Engage your fans through Social media

The rise of social media has changed the way people process information. They want to be more engaged and become a part of social conversation. Your organization’s fan and supporters expect to hear your ‘voice’. Consider your experience as a student in the college listening to the professor talking for two hours in a lecture hall full of students. You can also recall your experience working in a smaller group discussing various topics with your co-learners. I am sure the smaller class which gave you an opportunity to actively engaged in talking, thinking and discussing must have been more fruitful. It is very obvious that people learn when they are engaged and feel connected with each other.

Social media can foster a better dialogue between your organization and your followers and between your followers and one another. Writing and commenting on your own post/article is an effective way to engage readers. An organization must create and develop conversation with its followers to build a stronger relationship. A few thoughtful comments can certainly go a long way. Comments are a great way to build relationships and advance discussions. Comments can offer valuable information/ opinion thus, naturally encourage traffic to your site/blog.

Once your organization posts something on any social media platform, ask readers to leave a comment or share their ideas/views to get the conversation started. It may take some time to foster an online social community. It takes commitment and focus to connect with people. In case you don’t receive a comment for a while ask people within the organization to start the conversation.

There are few things to keep in mind while engaging your followers:

• Respond to as many comments as you reasonably can because there may be many recurring questions or reactions.  . 

• Don’t be robotic or mechanical! Comment should add to the conversation and expand the narrative.

• Leave a thoughtful and insightful comment.

• Don’t forget to mention your name, email address, and link.

• Welcome divergent opinions. People might not agree with you or lead to different conclusion.

• Never add any negative comment. Carefully regulate your  ‘speech’ making sure it meets the legal guidelines.

Network for a Good Cause- Why do NPOs need Social Media

Over 47% of Non Profits organizations are utilizing the potential of Social Media for reaching out and engaging their supporters. This can be a new way to advertise your NPO as well! Major brands across the world spend millions of dollars annually to attract consumers and raise awareness of the services/products they offer. But, NPOs don’t have the benefit of heavy media budgets so they have to have other metrics to increase participation and raise funds. Social Media has a power to increase visibility and reputation of your NPO while fostering a positive feeling among its fans. It will attract more and long term donors and extend your cause to the world.

With proper planning and comprehensive social media strategies, NPOs can attract community and gain support. Social media can help turn your fans into supporters. Social media provides an opportunity to connect with people at personal and professional level. It will help you cultivate a trustworthy relationship with your fans and thus, receiving more donations and many more volunteers.

Social media sites offer a convenient way to have a  dialogue between people and organizations. The comments section in blogs, facebook or other similar sites offer a place to have a two way communication and collaboration among readers. The biggest advantage is that supporters and fans have a direct access to you. They can email, comment or donate directly. Panepento said that “In fact, the low cost of [social media] tools gives nonprofit leaders an incentive—since they can reach out to potential donors and volunteers without having to pay for direct mailings, advertising, or phone calls”(2009). There are many social sites in this cyber world those are totally free. Take a look at the  most commonly-used social media:

Blog: Blogger, wordpress, typePad,

Social Networks: Facebook, MySpace, Snapchat, LinkedIn,Google+

Microblogs: Twitter

Video sharing:Youtube, vimeo,

Bookmarking sites: Stumbleupon, pinterest, delicious

Photo Sharing: Instagram,Flickr

Social News: Reddit, Digg, PopURLs

Additionally, there is a wide range of other resources such as webnairs, live sessions, hangouts and live QA sessions.

You might find it overwhelming to find that every time time you turn around you see yet another social media app is being launched and gaining popularity. NPOs need to focus on engagement and strategies implementation that bring donors and help in fundraising. It is a challenge to choose the correct social media platform for your organization and utilize it to inform and mobilize members. Effective and appropriate use of these tools depends on knowledge and dedication  of specific personnel who is explicitly responsible for social media communications.

I will discuss the benefits of using Social media for NPOs in my next article. 

Reference:

Panepento, P. (2008). Driven crazy by direct mail. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved

from http://philanthropy.com/blogPost/Driven-Crazy-by-Direct-Mail/9688/