Social Media and Nonprofits – You Just Don’t Understand

In the past decade social media has transformed the way we communicate.  Hailed as a great social leverager social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have played significant roles in political elections, civil uprising, and major social movements (Hernandez, Robles, & Martinez, 2013).  On a smaller level, social media has changed the way news is reported and how companies and professionals interact with their audience. Despite its growing importance as a major method of modern communication, social media is still viewed by some as an extra frill in their otherwise Serious Communication Strategy.  This is never truer than in the nonprofit sector. Great care and detail go into nonprofit grant applications, annual reports, progress reports, fundraising efforts, etc… These types of communication are edited and reviewed multiple times before being signed off by the CEO or executive director.  But when it comes to social media, many nonprofits don’t give it a second thought to put the college intern in charge of the organization’s Facebook page. It is time that nonprofits start treating social media as the serious communication tool that it is.

image source:https://makeameme.org/meme/social-media-zlwj2m 

            When used wisely, social media can increase user engagement and produce more results than traditional print media (Gherghita-Mihaila, 2016).  This means that nonprofits should not be using social networking sites superfluously. According to Alicia Johnston over at Sprout Social, it's important for nonprofits to have a strategy when it comes posting on social networks. "Social media shouldn’t be out there alone; it should be integrated and aligned with your strategic goals and target audiences,” (2017).  So no more posting on Facebook for the sake of posting. Content should be strategic and relevant to the mission of the organization.

To maximize social media to its full potential, nonprofits need to make sure who ever is in charge of their organizational pages understand the nuances of each platform. There is no one-size-fits all social media strategy. And just because you can post on a social network doesn’t mean you should. Because social media is a free resource, it can be tempting to setup organizational pages all over the place. But before an organization goes crazy posting, pinning, tweeting and 'gramming all over the place, they should first think about the following:

1.            Who is their audience?

2.            What is the information they want to convey or gather?

3.            How much time can they realistically give to their social media efforts?

Not all social media audiences are the same. If you're organization works with youth, Snapchat and Instagram are ideal, since their demographics run younger. If you are hoping to target parents or caregivers, Facebook is still king for the over 40 crowd (Greenwood & Perrin, 2016).  Secondly, what is your purpose? If your goal is to increase the number of women over 40 who receive preventative mammograms during the month of October, the information posted on social media should help support that goal. Content could include local providers of mammograms, financial assistance for the uninsured, breast cancer facts and statistics, even funny breast cancer awareness cartoons are strategic ways to reach your goal.

image source: https://me.me/t/breast-cancer-awareness-month?since=1475857216%2C2837962

Lastly, how much time can you really contribute to social media? Is realistic to think you will increase your Facebook following by 25% in one quarter, with only an hour two a week available for social media? (No, it's not). If you have lofty social media goals for your nonprofit, you need to be willing to prioritize the time and manpower to reach them. According to a survey from hubspot, most nonprofits still do not have a designated person to manage their social media presence. If that is the case in your organization, setting a realistic goals and expectations will prevent staff from being overwhelmed and frustrated. Perhaps increasing your Facebook following by 5% in a quarter is more realistic, if you only a  few hours to spare.

Social media is a fun way to connect with an audience, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a valuable and strategic communication tool. When used correctly by nonprofits, social media has the ability to stretch even the most shoestring budget into something rich and valuable.

References

Gherghita-Mihaila, D. (2016). How is social media influencing the way we communicate? Acta Universitatis Danubius, 74-83.

Greenwood, S., & Perrin, A. (2016, November 11). Social Media Update 2016 . Retrieved from Pew Reseach Center: http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update-2016/

Hernandez, E., Robles, M., & Martinez, J. (2013). Interactive youth and civic cultures: the educational, mediatic and political meaning of the 15M. Scientific Journal of Media Education , 59-67.

Johnston, A. (2017, July 24). A strategic guide to social media for nonprofits. Retrieved from Sprout Social : https://sproutsocial.com/insights/nonprofit-social-media-guide/