Every nonprofit needs a social media presence to promote itself, and stand out from the rest. Beyond selecting the appropriate social media platform(s), as I mentioned in my last blog, this blog is centered on maximizing that social media platform.
First step is creating SMART goals. SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Based
I will expand on these.
Specific
Having a schedule on posting to social media is essential. Consistent content wins the race. Even if the post is once a week, it’s a good place to get started or if you don’t have the time nor staff to post more often. Ideally, posting two or more times a week is preferable. Just don’t go overboard and have your audience get tired of you. The type of content doesn’t matter, just as long as it is out there and related to your nonprofit.
Measurable
Finding a way to measure goals is another essential part to managing your nonprofit’s social media. Are you trying to hit a certain goal of donations? If so, how prevalent is that on your social media? Are you trying to hit a certain number of followers, likes, comments, or shares? Finding a way to encourage your followers to share and interact with your posts is a major way of gaining new traction. Going viral is nice, but it’s flitting and many people are trying to chase that same aspiration.
Attainable
Going off my last paragraph, attainable goals are necessary. Does your nonprofit have the staff to post twice a week? Daily? If you just have one person running your social media along with other responsibilities, expecting them to post daily right off the start is a tall order. If you have someone who has few responsibilities, including posting to social media, posting nearly daily is more reasonable. Do you have the budget to run promotions or reach out to influencers? Promotions and influencers can drive people to your nonprofit, but they require both time and money. That isn’t attainable for all nonprofits, especially those just starting.
Relevant
Before posting on social media, you should consider your nonprofit’s mission. Sticking to the mission can help direct what you post to social media. For example, there are trending songs and sounds on TikTok and Instagram. Are those sounds applicable to your nonprofit, or do they deter from the mission? Doing fun social media posts isn’t a bad thing from time to time but be careful about what you do. Jumping on the latest trend can backfire and cause bad publicity for your nonprofit.
Time-Based
Going back to measurable, is there a particular timeline for your goals? Implementing a timeline is crucial in measuring your goals and successes. For example, how soon are you wanting to hit a certain number of followers or engagement percentage? Time goals help you circle back with your staff and decide whether or not your actions are working. It allows you to make changes as you go along. It also helps to keep in mind the overall goal so as not to become down when a post doesn’t hit off as well as you hoped it would. Time is key.
I want to leave this blog with slightly more questions than answers, as there is no one size fits all solution. Instead, I am asking these to help evaluate your approach to your nonprofit. Keep calm, and carry on.
