Social media marketing and networking is a necessity for non profits. As a business, you are subject to the same competitive rules as for profit businesses. As a nonprofit, you have more limited resources than many businesses and you need to find a way to efficiently market your nonprofit. There are only so many resources to go around and you are competing with other businesses and interests for these resources. Social Media is one of the methods that business of all sizes, including nonprofit businesses can achieve these goals effectively and efficiently.
Nonprofit Blog
Do you have a way to keep your donors up to date with what is going on in your organization? You might respond that your website and quarterly newsletter are sufficient. It’s great to hear that you have both of these, but so does everyone else. It is now necessary for you to provide information to your interested parties on a regular basis and to allow them to participate in the conversation. An inexpensive way to achieve this goal is through a blog (technically known as a weblog).
A blog is an ongoing conversation on the web which can be linked to your web page or have a separate domain set up just for your blog. It allows you to immediately and regularly distribute messages that would have taken you months in the past. You can blog about a daily activity. You can blog about a recent donation you received and how many people it will feed, or how many clothes it will put on the backs of children. You can blog about a real need that your nonprofit has and how much in donations you need to raise in order to meet the need. You can blog about the most recent scholarship fund recipient and where they will attend college. You can blog about an individual that your organization helped 10 years ago and what they are doing now. You can blog about a recent donation and how that special plaque will go up on the wall in honor of Mrs. Jones. Any message you would like to portray, can be easily achieved through your blog.
Blogging is necessary because consumers want up-to-date information at their fingertips. You are a consumer. When you want to research a topic, what is the first thing you do? That’s right you go to Google, Yahoo or Bing. You are then directed to websites or blogs. You probably read blogs and you certainly have researched a topic on a blog. You have looked at feedback from consumers to determine what they felt about an issue. So do your donors and potential donors. Through an effective blog, you can control the outbound content and receive positive (and maybe even some negative) feedback regarding your organization. So can others if they are researching where they would like to donate their funds or time.
An example of an informative nonprofit blog is Pan Dulce, which is Dr. Albert Reyes of Buckner Benevolences’ blog. He updates it regularly with happenings at Buckner, and even allows other employees to participate as guest writers (What an excellent way to highlight your staff to your donors). Most nonprofit organizations do not have the resources of a Buckner Benevolences, but the great thing about the Internet is that you don’t need to have the resources. It costs a nominal amount for the potential marketing, branding and fund raising you can achieve.*
Another cost effective tool is Twitter. If you don’t have a Twitter account for your nonprofit business, you need to register one immediately. Go to Twitter and establish your account. It is easy. You can follow me and I will return the favor. My name is @keepinsurancetx. Twitter is a Micro-blog site (no more than 140 words allowed) that allows individuals and businesses to communicate regular updates to their “followers”. It is a place where constituents can follow and in many cases help you promote your business.
Not only is Twitter an effective tool to reach out to potential customers, but it also allows you to reach out to others in the same industry. For instance, in my Twitter account I follow many others in the same industry on my Twitter account. They regularly post articles and other updates. If I see an article that looks interesting to me, I can read it and move on. I don’t have to spend hour upon hour researching the Internet for information applicable to my industry . . . and you won’t either if you start an account and follow others in your industry. Not to mention the competitive research that can be done by following potential competitors on Twitter and other Social Networking sites.
Other Social Networks
There are many other social networks. I discuss some of them in another post, and you have probably heard of most of them. The key is that you need to get involved in some of the bigger ones (including Facebook) and spend a little time connecting with your donors and potential donors. They will appreciate it and they will connect back. You may also find that some of the lesser known social networks allow you to connect with others in your industry and provide expert feedback for those seeking advice.
If you have any questions, please leave a message. If you would like to reach me, you can do so through the contact form at the top of this page.
*I started this blog that you are reading for about $90. It takes time to write, but it is well worth it to get my information distributed.*
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