Here's the adjectives I use to describe social media:
Ugly
Selfish
Disconnecting
Waste
Fake
Desperate
...you get the idea. Overall, I'm not a fan.
However...
You know and I know, that social media can be whatever you choose to make it. It can be:
Useful
Connecting
Uplifting
Good
And bottom line, for any non profit, social media is a very efficient way to reach your people.
This means you have to actually DO IT!! Since I don't know that much about the finer points of effective social media, I reached out to Stephanie Silver of Vine Collective. Because she does!
Stephanie is a marketing expert (like, been in the business for 20 years) and she was kind enough to share 5 tips for doing social media the right way. We even made a video to go with it!
In a nutshell, the 5 tips are:
Know your values and your voice clearly. Stay consistent…remember what you like isn’t necessarily what your customers like.
Pretend it’s a party conversation. You want to talk about yourself less than half of the time. The rest of the time ask questions, re-post content from high-profile, related profiles that are not competitors. Potential partners are great for 3rd party posts. No one wants to hear someone talk about themselves all the time.
Think of it as a conversation with your customers, not as social media. When your best customers walk into your store, what do they talk about? What are they interested in.
Spend a few minutes a day (or more every other day) looking at what time your customers are online and what they’re engaging with….do more of that. All the platforms do a pretty good job of give you some insight.
Show your people. Your customers and partners want to get to know your team personally. If it makes sense for your brand, show informal photos, preparations, research & development. Highlight employees, partners, and customers.