How to grow your Nonprofit’s Social Media

Which Social Media Platforms Are The Best For Nonprofits?

TikTok for Nonprofits

TikTok is our first on the list of how to grow your nonprofit’s social media. TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to upload up to three-minute-long videos and host live streams.

Here are a few reasons why it is an excellent platform to promote your nonprofit:

One billion people worldwide actively use TikTok every day.
It takes minutes for content to go viral.
TikTok is a new platform so it is rewarding content creators with some of the greatest reach of any social platform right now.
An average of 52 minutes is spent by users on the app every day.
It has the highest social media engagement rate per post.

Over 50% of TikTok’s users are under 32 years old, and over 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24. If your nonprofit focuses on youth, TikTok might be a great way to reach them. If your nonprofit does not, it is a great way to diversify your donor and volunteer base.

One way to kick off your TikTok account is by using TikTok’s creator marketplace– a collaboration center that connects brands and creators to execute paid and reward-based campaigns. If you are unable to do this, having an employee launch your account works too.

If you plan on using TikTok, here are a few tips:

It is considered best practice to post a video around three times per day. Therefore, it is wise to have a content strategy.
If what you want to share can’t find in one three-minute video, consider creating a series of videos.
Educate your target audience on who you are, what needs you meet, and how they can help. Do this in a way that prioritizes a human touch. Polished photos and videos won’t cut it.
TikTok is an entertainment platform first and foremost, and as such, that should be the primary goal of your videos.
According to a recent analysis of over 600 viral TikTok videos, more than one in three viral videos featured a person speaking within the first three seconds. Featuring actual people in your videos is essential.
Keep up to date with any trends by perusing the Discover page. Over there you can see which content, audio, hashtags, or concepts are going viral.
TikTok values authenticity, and as such, you should not approach TikTok like a brand. Add human elements to your content.
Videos should have a story arc- a clear beginning, middle, and end. Consider storyboarding, in order to streamline the filming process.
Engage with your audience by responding to comments, liking and sharing content posted by your partners, and by going live, among other things.

As a nonprofit one of the largest barriers to overcome is that of trust and authenticity. TikTok is one of the best platforms for providing a layer of authenticity and social proof. Having a real figurehead for your brand allows potential donors a sense of ease to know there are reliable people working behind the scenes to make your organization work.

In addition to the intangible benefits, TikTok is also still a fairly new app. With that being said the platform is pushing organic engagement like no other. This is a unique opportunity for businesses to capitalize on while TikTok is still in its early stages of growth. So what are you waiting for? Go and start reaching new audiences today.

Instagram for Nonprofits

Instagram is a social media platform that enables users to share images and videos with their audience. Instagram is a great place to provide updates to your community. This can help donors and participants feel “in the loop” with all the new things happening at the organization. We like to think of Instagram as a weekly “pamphlet” of sorts. This is not just good for fostering your community but also for reaching new audiences.

Here are a few reasons why it is a great platform to use:

It has 1.22 billion active monthly users.
It has higher engagement than most other social media platforms.
Instagram is the 7th most visited social media website in the world.
500 million accounts use Instagram Stories daily
1 in 2 people use Instagram to engage with new brands
44% of people use Instagram to shop weekly.

Here are a few pointers on how your nonprofit can use Instagram effectively:

Make your profile a business account. It’ll allow you to list yourself as a nonprofit so that visitors can immediately see that you’re on a social mission. You’ll also be able to list your website and contact information, making it easier for donors to contact you. Having a business profile also gives you access to analytics- you can then use this data to improve in various areas.
Use Instagram Stories to upload short instances of media in a non-intrusive way.
Place relevant links in your bio section and in the link sticker on each of your stories.
Use hashtags to expand your reach and attract the right audience; create one specific to your brand or campaign, and one that’s specific to the community, sector, or cause that your nonprofit is linked to.
Make sure that the look and feel of your profile and content are consistent.
Repost TikTok videos to Instagram Reels for additional reach.

Facebook for Nonprofits

Facebook is a social networking site that enables users to share information. Facebook is a good place to reach older demographic groups. Facebook these days should be used primarily as a community-based platform instead of outreach and growth. Facebook provides a lot of opportunities for discourse and relationship building in your existing community.

Here are a few reasons why your nonprofit should use Facebook:

With roughly 2.93 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most used online social network worldwide.

These are ways in which you can use Facebook in order to promote your nonprofit:

Before you even create your page, you should have a Facebook marketing strategy. Answering these questions is a good place to start: what does your nonprofit want to achieve? What is your mission? What are your goals?
This might seem obvious, but make sure that your nonprofit’s Facebook page is complete with a profile picture, a cover photo, a description, and contact information.
Create a content calendar to ensure that you post frequently and consistently. Make sure that your content is of high quality, and that it is relevant and compelling. You should be posting about 1-4 times per day. Your content should vary in type; links to your blog, videos, photos, audio to a podcast you’re on. Keep things fresh.
Facebook has some built-in fundraising tools that make things easier for nonprofits. By adding a donate button to your page, you make it easier for people to donate to your organization.
Join Nonprofit Facebook groups; this will expand your reach by allowing the algorithm to do some work for you, as it shows users more content from people and groups they are a part of.
Create an engagement strategy that revolves around getting your existing audience to interact with your content.
Develop polls, events, giveaways, and more to keep your audience engaged.

Social Media Rules of Growth

1. Engagement:

According to Sprout Social, 35% of your time should be spent engaging with your audience.

This can involve:

Responding to comments, questions, posts, and direct messages.
Keeping up to date with relevant hashtags; so you may join new conversations related to your community.
Sharing ‘behind the scenes’ images or videos.
Asking your followers what they want to see from your organization.

This adds a human touch to your organization and helps you build trust with your audience.

2. Content:

Keep your audience engaged with a range of posts by using the 70/20/10 rule:

70% of your content should add value to your community. These posts should educate and inform without focusing on donations. They should be informative, entertaining, or inspiring. These posts drive engagement and shares, and prime people to come back for more.
20% of your content should be shared content. Links to relevant videos or articles.
10% of your content should be promotional. This includes content that promotes your programs, events, fundraising campaign, or blog. It should focus on driving the user to contribute or to share your campaign.

Post visual content:

Visuals are a great tool to capture attention and maintain it. According to Google, 57% of those that watch an online video from a non-profit go on to donate. Make sure that these videos are personal- campaigns with personal videos raise 105% more than those that don’t have them.

3. Community:

You can facilitate the growth of your community in a few ways:

By hosting events: The strength of hosting events is incubating a sense of community. Events can reinforce your relationship with current supporters while simultaneously attracting new ones.

Through the use of social media: Social media allows you to spread your message locally, nationally, and internationally. It also lets you reach new and current supporters without expending a significant amount of resources.

By using current supporters: You can inspire your current followers to recruit new supporters on your behalf. This can be done through the implementation of a nonprofit ambassador program. Appoint your most enthusiastic supporters as ambassadors- they can spread the word about your organization through the use of their social networks. Through the use of a volunteer program, you can have your supporters who can’t contribute financially, give in another manner; their time.

By being transparent: Being transparent will foster trust between your organization and its supporters. The more trust they have in your mission, the more your reputation will grow in a favorable light. With a greater reputation, you can draw in more supporters.

To produce results from social media takes time and effort, however with a little bit of perseverance and patience you can achieve amazing growth and garner much needed credibility. At Support Black Charities we believe social media presence is so important that we have made it one of our 7 key requirements for best practice. Use this guide to help you on your path to becoming a well established nonprofit!

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