Social Media Marketing Lessons From Nonprofits
In the world of nonprofits, it’s really a numbers game. The more people that nonprofit and charitable organizations can get their message in front of, the more likely the donations will come in. And while you might no longer be seeing television ads asking for 10 cents a day to help a child, nonprofit organizations are shifting to the digital world, focusing more on the internet and social media platforms to get their messages out.
Today, more people are learning about charitable groups through social media channels, and donating online to the charities of their choice. Nonprofits today can target audiences by their interests, demographic data, and more, making it easier than ever to get their messages to the right audiences.
Here are some of the ways that nonprofit and charitable organizations leverage social media to increase awareness and donations.
Social media marketing lessons from nonprofits
1. Get active across all social media platforms
With more than 3 billion users spread across all of the major social networking platforms, social media offers nonprofit and charitable organizations an excellent opportunity to reach millions of people at any given time, while not having to pay for traditional marketing methods like telemarketers, print ads, or even television commercial placements.
One example of this is WE Charity, a nonprofit organization focused on international development and youth empowerment, which has nearly 3 million fans on Facebook, and another million-plus when you include Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Cross-promotions and the sharing of original content on each of its social platforms has not only helped WE Charity to grow the organization and its efforts, but the number of people it reaches on a daily basis.
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- How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Increase Donations and Boost Visibility
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2. Partner with brand names and huge influencers
When you look at the most popular accounts on social media, it’s all about celebrities, big brands, and influencers. Some of these accounts are growing by thousands of new users daily, while already having millions of active followers in place.
Connecting with such influencers and brands is a quick and easy way for nonprofits to reach millions of new users who likely would not have heard of these organizations or their charitable efforts. For a small business, it may be easier to get access to and work with micro-influencers, who have smaller but more targeted audiences.
Working with big-name influencers and well-known celebrities is a method that PETA has been using for years. The animal rights organization has massive reach and brand awareness thanks to the many celebrities and big name partners that help to promote its mission.
3. Run targeted ad campaigns to most receptive audiences
At the end of the day, no matter how much good charitable organizations may do for those in need, they are also businesses. They must know how to market their campaigns, decide whom to target, and calculate how much funding their campaigns are likely to bring in from donations.
In the past, when most campaigns were focused on print ads and television commercials, it was harder to measure campaign effectiveness. However, thanks to targeted paid ads on social media, measuring a campaign’s effectiveness has become easier.
Whether it's via online ads or sponsored content, there is likely a good reason why you are seeing the charitable ads that you do. Just as for-profit businesses have mastered the art of online advertising and audience targeting, charitable organizations are now doing it successfully.
All marketers should understand social media marketing
With more businesses and large brands focusing their marketing efforts on mobile users and audiences on social media, nonprofits and charities are following suit. The next time you see an online campaign for a nonprofit, take a moment to think about why you are seeing the ad and how that organization is using the power of the internet to reach new audiences to help its cause. It might just make you a better marketer in the process!
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