like' it or not: 5 things your not-for-profit should be doing on social media

‘Like’ it or Not:

5 Things Your Not-for-Profit

Should Be Doing on Social Media

Heather Linford

Community Engagement Co-ordinator

Social media is about building relationships

Social Media is…

• An extension of traditional

marketing channels not a

replacement

• Complimentary to your

existing marketing strategy

• Is too important to miss out on

due to lack of understanding

Why should we care about being on social media?

“35% of charities with a

social media account had

increased donations over

the previous two years

while 66% stated that being

online helped lower

operating costs.”

Source: Booz&Co 2013

In the Australia alone, there are 11 million

people on Facebook and 2 million active

users on Twitter.

Source: Frankmedia.com.au

“…whilst many charities have

, there

are still some that seem reluctant

to take the plunge. This may be

due to a variety of reasons, from

lacking the and

to do so to being

of the overall benefits. But as a

tool for ,

supporters, fundraising and

information sharing, social media

could have been invented for the

third sector..”

Source: www.fourthsource.com

1. Get to know the social platforms

• Dip your toes in the water by

creating an account for

yourself on as many platforms

as possible

• Try out all the features you

can see and Google the ones

you’re not sure about

• Check out your competition, to

see what they’re doing and

what is working

Learn more about what each platform does

Visit: http://www.10webtips.com/articles/networking-sites.html

2. Get to know your audience

• Know who you are talking to

and on which platform

• Ensure the content you post is

relevant and engaging to your

audience (not just what you

want to tell them)

• Understand why they are

connecting with you, and what

they want out of the

relationship

Who are your Supporters?

Are they primarily male or female?

What is their motivation for supporting you?

What are they interested in?

How old are they?

When are they online?

What time of day is the best time to reach out to them?

What do they want from you?

• Your Supporter’s are not just

wallets – they have more to give

than money (time, voice,

networks)

• Use social media as a tool to

build relationships and loyalty to

your organisation, not for direct

solicitation

• Show your Supporters how they

have helped you make a

difference

Don’t Forget…

3. Have a strategy

a) What do we want to achieve?

b) What social platforms should we be

using?

c) What is our tone of voice?

Supporters see you as a single entity. Don’t confuse

them by changing the way you speak to them across

social platforms or days of the week.

Consistency is key.

4. Plan your content

• Each social platform is

different, requiring different

content, and posting at

different times of day.

• Over time you will see what

content gives you the best

engagement so make sure

you track

• Use a content schedule to

plan what to post and when,

and to prevent duplication of

content

Facebook

Primary Users (Aus)

25-34 years old

46% Male vs 54% Female

(source:blog.marginmedia.com.au)

Frequency

1-2 posts per day maximum

Best time to post

Around noon and 7pm

Saturdays (highest activity)

Content Considerations

Short posts (200 characters max), visual content has higher engagement

– images/videos, post at the same time each day so your audience know

when to expect to see your content.

Twitter

Primary Users (Global)

45-54 years old

38% Male vs 62% Female

(source: Mediabistro.com)

Frequency

Minimum 4 tweets per day

Maximum 1 tweet per hour

Best time to tweet

Between noon and 5pm

Wednesday and the weekends

(highest activity)

Content Considerations

Keep the character limit in mind (140 characters) and tailor content

accordingly. Great for quick facts, statements and images.

Pinterest

Primary Users (Global)

25-34 years old

28% Male vs 72% Female

Frequency

3-4 times per week

Best time to pin

Early afternoon (noon – 3pm)

Friday (highest activity and most re-

pins)

Content Considerations

Images, images, images! Pinterest is visual so your content should be

do. Overlay text on images to share facts about your organisation or

inspiring stories.

Instagram

Primary Users (Global)

18-29 years old

47% Male vs 53% Female

Frequency

Once per day unless you are at an

event (2-3 times)

Best time to post

Around 8pm

Wednesday (highest activity)

Content Considerations

Include relevant hashtags so your images show up in search results (ie

#marathon), and make sure your instagram account is set to ‘public’.

Do

Engage in real time, genuine

conversations

Build relationships and trust

Post relevant engaging content

Be consistent

Double – check your content

before posting (grammar,

spelling)

Listen

Thank your audience for sharing

your content

Reward your most active

members

Create measurable goals

Have a plan

Be friendly

Use discretion

Learn from your audience

Don’t

• Spam

• Respond to posts from your

community without another

member of your charity

• Ignore criticism

• Sell continuously

• Overdo the hashtags (5 is plenty)

• Forget your audience

• Try think you can completely

control the conversation

• Offend or post negative comments

• Forget that once you have posted

something online it cannot be

removed – deleting content

doesn’t mean someone hasn’t

already taken a screen shot as

evidence

• Criticise your competition

“Giving your Supporters a voice is really important and

helps make them feel like they are a part of your

organisation. At any point where it makes sense,

involve them in your decisions.”

-- Elena Goodrum, Sift Digital (guardian.co.uk)

5. Measure. Review. Improve.

• Social media is not about ROI, it

is about engagement and

creating brand equity.

• Use tools like Sprout Social

(paid) and Hootsuite.com (free)

to track success

• Metrics may include:

- Reach

- Impressions

- Engagement

- Audience growth

Reach: The number of unique people who saw any content you posted.

Impressions: This the total number of times any user could have potentially

seen any content you posted.

Engagement: A great indicator as to how well you are communicating and

interacting with your audience. This is the number of unique people who

have clicked on your posts when compared to the amount of fans you have,

it is displayed as a %. The higher your engagement, the more valuable your

audience.

Conclusion

• Social media is complimentary

to your existing marketing

channels

• Use it to build relationships with

your Supporters and increase

brand loyalty not to ask for

money

• Don’t feel intimidated by social

media, start using it yourself

and get to know the platforms.

• Online is the future, don’t get

left behind!

Questions?