We all know the feeling; an update with no likes or comments staring up at you from your nonprofit’s Facebook page or a tweet that seems like a drop of water in the ocean. If you’re struggling to rise above the noise on social media and generate clicks that lead to conversions, there are a few things you can do to hone those posts.
Here are the six most essential elements of a successful nonprofit social media post:
1. Choose one of the “Three As”
Ideally, any one of your social media updates (regardless of the network) should fall into one of three categories:
- Appreciation: publicly thanking those who support you
- Advocacy: sharing helpful information that is of value to your followers
- Appeals: asking your followers for help
Each category should be represented evenly to start. Too many appeals and you risk fatiguing your followers. Too few appeals and you may not get maximum ROI out of your efforts.
The “Three As” should help you get over the uncertainty of what to post. There will always be people to thank, important info to share and needs to be met.
Be sure to experiment with each content type across various networks to see if any patterns emerge.
2. Be visual
According to (study), posts with at least one striking image get more shares. This should come as no surprise, since social media is such a visual medium.
When you share a link, it’s important that that page have an image on it. When sharing a plain text update, go the extra mile and include a photo. It will immediately stand out amongst other updates in the newsfeed.
This is particularly effective on Twitter, which extends your update real estate to show the included image.
3. Direct to one landing page
One of the worst things you can do is invest a lot of time in crafting and distributing content without a strong call-to-action. Every social media post should include a link to a landing page on your website, with the hope that the visitor converts by filling out a form.
While your homepage may be a landing page in some cases, it’s most often a poor one. Better to send your followers to a landing page specifically designed for that post. For example, if you’re asking for volunteers, be sure to include a link to the volunteer sign-up page, as opposed to your homepage which would require one or more clicks to get to where you want them.
Bonus tip: add social media channels to your Google Analytics account to see which networks are driving the most traffic!
4. Appreciation: be inclusive
Social media is an almost ideal medium to show donor, volunteer, staff and vendor appreciation. If you can tag the person you’re thanking, you immediately increase the visibility of the post. Because people like to put their philanthropy on display, you can almost count on the fact that they will re-share your post.
Texas Humane Heroes has probably my favorite nonprofit Facebook page ever. Here, they show a lot love to those who adopt their animals in need. These posts get an insane amount of engagement!
Be sure to always get your supporter’s permission before publicly recognizing them. While you’re asking, be sure to get their Twitter handle or have someone in the organization befriend them so that you can tag them later.
Bonus tip: add social media channels as communication preferences on your forms!
5. Advocacy: be relevant
Nonprofits have a unique opportunity to operate as both publishers and news outlets. Whether you’re creating your own rich content like blog posts, podcasts or videos, or sharing news, research and data from other organizations, there is no shortage of things you can talk about, regardless of your mission (no mission is “too boring” – trust me!).
For example, Joy’s House – an adult day center for those suffering from alzheimer’s and dementia – created their own radio show that offers support and advice for caregivers.
Consider surveying your followers to find out what content would be of value to them. In most cases, it will already exist elsewhere. All you have to do is share it!
6. Appeals: be specific and urgent
Let’s say you’re using social media to ask for help (which you should from time to time). Rather than just posting something generic like “Please consider donating today,” try a specific and urgent appeal.
For example, look at how our friends at Wheeler Mission asked for help:
By being extremely specific and instilling a sense of urgency in the ask, this post saves the viewer from clicking to a generic page that lists needed items. Rather than leaving it up to the follower, this nonprofit gets right to the point.
As with any marketing or fundraising advice, it’s important to test and measure multiple tactics to find out what works for you. If you notice something isn’t working, don’t wait to pivot. If something is working, keep doing it!
Want to start measuring your social media performance? Download our Social Media Performance Scorecard to self-report your social media metrics.
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