Four Tips for Nonprofits to Master Social Media

By Jackie Sue Griffin, MBA, MS

Most of us use social media to catch up with friends and family and stay connected even when we’re miles away. However, if you’ve noticed you’re spending more time on social media looking at brands and organizations raising awareness of their offers or messages, there’s a reason for that. Social media, especially Facebook, makes it easy to reach the audience that might be interested in what you have to say.

As algorithms begin to track our every move online to determine what we’d like to see more of, they can also be used to deliver targeted communication to right audience. This is why nonprofits should look at social media as more than another profile to maintain online. Here are our four tips for nonprofits to master social media and raise awareness of their cause:

  1. Choose the Right Platform

With so many social networks out there, it’s going to be difficult and resource-consuming to dedicate yourself to maintain a presence on all of them. Additionally, it’s a matter of demographics and determining where your target audience is more likely to spend their time. For example, if you are targeting business people, then maintaining a strong presence on LinkedIn makes sense. Choose the right platform according to your target audience demographic, and focus on a few of them that complement each other well, like Facebook and Instagram.

  1. Engage Your Audience

Visibility on social media is everything, but you don’t necessarily have to pay a lot of money for it. One of the ways to increase your organic reach on social media is to have people engage with your content — to like, comment, and share. It allows more people to see each post that gets proper engagement. Ask your audience a question, have them answer a survey or give them an opportunity to share their story.

  1. Post Visual Content

To achieve a better response from your audience, you have to be mindful of the content. Social media marketers recommend videos as a way of communicating your message for a couple of reasons. First, the video is the type of material that is easiest to consume. Second, watching a video is an experience, and we remember videos much better than we do a written article. It may take a little extra effort, but visual content will get your social media presence to the next level and help you reach more people with your message.

  1. Be Consistent

Consistent posting is a key to success, but it also takes a while to figure out how often you should post. Once a day may be too infrequent or too frequent, depending on the social network and the type and amount of engagement you get. It is something you will have to monitor closely and adjust based on the results. Avoid looking spammy, but also don’t let it seem like your page is inactive.

Social media can be a powerful tool for helping nonprofits reach their audience if used well. Figuring out how it works and how to take advantage of the algorithms to elevate your nonprofit’s social media presence can be an advantageous process.

Nonprofits can genuinely make a difference. Here at Turnaround Life, Inc., we aim to help organizations and programs that make it possible for people to turn their lives around. For more information about us, visit our website