Putting the "Social" Back in Social Media

Ding! It’s your cell phone’s notifications going off. Before you pick up the phone to check the notifications, you think - did your nonprofit page receive a comment on Facebook? Did someone on Instagram double tap your photo to like it? Is a video you posted on your organization’s LinkedIn page reaching numbers you thought weren’t possible? For a social media manager, or anyone working regularly in social media for an organization, all of these thoughts take place daily – even momentarily – as you sail through the vast social media waters.

The number one most important tip? Amplify your brand. Showcase your brand in everything you do on social media from the language you use in your post copy, to the images you use with your logo, to the time of day you publish your posts. But we’re not here to talk about when to post, how to get creative, what insights mean, and what hashtags to use and how many. We want to delve into putting the social back in social media. As much as someone can prepare content for that perfect social media post, it is just as important to connect and react to the posts of your followers, future followers, partners, supporters, and friends. If you focus solely on putting out content, or get lost in your social media content calendar, you can lose the whole purpose of why social media exists in the first place - to be social!

It’s Easy

Being social on your nonprofit’s social media page doesn’t take too much time and it makes a difference. In each social media platform where you have an account, go through your page’s newsfeed and like, comment, and share posts that you think are valuable and worthy of being seen in an algorithm. Support your partners and future followers. Write uplifting, short comments that don’t take much time and make a big impact. Repeat these socially kind behaviors on a daily or weekly basis. It becomes cyclical and you will see that the more social outreach you put out, the more comes right back to you.

Measurement

When we gather our own page insights (statistics), it’s not just about how far your post has reached people. It’s about the engagement the post has organically created. If someone comments on your page, comment back, even such as a simple: “Thank you!” If someone likes your posts, invite them to like your page and engage on their page. Be social. Be polite. Be friendly. Be engaging. Be supportive.

The bottom line is that we can all make social media a better and more helpful space if we engage kindly with one another. Remember, your nonprofit’s page is not just a platform for spewing out events and content. It’s a portal to connect to others to expand awareness for the greater good.