In today’s digital world, social media is an extremely valuable marketing tool that every nonprofit organization should be using. It can give your organization a face. It can increase trust. It can help you recruit volunteers and supporters and fundraise.
But, of course, as you know – and virtually every other nonprofit leader and volunteer knows – something always seems to come up that gets in the way of being active on social media…
So much to post, so little time
You’re busy. When managing a nonprofit, there’s little time and capacity left over for “other duties as assigned,” like social media. Between fundraising and event planning, administrative work, volunteer management, and, of course, putting out fires, there’s little time left over for social media.
You know it’s important to be active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, but your board might not see it that way. After all, it can be tough to show its return on investment, even though you know how important it is for your brand image, your reputation, volunteer recruitment, and even fundraising.
If you’re being honest, your nonprofit organization’s social media presence might be a little lacklustre. You might have attended social media training to learn how to create a social media content calendar for nonprofits, but that hasn’t helped you find more hours in your day to post.
- You’ve really put in effort, but you’re still struggling.
- You keep missing important notifications.
- You’re not answering followers’ questions in a timely manner.
- You can’t remember the last time you actually liked someone else’s post.
You’re not alone.
What should I even post?
Another common challenge nonprofit communicators face when it comes to social media marketing is not knowing what to post. Sure, that cat meme is cute, but will it help you make an impact? Probably not.
You might have great stuff to post for a few weeks, but what amount six months down the line? Or two years? It gets tougher as time goes by to find fun, innovative, thoughtful, and exciting content to post on social media.
But, as you continue to second guess what to post (and try so hard to banish that writer’s block), the days go by and your social media accounts become inactive.
You need a framework that’s easy to implement
Social media training will only take you so far. If you want to post consistently on social media and make a real impact online (all the while taking care of your regular work), then you need a repeatable system that you can use over and over again.
What you need is a long-term strategy that will help you quickly and easily come up with engaging content on a day-to-day basis, so you never get stuck trying to find time to post or trying to determine what to post.
That’s why I am excited to team up with CharityVillage to share my 5-pillar system for creating a social media strategy for nonprofits that anyone in the sector can use. It follows the Know, Like, Trust Principle, and it will help you connect your day-to-day operational marketing with your organization’s mission while building your brand online.
It’s time to take a proactive approach to social media for non-profits. Watch our webinar recording “How to Create a Strategic Social Media Plan” to learn how to create a simple and effective strategic social media plan for your nonprofit organization.
What you’ll learn:
- How to create a multi-platform editorial content plan
- How to map out a month’s worth of social content in just a few hours using the 5-pillar framework
- How to connect emotionally with your target audience by using authentic storytelling
- How to create content that positions your nonprofit as an authority in your sector (to increase trust and credibility)
- How to communicate your brand message and differentiate your cause
By the end of this webinar, you’ll be left feeling confident and comfortable that you CAN create a social media calendar for your nonprofit (one that you can easily maintain, too).
Kerstin Heuer is a brand and marketing consultant and founder of Non-Profit Today. Since 2008, she has used the trifecta of branding, marketing, and design to help non-profits communicate the heart of their organization, connect with their audiences, and achieve their missions. With over 25 years of industry experience and lessons learned from work on 500+ non-profit projects, Kerstin is skilled in collaborating with NPOs to make sure they have a clear message and the traction they need to spread it. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at kerstin@non-profit.today.
