Insights and New Data from Experts

As a digital advertising and marketing skilled, I’ve tried a number of methods over time. And one factor I’ve realized is that advertising and marketing nonprofits requires a specialised method.

Not like companies, nonprofits don’t promote services or products. As a substitute, they need folks to assist a noble trigger.

Their advertising and marketing funds can also be often restricted, however social networks come to the rescue. They’re free, run 24/7, and have a world viewers already current.

On this information, I’ll clarify methods to use social media for nonprofits and share a few of greatest practices when creating content material on every platform.

The way to Leverage Social Media for Nonprofits

In line with HubSpot’s 2024 Social Trends Report, 82% of entrepreneurs discovered that social media advertising and marketing was efficient for his or her manufacturers.

Specialists who’ve labored with charitable organizations additionally vouch for social media as an efficient marketing strategy for nonprofits.

Will Yang, head of development and advertising and marketing at Instrumentl, says, “It permits direct interplay with the viewers, permitting nonprofits to foster private connections with their supporters — a necessary facet of fundraising and advocacy work.”

We’ve established that advocating in your trigger on social media works. However does that imply advertising and marketing on all of the social media channels is one of the best transfer? Not a lot.

Whereas it’s nice to have a diversified nonprofit social media technique, specializing in too many platforms without delay makes use of up numerous time and assets.

So, as an alternative, I recommend choosing two to 4 platforms that work greatest for my trigger and sticking to them till you attain your social media objectives.

My favorites are Fb, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Since every platform has its distinctive options and consumer preferences, it is best to observe completely different methods to maximise my content material’s influence.

1. Fb

I’ve been utilizing Fb ever since I bought my first smartphone.

However regardless that it’s one of many oldest social networks, it nonetheless stays the most well-liked amongst manufacturers. HubSpot’s analysis discovered that 65% of B2C manufacturers use Fb as one in all their prime advertising and marketing channels in 2024.

And that is true for nonprofits as effectively. The 2023 Nonprofit Tech for Good report states that 96% of nonprofits have a Fb Web page.

Contemplate No Kid Hungry, a charity group that goals to finish childhood starvation within the U.S. The nonprofit has gained over 318,000 followers by recurrently posting about its campaigns and actions on its Fb Web page.

Numbers apart, I want Fb as a consequence of its simplicity and flexibility. I’ve had success selling all sorts of content material, from texts and movies to infographics and polls. Let’s take a look at some methods I observe.

The way to use Fb for nonprofits:

• Livestreaming. In comparison with pre-recorded movies, livestreams give organizations increased engagement charges. You may present real-time updates about your nonprofit’s actions by livestreaming them. On the identical time, viewers could make donations by means of the livestream itself.
• Utilizing the donation button. Throughout a fundraising campaign for unsheltered folks, one skilled created a devoted Fb Web page with a donation button. This made it simpler for supporters to make donations as soon as they visited the web page.
• Becoming a member of Fb teams. Teams enable nonprofits to achieve a world viewers that shares the identical ardour. You may submit on completely different Fb teams to ask for donations or volunteers. It’s also possible to handle your personal group, the place you may share updates with supporters.

2. Instagram

With 50% of B2B and 53% of B2C manufacturers energetic on Instagram, it at present ranks because the third hottest social media platform amongst companies. The truth is, 23% of brands obtain the very best engagement on this platform.

Nevertheless, Instagram solely promotes visible content material codecs like photographs and movies. This will pose a problem for those who want writing about your model. Nevertheless, Instagram can unleash creativity.

Utilizing varied reel templates, memes, and different social media tendencies for nonprofits, you may flip critical charity info into enjoyable content material your viewers will love.

Hilarity for Charity’s Instagram submit lately grabbed my consideration whereas scrolling by means of my newsfeed.

I like how they used a preferred reel template to create a playful ambiance whereas educating the plenty about Alzheimer’s illness.

The group spreads consciousness in regards to the situation utilizing its personal mascot, trending audio, and an attention grabbing message.

The way to use Instagram for nonprofits:

• Partnering with influencers. Influencer advertising and marketing is one of the key strategies to extend viewers interplay, and Instagram is a superb place to search out public figures who’re enthusiastic about charitable causes. You may ask influencers to create reels showcasing their assist in your trigger.
• Cross-sharing. If I make a submit on Fb, I can share it on Instagram with one click on. So, even for those who’re low on time, you may shortly run a marketing campaign on two social media platforms without delay.
• Utilizing Instagram Tales. You should utilize Instagram Tales to construct curiosity amongst your followers and get them to go to your profile. Tales usually embrace sneak peeks into your newest campaigns, shoutouts to supporters, and a few behind-the-scenes pictures of volunteers working.

3. TikTok

With 39% of B2C manufacturers utilizing TikTok, this video-based platform is a strong alternative for social media advertising and marketing. It helps charities not simply by means of fundraising but additionally by rolling out new options.

For instance, in 2023, TikTok donated $250,000 to the Rare Impact Fund whereas introducing options like sleep reminders and screen-time limits to assist psychological well being.

TikTok’s demographics largely consist of individuals below the age of 34. This implies I can simply attain Gen-Zers and youthful millennials on the app.

Different nonprofits also use TikTok for growth and elevated attain. American Cancer Society, as an illustration, has constructed presence on TikTok and has gained over 26,500 followers.

Xavier English, co-founder of Supermix, shares the following pointers: “When you’re making an attempt to achieve a extremely huge viewers of individuals in a youthful age bracket for a trigger that has mass enchantment, you’re in all probability extra prone to discover them on TikTok, which has a youthful consumer base.”

The way to use TikTok for nonprofits:

• Creating video content material. I recurrently create movies about subject actions, fundraising campaigns, and occasion planning. This reveals supporters how I’m spending their donations.
• Utilizing Donation Stickers. I additionally ensure so as to add Donation Stickers to all my movies. This manner, followers can instantly make donations with out spending time looking for a hyperlink.
• Importing brief movies. TikTok permits video uploads of as much as three minutes. Nevertheless, I add shorter movies which can be lower than 30 seconds as a result of these get essentially the most engagement.

4. X (Previously Twitter)

Fashionable companies are shifting their focus to video-based platforms, which explains why solely 31% of B2C manufacturers view X as a prime social media platform. Nevertheless, I nonetheless contemplate X an awesome nonprofit advertising and marketing channel.

Nevertheless it’s not simply me. Different nonprofits have had nice outcomes on this platform. Contemplate Oceana International, an NGO devoted to saving and restoring the oceans. It has amassed greater than 496,000 followers on X.

X has a large celeb presence, which suggests you may seize the eye of celebs who could be all for working in your trigger.

Creating content material on the platform can also be simple, because it permits customers so as to add brief captions to photographs and movies.

Nevertheless, what’s tiring about X is that I must submit day by day. In any other case, engagement charges shortly die down, and it turns into troublesome to extend your attain as soon as extra.

The way to use X for nonprofits:

• Organizing content material into threads. X posts (previously tweets) have a restrict of 280 characters. However I’ve discovered that threads are a good way to get across the restrict. Not solely do they permit me to share extra info, however they persuade the X algorithm that my posts are partaking.
• Posting throughout prime time. The trick is to submit at a time when customers are most energetic. That’s after I get the very best engagement. In my expertise, 12-3 PM is one of the best time to submit on X.
• Utilizing actionable CTAs. One other manner I improve my engagement on X is through the use of calls-to-action like “Share for those who assist this trigger” or “100k likes, and we’ll arrange free well being checks this month.” This encourages folks to work together with my posts by means of likes, reposts, and feedback, rising my attain.
• Creating branded hashtags. Utilizing in style hashtags can assist you attain a big viewers. It’s also possible to create your personal hashtags and encourage followers to make use of them of their posts.

Equally, a whole lot of different nonprofits have efficiently created social media campaigns on platforms like Reddit, Threads, and LinkedIn. The platform you select will depend on your aim and the demographics you need to goal.

Meagan Jackman, president and CMO of The Harkey Group, offers steering that will help you select the perfect platform:

“If a nonprofit wants company donations, the crew ought to flip to LinkedIn. If there’s a youth nonprofit seeking to communicate to folks, they need to leverage Fb. If the message is informational, YouTube is a superb medium.”

The last word aim is to be the place your target market can discover you.

Help Your Trigger By Social Media for Nonprofits

You’ve in all probability confronted a justifiable share of struggles when advertising and marketing your nonprofit organizations. Nevertheless, constructing a robust social media presence on Fb, X, TikTok, and Instagram made it simpler to achieve a world viewers that shares your ardour.

By following greatest practices and social media tendencies for nonprofits, you may leverage your social media accounts to create model consciousness and have interaction together with your target market.

Editor’s word: This submit was initially revealed in June 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.