Beginner’s Guide to Non-Profit Social Media Management

Management of social media is critical for any organization operating in the digital age. Successful social media management does benefit for-profit brands, but there are some benefits that are unique to non-profit organizations. Using social media can be a cost-effective approach for Non-profits to increase visibility, engagement, volunteers, and even increase donations without needing a bloated budget.

The most effective platforms at the time of writing this are Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Though now Tik-Tok is becoming a useful platform for brands. Though regardless of which platform you choose to use, they should all be continuously managed and maintained.

Though you do not need to be an expert in social media management to achieve these goals. There are many things anyone can do to enhance engagement, generate more donations to your organization, and establish a greater community of engaged followers. These steps can range from using advanced, yet free tools to applying strategies and tactics that can work for your organization. Below we will discuss and go over some of these budget-friendly tools and tactics/

Best Budget-Friendly Tools and Resources

There is no need to spend a lot of money on social media management tools in order to be successful and efficient. While many social media management solutions are costly, there are a number of free or low-cost alternatives that might be handy. More information on some of the best social media management tools for Non-profits can be found below.

1. HootSuite
   
   HootSuite, one of the most popular social media management services, features a free edition that allows you to manage up to three distinct social media profiles at the same time, from the same or alternative social media sites. You could plan and schedule up to 30 social media posts in advance for any profile you connect. HootSuite’s dashboard is another incredible resource. It allows you to keep track of specific social media sites or components of social media sites. You can create a segment that informs you whenever someone on Twitter mentions your company, a specific keyword, or a hashtag you choose. You may also see the homepages of your social network accounts next to each other.
2. Buffer
   
   Buffer not only has a blog full of useful tips and information, but they also have tools built into their platform to make scheduling as easy as possible. They offer a browser plugin that allows you to rapidly save any content you come across to reshare or utilize later, and they also have a feature that allows you to retweet content on Twitter in a more balanced way by spreading retweets over the day rather than all at once. Buffer’s Individual plan is free for up to one person, however, connecting to Pinterest and adding more team members costs an upgrade. Fortunately, they offer a 50% non-profit discount on all of their plans to licensed non-profits
3. SocialOomph
   
   SocialOomph is another free website with a plethora of neat features. Although the free version only allows you to connect with Twitter, you will have access to all of Twitter’s capabilities, including the ability to schedule an unlimited amount of Tweets, check direct messages, track keywords, and so on. This platform could also prove beneficial to a company that wants to increase its Twitter engagement. Other social network accounts can be linked to SocialOomph, but you’ll have to pay a monthly subscription fee to do so.

 

Also Rad: Communication Software that all Organizations Should Use

 

Strategies and Tactics

Along with using different apps, tools, and websites to manage social media, it’s also crucial to use a variety of strategies, tactics, and techniques. Here are some of the key areas to focus on.

• Don’t Ignore the visuals
  Visuals are vital, yet often ignored, a component of successful social media management. It has been proven time and time again that imagery-rich content, articles, and blogs perform better. Adding pictures to Tweets increases click-throughs by 18 percent, retweets by 150 percent, and likes by 89 percent on Twitter alone! The good news is that getting graphics for your content doesn’t require hiring a professional graphic designer. There are numerous websites that provide free stock photographs, as well as services that allow you to develop visuals for free, such as Canva (my personal go-to for graphics)
• Stay Consistent
  It can be difficult to maintain consistency on social media, which is why some of the services, platforms, and websites described earlier can help. With the correct tools, posting and sharing material may be a lot easier, and it offers a lot of advantages. According to studies, companies who are constant in advertising their brand are seeing a 33 percent gain in revenue! It’s also vital to strike a balance between sharing too much and not enough content.
• Always be Analyzing and Adapting
  Along with implementing a variety of strategies and tactics, make sure to regularly analyze your posts, campaigns, and interactions to see what you can be doing better. Whether you decide to use software to help analyze your content for you or look into your insights yourself, measuring the effectiveness of what you are doing will allow you to adapt your strategies and improve your social media outcomes. Being mindful of your audience demographics, responses to past campaigns, and overall trends in your sector can help you improve your overall social media management strategy.
• Building Engagement
  Another thing to keep in mind is to emphasize user engagement in order to develop a loyal following, increase engagement, and establish positive relationships with your audience. Resharing user-generated content, reacting and replying to comments and messages, and engaging your target audience in your posts are all ways to accomplish this. Polls, fun to answer questions, and other features can help you create and nurture relationships over social media.

Remember, even content that does not perform as well as you would have liked can be helpful. Failed campaigns or content can teach you what does and doesn’t work, and how to post better content in the future.