6 Common Pitfalls of a Nonprofit's Social Media Campaign

In this blog my aim will be to focus on multiple common pitfalls that nonprofits forget in everyday social media campaigns and shed light on them. This list is devised of personal experience from my nonprofit clients I have worked with throughout college as well as my research I've conducted from a multitude of articles and nonprofit testimonials. Although there are numerous mistakes that could be pointed, these 6 I felt needed to be brought to the table. 

1. Using only social media account to target your audience 

As nonprofit social media beginners, how do you decide which social media is the best for your audience? How do you decide how many and which ones you should create accounts on? These questions are going to be specific to your brand and the social media behavior of your target audience. However, I think it's important to note that your audience is spread out on more than one social media account and its essential that you connect with them on different platforms. You are going to be able to reach and connect with your audiences in different ways depending on the social media. Facebook and Twitter present a great way to share short updates about your brand. Flickr and Slideshare allow you to connect with pictures and blogs allow you to create meaningful content that adds value to your community. The list is endless. The point is that you  need to understand how your audience behaviors and interacts on social media and then join the conversation.


2. Link Wheel: not linking all your social media accounts to your brand platform

If you take nothing else from this blog, please remember the most important thing in every social media campaign is to link your social media accounts to your website; creating what's called a link wheel. If your audience is directed to one social site, they should be easily connected to every social media platform controlled by your brand. When visiting your blog, Facebook page, or website, a visitor should see links to all your accounts at the top of each account in order to ensure easy access. 


3. Use an appropriate avatar to represent your social identity

A social media avatar (profile picture) is in an important representation of your social identity. It should convey the tone and message of your brand. It's important that the same or similar avatar is used across all social media accounts to convey a consistent identity for your brand. Your audience will associate this profile picture with your brand, therefore, it's important that your avatar is unique and representative. For more tips on creating the perfect avatar for your nonprofit social media platform visit the following link. (9 Tips for Choosing a Social Media Avatar)



4. Posting more than one status update a day on Facebook

I was intrigued with this next tip. The key to social media is having a presence and engaging your audience. However- I have found this pitfall spread across numerous websites/articles. Businesses who post more than one status update on Facebook a day are found to annoy its audiences. Nonprofit Tech for Good recommends that in order to avoid being hidden on your follower's news feeds, post no more than 1-2 statuses on Facebook (www.nptechforgood.com) If your nonprofit brand has any insight into this tip, I would love to hear back from you on how many posts a day on Facebook works for your target audience.

5. Storytelling vs. Content Marketing

Marketing is storytelling. People have been told this time and time again. It's the implementation of this concept we struggle with. Social media marketing is not about marketing your brand. It's about the people. This isn't the case of "build it and they will come." You need to engage in storytelling to inspire, engage and interact with your audience. Meaning no boring, cliche content marketing. "Check out our pictures on Flickr" "Like us on Facebook" posts aren't going to cut it. That doesn't elicit engagement- which doesn't lead to earned media. Sharing meaningful stories that engage your audience with your brand is how people connect. 

6. Blogging

Blogging is a small thing that not very many nonprofits are adding to their social profiles. Yet its one of the essentials. Blogging is a way to build a connection for a brand's audience. Whether it's content concerning the blog or related topics, it's important that your brand establishes a blog to create content and engage their audience. Once you've created a blog, you can then link back to your website to further the relationship and sharing of information.  The blog is not only designed to create meaningful content that adds value to your communities, but it will also build your networking on connected social media accounts. Blogging is the icing on the top of the cake to every social media campaign. 

@Hidden Cash becoming the next Social Media Phenomenon for Nonprofits

How do YOU pay it forward? Have you ever thought of using social media? If not, Twitter has a new handle on giving back at @HiddenCash that allows anyone in any area to connect and give back to their community. 

Paying it forward is one phrase that we are all familiar with, but how often do we see it happen? Every once in a blue moon we hear of a shared story on Facebook or Twitter where an older couple paid for the meal of a young family explaining how they've been in their shoes. It's a wonderful gesture that gives us butterflies. Well according to recent news sources and social media articles, this may be an upcoming phenomenon giving all people the chance to participate and pay it forward on Twitter.

@HiddenCash is twitter page that was started by Jason Buzi in May of 2014 as a way of creating "social experience for good." So how does it work? It's simple and engaging. Using the account to tweet clues, followers are led on a scavenger hunt to various locations in a specific area. The clues lead to money placed in a jar or envelope. The only criteria of the game is that you tweet a picture to the @HiddenCash twitter account and then use the money to pay it forward to other people you come across in your own life. Sounds meaningful, right?

The point is to give back the community and bring people together. Funny. That sounds like the same goal of a nonprofit organization doesn't it? Why not bring the two together? @HiddenCash could be the next solution to an awareness campaign for any nonprofit organization. Either using the @HiddenCash page or creating a similar act on your own twitter account, nonprofits could utilize this tool and have people post their picture on the brand's twitter page to gain awareness as well as spread the community love. Money or giving out specific random acts of kindness to be completed are two ideas that could be used inside this campaign.

Social media brand awareness is important, but it becomes even more of an impact when we involve the awareness of paying it forward and benefiting people in our communities. What a great way to accomplish positive goals. 

To view the @HiddenCash twitter page: 

@HiddenCash Twitter Page

To read more news articles about @HiddenCash:

http://www.wggb.com/2014/05/27/millionaire-giving-away-thousands-through-hidden-cash-game/

HOW TO: Add the "Donate Now" Button to a Nonprofit Facebook Page

What began as a temporary means to help increase funding for the typhoon Haiyan in 2013 turned into a social media resource that has benefited a multitude of nonprofit organizations, crises, and philanthropic causes. 

"Donate also gives nonprofits an easier way to reach out and ask for help, both to support their everyday mission and in the wake of major disasters. And, with a community of over one billion people on Facebook, every local cause can become a global one — and every global cause can become a personal movement."-says Facebook Newsroom (Source: Facebook Newsroom)

So how does a nonprofit go about adding a "donate now" button? Here are a list of steps. 

1. The first step is to create a Facebook "fan page." To do this, click on the "sign up" button on the front page of Facebook.com linked here (https://www.facebook.com/) Facebook will give you the option to create a page for a person, celebrity, business, cause, community, organization etc. Select the type that best identifies with your organization.

2. In order to install the donate now button your Facebook page, you must fill out an application. The donate button is sponsored by an organization called First Giving.  In the Facebook search bar at the top of the page, search "donation button application." 

Note: First Giving is an organization that collects the data and donations for the nonprofit organization and administers the donations to the charity at the end of the month. 

3. Once you've fill out the application, search for your organization under the creator application page and you will be given the option to "Install on Facebook Page" and the donate button will appear on the tab bar of your page along with your pictures  and about tabs. 

4. Once you've downloaded and installed the button, you will be given the opportunity to edit the button by clicking on it. Select "edit donate settings" and you will be given customization options included the opportunity to change the name of the button text. Instead of "Donate Now", a nonprofit organization could change the button to read "Support Us", "Donate to this Specific Cause", "Help our Mission", "Make a Difference" etc. 

When a person clicks on the donate now button, they will be given pre-set dollar amounts or given the option to type in their own amount they are willing to donate. Money can be donated using a credit card or a PayPal account. 

Now we come to the question, why should a nonprofit install the donate now button? Statistics show that 55 percent of people who have interacted via social media with a nonprofit are motivated to take future action with the nonprofit-this includes monetary donations. (Waggner Edstrom). As consumer behavior psychologists show us, past behavior predicts future behavior. Also,  $59 is the average donation given through social media channels. (MDG Advertising). 

"80% of Success is about Showing Up..."

"80% of success is about showing up"-Woody Allen

A wise man once stated this quote above, not knowing this would be the key to every successful organization's social media strategy. If showing up is 80 percent of the package, then I believe the other 20 percent is about creating content that is new, unique, relevant, contagious, inspiring and meaningful to your select targeted audience. But how do you know what content to create and share if you're not part of the conversation?

The world is run by those who show up and engage in the conversation. As a nonprofit, the key element  is responding to your followers. A measurement of followers only goes so far on the success scale. It's how you respond and interact with those followers that builds your name. By using tools such as the popular hash tags of the week to relate to your brand and get involved with people is the means to success. Engaging in conversations about popular topics, events and current news increases your interactions and number of followers. Then responding to people about your products and brand and questions or concerns they have---this is how you "show up" on social media. Today many people are using social media accounts as a means of "customer service." This is a great option to open up with your supporters and show people how your helping and solving concerns. 

I have to give a kudos out to Washington Dentistry's social media engagement. Within a day after I began following their twitter account, I received a direct message. (Featured below). 

Immediately thanking your followers for their support builds brand recognition. But not stopping there, they asked a question to engage in dialogue with me, a potential future customer. This is called lead nurturing because I may choose to use their services in the future because they showed interest in me. More nonprofit organizations need to "show up" to their twitter and Facebook accounts and interact with their supporters. Using questions in direct messages or posts on social accounts elicits a direct response. Another way would be posting about a call to action or incentive. I can't recall what nonprofit organization utilized this tool, but I remember seeing a tweet about a free online gift card to the first number people who attended an event and tweeted five times throughout the experience. It becomes a challenge and incentive for your followers and it influences the impression of your brand. 

Many organizations create profiles on social media accounts and focus on only increasing followers. They don't follow through with the "show up" part. They don't engage in interactions with their followers, answer questions/concerns, direct message, etc. etc.  I guess in other words- they take no time to make their brand awareness known. People like to be reminded that the brands they support care about them and in order to do this- you need to be part of their lives. A brand needs to interact, engage and "show up" on social media. 

Email Marketing is NOT Dead

We are living in the digital age. That being said, not everything promoted electronically is a new technique developed in this age. As a college student, I am constantly working to learn (as well as keep up) with new social apps, new digital techniques and software, new social medias etc. I was secretly worried when I started my internship at the Y this summer that I wasn't going to be up-to-date on the new digital marketing technique or social media for instance, that came out last week that I am expected to be proficient in (since I grew up and live in this generation and seems as though new technology is released as soon as I master one). To my surprise, the Y used an old form of marketing called "e-newsletters." To my sister, this is ancient and she wouldn't even know how to write one, let alone recognize an electronic newsletter. But it was refreshing to me. Even more so because it was a huge marketing success for the communications department. I was intrigued. I have to admit I have never written an e-newsletter before so I was excited to use email marketing via a newsletter.

After completing this internship and delving into further research about e-newsletters, I find that it is a small form of marketing that every nonprofit should be conducting. This does not require any formal campaign, budget or marketing team. It's a simple way to connect with your audience. I have been encouraging other clients to utilize this "old-fashioned" form of communication that is still relevant in today's digital society. Many people subscribe to newsletters for a multitude of reasons. The most common being a form of communication that keeps the member of the nonprofit organization or brand in the loop with current news that is happening inside the organization. It's a simple email explaining what's up. Often times, newsletters include pictures of its members. This is a great way to connect with your audience members.

The Y I interned for sent a monthly newsletter. I would recommend this because it's enough to keep your members informed of your programs and events for the upcoming month, but it doesn't overwhelm their email box and annoy them. The last thing you, as a nonprofit, want is to increase your bounce rate or find yourself in the spam folder.

According to an article I found that is attached here (Email Marketing Benchmarks by Industry), the nonprofit industry has an newsletter open rate of 25.12 percent. Meaning that a quarter of your audience is connected and communicates with your brand through the content of email marketing. This is significant in terms of free advertising. I think it's important for nonprofit organizations to conduct quarterly or monthly e-newsletters because many people see this as a form of a newspaper. People care about their community and who supports a community's wellbeing better than a local nonprofit? People come to the newsletter to see pictures and stories of their neighbors and community involved in organization that does outstanding deeds for the people they care about. Its a way to share events, feature community members, get people informed and involved and or simply a way to let them know the difference they made through last month's donation.

When I interned for the Y, we used a service called "Constant Contact" to create the layout of the newsletter.  I've inserted the link for any of you interested in using this paid service (Constant Contact). Constant Contact was a great resource because it kept your format and you could easily update dates and stories each month. Although it isn't free to use their layouts, it is an effective website for anyone in the beginning stages of putting together layouts and newsletters. There are other free websites or Microsoft offers free newsletter templates to use as a means to keep the newsletter completely free.

I will finish off this blog with a few reminders when creating and sending a newsletter. First, don't underestimate the power of the subject headline. It leads to your success or death (via spam folder). Make sure your email subject line is short, vague, to-the-point, and you don't sound like a marketing ad. The point of the e-newsletter is to market your name without making your audience feel as though they are being marketed to or scammed. Again, as I've stated in my previous blog, all marketing is, is story-telling. Your email subject line needs to tell your story and simply what is in your newsletter.

Again, limit the number of newsletters sent weekly/monthly etc. It's a free form of advertising and I have read stories where organizations take this to the max to inform their audience of every event coming up. Once a month is a happy number that won't push your readers to the "unsubscribe" button.

People care about what is happening in their communities and e-newsletters are a great form of free advertising that connects readers with nonprofit organizations.

Analysis of Ryan Moore's 22 Brilliant Social Media Marketing Tips

Below is a link to a YouTube video provided by Ryan Moore. He is the commentator to this powerpoint video and gives his 22 tips for any company or person trying to market using social media. Please watch this video before reading my analysis of his powerful tips. 

22 Brilliant Social Media Marketing Tips (Youtube)

I want to take a minute to analyze a few of the powerful tips that were shared within this video and just reiterate the importance placed on them. The first tip that was shared with us, in my mind, is a great place to start-especially for any company not currently using any type of social media marketing. Every company, every nonprofit, every social media marketer should be blogging. Weekly. Blogging opens up the door to social media in a different way than say, Facebook or Twitter. There are hundreds of social media accounts active right now, but often times customers want to connect with their brands through blogs, whether it be about a product, an event or personal. The tip shared gave specific instructions to only publish content that is relative to your target audience. I do agree that content needs to be meaningful and relevant, but I want to expand on this tip. A blog doesn't necessarily have only be about a company's product week after week. This gets old. Expand on news, current events within the company or community. The goal of content marketing is not about broadcasting your products, but rather, it's about sharing useful content to make people aware of your brand/name existence. There are a multitude of nonprofit organizations that exist in one small city, let alone a geographic region or state. Blogging is a way to get your name on the books and get people involved in your brand. Blogs are something easy to share on social media sites when you have nothing else to say.

Also, I want to further include one of the best types of blogs. Many of you may have noticed the increased presence of list blogs that have been popping up in everyone's feed. Top # lists create curiosity for who is at the top of the list, even if you have no experience or interest in the theme. Curiosity to find out #1 draws in different audience segments. These are simple types of blogs for nonprofits to begin blogging. For example: Top 10 ways to get involved in the Halloween 5k this October. Top 20 influential nonprofits on Twitter. List blogs are quick and easy read for a society that is constantly on the go. I don't know about you, but my schedule does not allow any time for a 10 page article discussion. Lists share information in a quick manor and intrigue all readers.

The third tip that is discussed is the point of social media. Moore explains "the whole point of social media is not to make money immediately. The whole point is to actually gain a lot of people's trust." Having the choice between 1 million followers who trust and advocate for your brand is better than having 1 million dollars in the bank.

Again, I have to agree. It's all about the followers. Having a multitude of people to back up the support for your brand is worth more than money can buy. Consumer perception is a big topic that is always covered in every advertising and promotion course. That's because it's powerful. If your brand is number one on the perception map- the possibilities are endless. It doesn't matter how much you price your product, your fans are going to buy and support the line. Having people following your brand and out there spreading the word about your name and products is going to do more than a marketing campaign could achieve. Any PR practitioner knows- there is nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth.

Tip #5 is an interesting one. At first you would think- it doesn't matter how often I blog. I just need to include relevant content. If it takes me three weeks to publish the best blog then it won't matter because my fans will love this blog. Well, there's more to it. I am only going to come to a blog spot a few times before I give up checking in. If you take three weeks to post a blog- I may have given up on your blog by then. It's important that a blogging schedule is established. If a reader comes back for another juicy blog and they don't find one- it's only going to happen a few more times before they stop coming back altogether. Make it relevant and TIMELY.

Every marketer knows that a successful marketing campaign tells a story. Storytelling is a huge part of our culture and it's a way that we communicate with each other. Therefore, our products have to tell a story and communicate with its audiences. The next tip shared--"think of marketing as storytelling and your customers as your characters," is one of the main reasons that social media took off. Interaction between client and customer was advanced. You no longer had to wait 25 minutes on a customer service line only to be redirected three more times to speak with a representative about your problem. Social media is instant interaction with your brand and vise versa.

Tip #10-I agree that it's important your brand doesn't share any vague or negative tweets, but in light of this tip, I think its important to share personal tweets and connect with your audience. If your tweet history is a list of product updates, you will never make the interpersonal connection with your followers.

Tip #12-the medium isn't the message-- is correct. As explained, a brand needs to utilize the social medium that best connects with their audience and is the best use for their company. That being said, the medium does define the message though. A message shared on twitter is going to more vague than the message shared on your blog or the picture on your Pintrest or Flickr page. Your medium must not only suit your audience, but also the content of your message.

As a PR major, we learn that tip #14 generates the most impact. A key influencer is your word-of-mouth campaign. AND might I add- a free marketing campaign that generates results sometimes better than a paid media form. A person who advocates for your brand attracts other advocates and creates chain reactions. A community influencer is a powerful tool that should be used as a resource for any type of campaign. The goal of social media is to build more key influencers and attract more followers. As stated previously, the point is to turn your brand into not only a name on a TV advertisement, but a relationship that the consumer has with your brand.