Looking for an effective and inexpensive way to create awareness around your non-profit’s initiatives? Look no further than social media. For most organizations, a strong social media presence has numerous benefits and is a crucial outlet for advocacy efforts.
If you’re hoping to use social media to increase your non-profit’s reach, you’ll want to create accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus, YouTube, and Flickr or Instagram, for starters. From there, you’ll find that whether you want to announce advocacy initiatives, recruit new volunteers or report the results of your efforts to the media, you have a built-in marketing platform that will serve your organization well over the long haul.
Some of the biggest benefits of social media platforms include:
Cost effectiveness
Want to reach 10,000 people without spending a dime? Social media is a great way to do that. With terrestrial postal costs rising steadily, social media provides a zero-cost alternative for communicating a message to a large group of people. Networks were also created to be so easy to set up that anyone can do it – there are no special skills required.
Legitimacy
Having a social media presence can create a sense of professionalism and brand cohesion for your organization. Say someone’s never heard of you, and they have doubts about contributing to your cause – a strong social media presence gives a sense of permanence and stability. Be consistent with use of logos and messaging across all formats, and you’ll find it makes your efforts seem organized and well put together.
Recruiting
Whether you’re looking for volunteers or contributors, social media is a great way to reach out to the public. The audience that’s already following you is a dedicated, targeted group with a higher likelihood to support your efforts. But you can also use your social media network to reach out to new people with similar interests – most platforms have a way to search profiles, and you can use this to find and connect with new supporters.
Social Sharing
Social media provides numerous opportunities for not only you but also your followers to spread the word. When you share your message on a social media channel, it’s easy for a supporter to share with friends and colleagues – that’s a huge function of most platforms. Be sure to also include frictionless sharing links on all your website content, and let your followers help you get the word out!
Increased engagement
While normally you might find it’s hard to engage your supporters on an ongoing basis, social media can help alleviate this problem. Use your channels to post related news and items of interest to your audience, and you’ll keep them engaged with both your brand and your mission on a daily or weekly basis. Increased engagement means increased awareness, and increased awareness means increased potential – whether it’s for site traffic, fundraising, publicity or volunteers!
At the end of the day, it’s nearly impossible to find a downside to a strong social media presence for any non-profit.