Adapt or Die: A Fundraiser’s Guide to Social Media
The success of social media is tried and tested - it’s not just something you should look into, it’s a medium you HAVE to embrace.
Nowadays if we can’t access it on our smartphone, we ain’t buying it!
We monitor our bank account, order our groceries and keep up with all the latest news, all on our phones. Smartphone living is something we’re all fast getting accustomed to and charities need to be aware of this.
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The tech savvy generation are now coming of age, making the effective use of modern communications technologies an adapt-or-die issue for charities.
The public have always responded to well-placed campaigns, and technology allows them to respond en masse. As this younger generation aren’t the typical charity demographic they are an untapped market, and as recent viral campaigns have proved, they aren’t clutching their purse strings too tightly. Promoting your charity via Facebook or Twitter gives you instant contact with thousands of potential donors. Really, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be embracing social media.
The wonder of social media is that it provides organisations with a free advertising platform. Corporate brands utilise this everyday - so why shouldn’t charities?
www.anthonynolan.org
It’s quick, easy and effective. Through your social media you can instantly connect with a huge audience, who have already expressed interest in your cause. You can drive your brand awareness, and by adding a simple means of donating, such as SMS. Social media is made up of users sharing their interests and activities with their online friends, a easy-to-use call to action means that you will be ready should your supporters decide to raise money on your behalf.
Earlier this year UK based blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan began to make the most of their web presence. They redesigned their website to make it compatible with mobile, because of this they have seen a 29% increase in traffic through their website and an 8% rise in their conversion rate. Their website saw a 34% increase in unique users - that’s people that have never before visited their website, or expressed interest in their cause, that were enticed to know more just because it was presented to them in an easy-to-use way.
HOW CAN YOU ADAPT:
PRIORITISE: Make digital / mobile a part of your fundraising plan for the year, not just an add-on to other campaigns.
SCHEDULE: Schedule regular posts to keep your followers’ attention, make sure these posts are always relevant to your cause.
PLAN: Plan your content: what you put up on social media can be anything from an interesting writing piece, information on campaigns or even funny pictures (once they are in some way relevant!), anything that your supporters will be interested in and will want to engage with.
CALL TO ACTION: Always give your audience a means to donate / volunteer or find out more.
Social media can be an extremely powerful tool, if you use it wisely.