We are in a communications revolution. The way people get messages, receive messages and make decisions are changing radically as social media and technology continue to push the parameters. Although this is an exciting time, it can also seem an exhausting time for overworked nonprofit leaders. Not only is the true marketing power of social media unknown to most, but also figuring out which goals, objectives and measurements will show ROI and success seems overwhelming. Moreover, not everyone will be excited to implement social media and few if any nonprofits are sitting with a boatload of cash ready to invest in something new, even if that new thing is a necessity.
Here are 8 tips to help nonprofit leaders move forward with integrating social media into their organizations:
1. Consider social media as a game changer. It is easy to look at social media as simply an add on to your current marketing and communications strategy, but this is a wrong perception. To be successful, start by recognizing that social media is an evolution of how we communicate, an essential part of the businesses and organizations that want to move forward in this new economy. Recognizing this, prioritize it as one of your most important tasks.
2. Approach social media with the respect it deserves. Recognize that social media is the beginning of major revolution in the way businesses will operate in the future. So this is the time to become strategic as an organization, making major fundamental organizational shifts in how you operate both now in the future. This is the time to pull out that strategic plan, dust it off and assess where you are, where you want to be, which things you are doing are effective, which are not, and how you will integrate this new way of doing business into your organization’s core planning.
3. Do not consider social media as a free resource. This is the first mistake made by many nonprofits and small businesses. They see the tools as free and therefore consider it a free alternative to traditional marketing. Social media tools may be free but there is a considerable amount of human capital required to make social media an effective tool for communicating. Simply adding social media to an existing workload will not be sufficient to accomplish any type of sustainable presence on social media platforms. You must dedicate financial resources to social media and learn how to use them effectively.
4. Educate yourself and all top-level leaders in your organization. Include board members, department heads and anyone else who is in a decision-making role. A great way to educate people is bring in an outside nonprofit consultant to teach the group about social media basics. What is social media? How is it affecting communications? What are the implications for business and nonprofits in the future? Why should they care about it now? It is not important that every leader is using social media, but it is important to get them to buy into the idea. A good presentation can accomplish that.
5. Get buy in from multiple people within the organization. Approaching social media as a singular item that doesn’t affect everyone is a great way to ensure failure. Involving multiple people in the discussions revolving around the messaging, tools and channels will help get everyone on board. Create a social media team consisting of people from all levels of the organization from volunteers, staff and Board members alike. Make sure you have one social media champion on this team to help drive the goals.
6. Hire a professional to help you create a social media strategy that will be specific to your organization. Many nonprofits have dipped their toes into the social media pool, but without a solid strategic plan the results will be disappointing. You need to be thinking about how to use social media to create community, advance your mission and grow support. To do this efficiently you need someone who understands social media as a whole and the tools specifically. It is also very important that you find someone who also understands nonprofits and how they work. Bring someone who straddles both worlds in to consult you and help you get things going. And realize that this plan is a working document that will change as time goes by, but will provide the structure and thinking required to be effective.
7. Give up control. Understand that this form of communication is not about controlling the message. This is what is so appealing about social media to the average person. They are no longer being lectured at, told what to think, what to buy, what to believe. Instead they are participating in a conversation about what they think, feel and care about. The job of any business is to be present, be part of the conversation, build community and create value. If the time and energy are strategically spent creating this community, others will help spread your message.
8. Recognize that nonprofit communications and fundraising is in essence everyone’s job. Many Nonprofits have specific people with these duties in their job titles, and who will be constantly reviewing, sending and spreading the message. But the organizations with future sustainability are those who recognize that all people who are involved in your nonprofit are messengers, fundraisers and communicators. As a nonprofit leader you are the one to set expectations for your employees and provide strategy, tools and training to help them spread the message. Your biggest advocates will be your employees, your volunteers and Board members. Get them involved whether it is with social media, letter writing or making strategic phone calls.
The more a nonprofit plans, prepares, builds strategy and shifts resources to accomplish the essential integration of social media into their organization, the more successful they will be. A bit overwhelming? Yes. But in the end with proper planning, positioning and implementation you will be ready because you will have become nimble, flexible and ready to move ahead.
What tips can you share for nonprofits from your experience with social media thus far? I would love to hear your thoughts below.