In today’s modernized world, social media branding has become a no-brainer. With millions surfing the web at any given moment, social channels have proven to be super valuable as a way to keep in touch with friends and family ― and the world.

As of January 2020, there are 3.8 billion social media users worldwide. The average individual spends around 2 hours and 24 minutes each day on social media.

What do these add up to? An amazing marketing opportunity that comes with a giant audience. Additionally, it’s an even bigger one right now because of how much time people are spending online while in quarantine.

Nonprofit marketers should realize the importance of social media for brand engagement and donor retention ― especially since social networks are naturally optimized for visual storytelling. Nonprofits can use socials to demonstrate their impact and engage their communities with this approach. 

Things to consider before diving into social media

Like any other marketing channel, you have to know what you’re working towards to promote your cause effectively.

• Establish a clear objective of what to achieve. Do you want to receive more donations this year, raise specific social awareness, or plan to recruit more volunteers? 
• Think about your target audience. What kind of content do they respond to? What platforms do they use? Try to focus on the platform most used by your target audience.
• Create a content schedule (weekly or monthly) to post consistently on the social media platform. Think of content that will get your audience to engage with your organization online!
• Draft your social media strategy to put everything into place. Social media planning is a luxury many smaller nonprofits can’t afford, so think about how much time and money you want to invest in it. Smaller organizations can do well with the free features offered on social media platforms, but creating sponsored content is great for those who can afford it.

How to become an expert on social media branding

Organic posting, running contests, and incorporating social media marketing in emails are all great ways to get started on your branding journey. But it can be a lot to take in, so here are 5 easy tips to follow and fit to your needs.

1. Interactive content for higher engagement

Nonprofit organizations can quickly boost their engagement with interactive content. It lets your audience do something other than absent-mindedly scrolling past your post. 

Interactive content can make your engagement soar ― 66% of businesses that use interactive content consistently agree that audience engagement has increased. And the best part? Using this content type doesn’t take much of your time. You can do simple things like:

• Host a Q&A session 
• Ask the audience to share their story 
• Post a Facebook survey
• Run interesting Twitter polls

2. Community building

Communication on social media platforms tends to be highly organic and conversational. It offers a unique opportunity for nonprofit organizations to communicate with both their involved and silent community of followers.

You can easily make it feel like a community by engaging in the conversations happening in the comments on your posts. Give feedback, ask questions, and make people feel heard. It’s all about building a relationship with your base.

Consider this example from St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The organization has posted a photo and a question to showcase their interest in the follower’s stories. This approach helped them build a genuine community of supporters.

Image Source: St. Baldrick’s Foundation

3. Run a contest!

Contests are a great way for nonprofits to quickly extend visibility and get their audience involved and engaged. It can be something as simple as submitting photos for an online challenge and asking them to use a hashtag specific to your organization. By doing so, it boosts your post further and also notifies you when someone submits an entry.

Although, some organizations may be apprehensive about this method. What if you don’t have the funds to give anything? 

Social media contests aren’t expected to give the same payoff as winning the lottery. Your prize doesn’t have to be very big! Especially if you have a committed base, anything you give will probably make them happy. Maybe create a gift basket with some t-shirts, snacks, coupons from sponsors, and a hand-written note from your staff. 

4. Demonstrate your social impact

Photos from a social contest or survey questions used for audience engagement are great ways to connect to supporters on an emotional level. It can invoke action from potential donors as they watch your work and its impact.

People are more likely to want to engage with your organization if they see the impact they can directly make on the world. Show them how your organization helps people and how they can be a part of the change.

5. Shoutouts to fundraisers

Now it’s time to use those social media handles you’ve collected during your fundraising registration process. Use them to give donors a personal shoutout. This broadcasted thank-you will make them feel special, and also increases your brand visibility because they’re likely to share the shoutout to their followers.

You can also mention the link to an individual’s peer-to-peer fundraising page to appreciate their support for your social cause.

If leveraged effectively and creatively, social media can be an incredible tool for connecting your nonprofit with a wide variety of audiences. You can quickly enhance brand exposure and engagement with just a few posts a day and add value to your follower’s feeds. 

The five strategic steps given above helps your organization in this area. Embrace them today to unlock the potential of social media to maximize your impact.

Author Bio

Diana Morris is a Marketing Professional with over 8 years of experience. She is interested in blogging and helps Small businesses with innovative ideas that keep pulling in newness and creativity. Currently, she heads the marketing team at BizInfor, a b2b database solution firm providing various services like email appending, data appending, lead generation email lists, etc.

The post How to Become an Expert in Social Media Branding appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Source Taken From: Nonprofithub.org