For charities, every penny counts. So if you can get your hands on a platform that allows you to build a following, drive donations and raise awareness for your cause all for free, it would be a win-win. So now’s the time to get started with social media marketing for your charity.
Benefits of social media marketing for charities
If your charity is not yet on social media, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon. Not only is it free and super easy to use, it can also bring a range of benefits to your charity, including:
- Drive donations: social media is the top digital communication tool for inspiring donations
- Enhance your fundraising efforts: a massive 71% of nonprofits agree that social media is an effective route for online fundraising
- Raise awareness: with over 4.7 billion people across the globe now using social media, it’s safe to say that your charity has the potential to reach a huge new audience for little to no cost
- Build relationships: social media allows your charity to build more personal relationships with your audience, helping to create a level of trust and drive support when you need it
5 ideas to inspire your charity’s social media
#1 Celebrate your achievements
Sharing your impact and celebrating the achievements of your charity, volunteers and fundraisers is a fantastic way to show your donors just how important their contributions are and encourage continued support by showing gratitude.
If your supporters can see the direct impact of their actions and they feel their contributions are valued, they’ll be far more likely to keep up the good work. In turn, this can also encourage new donors and volunteers to get involved by showing them every donation makes a difference. Stats and figures are a great way to highlight your impact and put everything into perspective, but things like beneficiary quotes, volunteer stories and fundraising updates can all have a significant impact, too!
#2 Share your story
No matter your industry, emotion drives action. As much as people like to think they rationalise with their heads, it’s usually the heart leading the way. So share your why and tell your nonprofit’s story. Use beneficiary quotes and case studies to humanise the impact of your work and show your audience how their contributions will support your cause, who they will be helping and why their donations are so important.
#3 Engage with your audience
If you want to encourage new donations and inspire your audience to continue to take action, you need to build a tight-knit community that recognises the importance of their support and understands exactly what it is your charity does.
The great thing about social media is its personal nature. It gives your charity a chance to interact with your audience and allows them to see a more human side to your brand. Doing things like Instagram lives, FAQ sessions, story polls and even asking for user-generated content (UGC) are great ways to get your audience engaged and encourage them to take more of an active role within your charity.
#4 Promote
Social media is a great way for your charity to promote everything from new blogs to fundraisers for little to no cost. We say this as social media is free, and provided you can create compelling content and build a loyal following, you have the potential to reach huge numbers organically. However, if you want to give your posts an extra boost, social media offers charities a cost-effective way to reach targeted audiences with paid ads.
#5 Go behind the scenes
Posting behind-the-scenes content is a great way to build those deeper connections with your charity’s audience using social media. It will allow them to see what you do, who is involved and unlock a side of your charity that they can trust and relate to.
At the end of the day, we’re all humans, and most of us prefer to deal with people just like us. So if you can introduce your team in a way that allows your audience to get to know and trust them, you’ll be one step ahead of most nonprofits. Behind-the-scenes content can include anything from meet the team to fundraiser planning to a day in the life – the possibilities are endless!
Tips for getting started with social media for your charity
Building a strong presence on social media can take time, but in the end, it will all be worth it. To help you get started, here are a couple of tips:
- Ensure you are set up as a nonprofit to unlock relevant resources and tools
- Make donations quick and simple by including buttons on your page
- When creating content, refer to your brand guidelines to ensure consistency
- Develop a strategy to inform your content
- Save time & plan ahead using content calendars
- Extend your reach with shareable content, for example, helpful infographics and inspiring videos
- Reach new audiences with hashtags – keep an eye out for relevant national days
Social media is a relatively easy and cost-effective way to unlock a range of benefits for your charity. So if you are yet to get started, now is the time to start setting up those accounts. If you need a helping hand creating a social media strategy that succeeds, check out our ultimate guide for charities or get in touch to discover how we can help you reach your goals with digital marketing.
