How Non-profits Use Social Media To Promote Themselves

In today's world, social media marketing is must if you wish to stay relevant in your industry or niche, and this is certainly true for the non-profit sector. While non-profits have unique elements and expectations, that uniqueness can lead to some great opportunities in social media marketing and promotion. Here are 3 ideas on how non-profits are using social media to promote themselves, and some thoughts about how you can translate that information into better results for your organization:

Social Media Platforms

All social media marketing begins with selecting which platforms to use. According to a HubSpot survey of small-to-medium non-profits, the top ten social media platforms in terms of the percentage of non profits using them are:

1. Facebook (98%)

2. Twitter (70%)

3. LinkedIn (55%)

4. YouTube (45%)

5. Pinterest (25%)

6. Instagram (15%)

7. Google+ (15%)

8. Flickr (10%)

9. Tumblr (5%)

10. SlideShare (<5%)

However, by looking at Statista's rankings of social media platforms in terms of active users, you may discover opportunities for greater reach. Here are the top 13 in terms of active users:

1. Facebook (1.7 billion)

2. WhatsApp (1 billion)

3. Facebook Messenger (1 billion)

4. WeChat (806 million)

5. Tumblr (555 million)

6. Instagram (500 million)

7. Twitter (313 million)

8. Skype (300 million)

9. Viber (249 million)

10. Line (218 million)

11. SnapChat (200 million)

12. LinkedIn (106 million)

13. Pinterest (100 million)

There were some non-English platforms on Statista's list that we didn't include here. By comparing where you're currently focusing your social media efforts to those platforms with the most active users, you may find opportunities to reach more potential donors. However, that doesn't mean you should abandon any platforms you currently use if they're yielding acceptable results.

Social Media Staffing

BufferSocial says only half of the organizations surveyed employed a full-time or part-time person to handle their social media. Only 25% used a social media team, and it's more likely than not that the team consisted of whoever happened to have some spare time here and there. The remaining 25% are just ad-libbing it. Organizations that fall into those last two categories would do well to make social media marketing and promotion more of a priority by dedicating a full or part-time person to social media.

Social Media Plan

The HubSpot article referred to above had some additional insights that are instructive. One that really jumps out is the fact that most non-profits don't have a documented social media plan. A social media plan (or strategy) summarizes everything you plan to do and achieve using social media. By creating a social media plan for your organization, you'll catapult to the top-tier of non profits in terms of marketing, promotion, and fund-raising.

For more ideas about how to use social media to advance your non-profit cause, contact us today. We also invite you to continue following our blog.