Oct 7, 2014 Social media is empowering, exciting, and intriguing, but it is also complex and requires a good strategy.
With the right intentions and a strong understanding of how social media plays a role in promoting a big event, nonprofits can gain a much stronger following and increase attendance significantly.
When starting with a social media strategy, there are various factors to take into account, but the most important thing to remember is the ability to share and spread news easily on social platforms. If followers have the right information and interesting visuals, nonprofits will be able to prompt followers to share event information and invite their own communities to attend.
The following are essential tips to successful social media promotion:
Tell a story
While people like to learn about the latest updates and volunteer opportunities at nonprofits, they also want to educate themselves on the history and story behind the cause, according to Digital Marketing Department.
Telling that story in a brief but informative manner and linking to website landing pages will be incredibly helpful for the majority of people who research the organization.
Take a creative yet educational approach to creating the written story and give followers plenty of opportunity to spread the word about the nonprofit across social platforms.
Invite to events on social sites
Facebook and LinkedIn offer great opportunities to schedule events and invite people online. When it comes to auctions, including photos of the items being auctioned off is a great idea and can get people excited for what is to come. You can even use your auction software to post updates on social media.
Followers can also ask their social communities to participate as well. This is online event promotion at its finest. If you can inspire your donors to reach out to their own networks about your nonprofit, you can grow your donor base and raise more money at the same time.
Start a creative hashtag for the event
Hashtags can be used across many social realms, including but not limited to:
- Facebook,
- Twitter,
- And Instagram.
Keep the hashtag simple and short, but creative and unique. It's important that organizations only use one hashtag per event, though, because more than one can be confusing and too much for followers to remember.
See the big picture
It's important to understand that social media is just one part of the overall event promotional strategy. While it is powerful, it is not to be solely relied upon. There are online and offline populations that need to be reached and a variety of marketing techniques should be employed.
Share with the community afterward
Promotion for events doesn't end when everyone goes home at the end of the night!
After the event, nonprofits need to:
- Post photos,
- Share a status of gratitude,
- And explain how supporting the cause makes a significant difference.
While the event may be over, the fundraising year is still in full swing, and more completed online donation forms even after the big night are still helpful.