Facebook can be a valuable tool for nonprofit organisations worldwide as it is perceived to be the world’s most popular social network. Australians are amongst the highest social media users in the world with 13 million active users on Facebook each month. According to a Nielsen report commissioned by Facebook in January, stats revealed the average time Australians spend on Facebook every day is 1.7 hours. Furthermore on average, of those that have discovered new information on Facebook, 60% would go on to learn more and about 35% of people who have discovered a business or product on Facebook would share that with their friends.
These remarkable numbers highlight the fact that we should be using our social media presence to fundraise and raise awareness about causes to help others. Your organisation can utilise Facebook and other social media channels to spread the word. To be successful you will have to widen your visibility and these tips can help you enhance your presence on social media.
Consider these six tips on how to use Facebook for nonprofit organisations:
1. Your page, cover photo & profile image
First impressions last… so they say. You have a few seconds to convince your audience whether to engage with your organisation or not. Showcase a strong banner that represents what your organisation does and who it helps. Ensure your logo is clear and fits into a square as it appears on your banner and next to you your posts. Be sure to fill out all your details in the “About” section to make it easy for people to take direct action with you. Protect your organisation by adding a Facebook Policy.
2. Be Active, post often and join in the conversation
Be interactive, fun, and helpful. Great content will resonate with your audience and naturally motivate them to take action. You can make use of Facebook’s scheduling feature to create a number posts in advance and publish them over time. Posting frequently keeps you in front of your audience. Frequent posting also keeps you in the loop of your audience’s interests. Be part of the conversation in your Facebook feed, show your interest by responding to comments and answering questions. Give people insight into your organisation. Highlight different individuals within your cause, why they’re involved, and what they do. Put a face to your organisation for your audience to relate to.
3. Content is King
Create a strategic content plan to drive meaningful action. Make sure your content is interesting and support it with pictures or videos to tell your story. Post a variety of content, from rich visual content such as photos and videos, to status updates, events, and polls. Give people insight into your organisation and what you do in real life. Post interesting industry news and create a place where your visitors can learn more about your organisation’s progress. Show the impact your organisation has and share all your milestones, big and small. Highlight outstanding fundraisers and donors on a regular basis. This will not only engage your current supporters but will also make the post visible in the news feeds of your fans. Through this, you will increase your reach to their friends who may not yet know about you!
4. Donate Now
If you are currently running a fundraiser or donation drive why not create a donate now tab or App on your Facebook page and direct viewers to your official website where they can fill out a donation form. By adding this option, you make it easier for your viewers to donate for your cause.
5. Network with other organisations
The Facebook group Non-Profits on Facebook is a great way for nonprofits to see what other groups are doing on social media. Your page should follow other local nonprofit organisation pages to learn from them and network with them to reach a larger audience. If they post something that would interest your audience, share it. Through this interaction, you can develop a connection and they will be more likely to share your Facebook posts with their audience. Make use of the tagging feature in Facebook to include your community partners in posts and images you share.
6. Use Page Insights to measure and refine
With Pages Insights, you can assess the performance of your Page, learn more about the people who support your organisation and what they like. Get started by visiting facebook.com/insights or by selecting “See All” within the Insights section when you are viewing your page. Here you can gather more information about your audience. You can also use the insights feature to find out when your followers use Facebook the most. Use the data to schedule content for when they would be more likely to see it. To get a better understanding of the content your community finds interesting and appealing view the feedback and comments you get on each individual post.
Facebook is the world’s most popular social network, for both organisations and individuals, at Freerange Future we can give you expert advice to build your organisations integrated brand. We’re a digital agency for good and use digital, brand and marketing innovation to help those doing good, become great. Download our eBook to learn more about nonprofit branding today.
Resources: You can find some great info on Facebook for nonprofits at this resource page, facebook.com/nonprofits. It includes the latest examples, be sure to take a look for more information.