Non-profit organisations may do a lot more good for the world than your average finance or real estate company, but they share many similarities when it comes to marketing and communications.
Just as corporations need to take customers on a journey, non-profits need to raise awareness, create leads and turn audiences into volunteers, donors and supporters.
Communications staff now have social media and other online tools at their fingertips to assist in connecting people to the amazing work that most non-profits do. Here are a few basic tips to start you out on a path to social media and organisational success. We'll delve a little deeper in a future post.
We often say that to be heard amongst the constant noise of cyberspace, non-profits need to "shout loud and shout often". This means deploying a constant stream of interesting content to tell the world about the work you're doing.
This is all well and good, but what is a social media strategy without a meaningful and measurable objective? Facebook now gives non-profits several options for adding 'Donate Now' buttons to pages, posts and ads. Use them. You probably won't find yourself swimming in rivers of gold overnight, but making it easy for users to donate certainly helps. You can learn more about Facebook tools for non-profits here.
Get A Free Google AdWords Credit
This one is a no-brainer. Google AdWords remains one of the best ways for non-profit marketing and communications professionals to build awareness and generate website traffic.
The best bit? The good folks at Google offer eligible non-profits $10,000 USD in AdWords credit, every month! You can find out if your organisation is eligible here, apply for a Google Ad Grant here, and learn more about Google tools for non-profits here.
If it's worth doing, it's worth tweeting about, filming for YouTube, and posting on Facebook and Instagram.
One post on its own isn't going to change your organisation's world, however a consistent narrative via a social media content strategy can be a powerful tool for building your profile, attracting donors and supporters, and communicating with stakeholders.
Your organisation needs to be top of mind - and top of the newsfeed.
Video storytelling is an essential tool for non-profit marketers to 'hack the algorithm' and push your work to the top of social media newsfeeds. Carefully planned and executed video content should be combined with audience segmentation, A/B testing and calls-to-action to grow email databases, attract donors, inform funding bodies and ensure the growth of your organisation.
Learn more about how the Community Builder team can plan, film and edit a cost-effective video content strategy for your organisation here.