5 Ways to Improve Your NGO Social Marketing Strategy

Having a website is not enough if you want to make the most out of the opportunities available to your NGO online. You need a comprehensive social marketing strategy to run alongside your current SEO strategy. Nowadays search bots emphasize shared content and social reviews in their algorithmic search functions. Having an attractive and engaging social profile on multiple platforms will ensure that your NGO gets the exposure it needs online.rnSo, how do you create your strategy and how do you pull it all together? The process of building a strategy and a team to get you results are not that complicated. Here are five tips that you can use to create an online social marketing strategy that brings results. #1 Keep an Eye on Developing TrendsrnDo you know your audience? Have you completed a thorough audit on all of your social accounts? If not, this is the place to start. Begin by reviewing all of your followers and followings. Remove any spam accounts and make sure that you are following all your authority accounts and industry influencers that are in your network. rnOnce you have got your accounts cleaned up, it’s time to pay attention to what your audience and followers are talking about on their social platforms. What are the popular, current trends that they are following? You can use a software tool such as ‘Websta’ to analyze the top trending hashtags in your niche across all platforms. Take this data and apply it to your campaigns. Ride out the hashtag wave and take part in all the engagement you can. #2 Use the Shock Factor to Increase ReachrnShock factor is a sensitive subject to marketers in the NGO space. Many experts in the field of online marketing prefer to shy away from using shock-factor content in their marketing strategy. They state that this sort of material creates a negative image around the NGO’s brand, reducing the impact of the content and user engagement. However, some experts say that it adds value to a marketing campaign., provided that it is used only on occasion and is not overly offensive. #3 Reach Out to InfluencersrnInfluencer accounts on social platforms can be a valuable asset to your social marketing strategy. Industry influencers are social media celebrities that have social followings in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dedicated fans. You can reach out to these influencers and engage in their conversations before promoting your cause. Celebrities are much more likely to help a non-profit brand with a retweet or repost if they feel it is a good NGO with a viable cause and mission. #4 A Picture Says a Thousand WordsrnCreating attractive and shared content is all about giving your audience valuable information in a short space of time. Creating posts that are lengthy and contain lots of text are not likely to fill the criteria of a viral post. However, infographics offer an ingenious way to convey vital points, facts, and statistics to your audience while mixing in compelling images to match the text. #5 Boost Your Efforts OnlinernMore of your marketing budget should go toward your online marketing strategy. Try to cut down on other areas of your outdoor or offline marketing and allocate it to your social media strategy. Once you have completed your due diligence on your audience, purchased the tools you need to analyze the activity on the platforms, and contacted industry influencers, it’s time to link up with a professional team that can consistently execute your social media strategy for you. rnIf you can’t afford to hire a permanent staff member to handle your social tasks, then consider working with an outsourcing firm that has plenty of experience in online marketing activities and can offer value such as providing tips to finding donors for a monthly giving program andmanaging other critical components of your social marketing campaigns. rnIn ClosingrnTake advantage of the social era of marketing and provide your core audience with compelling content that drives your mission and creates engagement with your cause. Planning a successful strategy is as easy as knowing your audience, collecting data and then working with professionals to make it a reality. Social media has given a voice to those NGO’s that thought they were lost in the ether of obscurity; it allows any organization an equal footing to get the exposure they deserve and further their mission.