits to have a well-thought-out social media policy:
Since marketing on social media is often handled by volunteers who come and go, it’s important to establish clear policies to ensure consistency.
Many people, especially those who are new to your cause, may not yet have the language skills necessary to discuss sensitive topics with care and attention.
Method 7: Make a content schedule that boosts interaction and organic expansion
Now comes the exciting part—making a post! In my experience, social media content creation requires the most original thought and energy of any aspect of marketing via social media. It is important to have a content calendar or editorial plan in place to prevent writers’ block.
I recommend reading the article we recently published that serves as a comprehensive guide to constructing a social media editorial. I’ll just offer some general advice for underfunded and understaffed nonprofits here.
Incorporate user-generated content and facilitate community building
Collect information from contributors like event attendees, customers, volunteers, and donors. If you want to reduce your workload and increase your social proof, consider launching a user-generated content (UGC) campaign. Put out a call for user-generated content (UGC) like stories, photos, and videos from your audience to launch your campaign. Set up a hashtag so that you can be notified of fresh UGC as soon as it is posted.
In summation
Even though it seems like a lot, the social media marketing process for a nonprofit can be broken down into just eight steps.
In addition to offering a 50% discount on our software, we regularly publish resources for nonprofits on our blog in the hopes that together we can make a difference in the world. Join Awario’s mailing list for more information on marketing for charities.