Friday, November 12, 2010

Social Media Tools for Non-profits

Does your organization use social media tools to market events or reach a wider audience? Does your agency have a Facebook profile, or a Twitter account? If you answered yes to one or both of those questions, you’re not alone! According to Tyler Olson from SMCPros, there are at least 500 million active members on facebook, and roughly 250 million people log into facebook daily. Simply put, your target market is on Facebook, but the question is, “how do you reach them?” Whether you’re seeking to increase awareness, donations, heighten engagement, expand membership, reach larger audiences or rouse excitement for your cause, social media tools are becoming an essential part of meeting your agency’s goals. The use of social media tools in the non-profit field is completely redefining the way we do business.

Watch the short video below that illustrates the forces shaping social media.


This video and others like it can be found on commoncraft.com.

What are your thoughts on the video you just watched? Do you know how to market your message to the appropriate audience? Do you have enough time to commit to social marketing on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn? When beginning, or trying to recreate your brand on any one of the social media tools mentioned consider the following:

Pick a social media project that will not take too much time
Record both successes and challenges
Ask or listen to the people you connect with about what worked and what did not
Watch other nonprofits and copy and/or remix their ideas for your next project
Engage followers by sharing highlights of your work, as well as posing probing questions

For information on how nonprofit organizations can use social media tools to power social networks for change, take a look at Beth Kanter’s blog, or you can read an insightful piece by Jennifer Mattern. There are so many resources at our fingertips, that all we have to do is disregard our lack of technological knowhow, and plunge into this exciting and rewarding new world!

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