Last modified 8/19/11 at 8:50 AM by creativeservices.
1,077 view(s), 5 edit(s) since 8/19/11
|
Does your organization have a Facebook page? A Twitter account? How about Google Plus? In addition to your direct mail and email efforts, it’s important to reach out to your audience via social media.
I’ve been using Facebook for six years, Twitter for three years and blogging for one year. Online conversations are a part of my daily life. I follow my alma mater on Twitter to get the latest alumni news and receive timely updates from my favorite charity via Facebook.
I think it’s time to realize that for some of your prospects, direct mail or telephone may not be the best avenue of contact.
Rules of Engagement
The primary goal of social media is to build and grow relationships. Here’s how:
- Take initiative. Follow those who follow you, and don’t be afraid to follow those who aren’t following you but who might be interested in doing so. Even if you’ve never met them in person but you know they have a connection to your organization, follow them! You can find those who are talking about you on Twitter via the search function.
- Get others involved. Beware of falling into a habit of self-promotion. This is meant to be a real, ongoing conversation. Tag or mention others in your status updates; your fans are likely to retweet or share these types of updates with their friends and followers!
What to Share
- Educational status updates (Did You Know…?)
- News stories that relate to your industry
- Upcoming event details and save-the-dates
- Motivational stories (short videos especially work great!)
- Thank yous to donors and volunteers
- Photos from events you’re hosting
- Videos and photos of donors and volunteers in action (tag them in the post and ask them to spread the word to their family and friends!)
No Time?
It’s easier than you might think! I write for two blogs in addition to my job at Stelter. To keep up with my brand presence throughout the day, I schedule my Twitter and Facebook updates ahead of time using Hootsuite (Posterous is similar and also popular). The program becomes my virtual assistant and allows me to write tweets or Facebook posts and then schedule their release.
You might also be willing to find an unpaid social media intern. Many young adults are experts in social media—they don’t view it as work!
If you have to choose between Facebook and Twitter, focus on Facebook! According to the “19 Ways Nonprofit Organizations Can Use Social Media to Connect With Donors” webinar by Tim Bete, there are 500 million active users on Facebook, half of whom log on daily. The average user has 130 friends and is connected to 80 pages, groups and events.
Institutions that seem to be doing something right: Pace University, Morris Animal Foundation, OHSU Foundation, The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton and Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
Kelsey Willi
Comments:
