How to Have a Strong Social Media Presence

Guest post from DonorBox

Social media – can it really work for fundraising?

You have a fundraising campaign you want to execute. You realize you could reach a lot of people using social media. After all, having a strong presence online not only helps us reach more people, but it also helps us remain connected to our followers, letting them take part in any future campaigns that you would make.

The problem is you’re not sure how to perform a fundraising campaign using social media.

Social media tools can be confusing, especially if it’s your first time using them. Thankfully, taking advantage of them doesn’t need to be hard.

In this guide, we’ll talk about how you can develop a strong social media presence and how you can use this to deliver a successful fundraising campaign.

How Does Social Media Work?

Social media networks usually show content, such as posts and videos, that are close to the interests of its users. That means you must create a campaign that resonates with your target donors. Otherwise, you might not even appear on their timelines, leaving them oblivious of your cause.

The following tips will help you develop a strong social media presence and give your fundraising campaign an identity, which will allow receptive people to find it.

4 Tips for a Strong Social Media Presence

1. Create a Sound Digital Marketing Strategy

You’ll need to work to be visible out there. Having a clear goal in mind is one thing, but you also need to know how you’ll go about your campaign. Before starting, consider the following questions:

• What platform do I want to use?
• Who do I want to reach in this campaign?
• How will people donate to my campaign?
• What will I be posting on the campaign’s page, and how often?
• How will I engage with followers and keep them updated on the campaign?
• Will I use paid advertisements?

Remember that when making a digital marketing strategy for any social media campaign, it’s crucial to make donating as easy as possible. For example, you could accept donations from any currency. Knowing the way your donors prefer to pay ahead of time will also help you make your fundraising a success.

2. Tell a Story

Having a strong and compelling story helps convince people to support your cause. It also helps maintain their interest. Your followers would be interested in knowing how their donations helped in achieving the campaign’s goals. Use pictures that will capture the essence of the campaign.

Here are some traits of a compelling story:

• Relatable
• Emotionally driven
• Makes sparing use of facts
• Shows people facing challenges – and how support can help

Having a narrative encourages your followers to commit long-term. As they see the campaign develop, they become convinced that you’re using their donations for a good cause.

Pro tip: Be sure that when they’re ready to give continuously, your platform already has a membership program in place. You can create a customized annual membership form for your brand to make your membership process straightforward.

3. Be Consistent

One of the key reasons behind the success of many social media pages is their consistency. When you have a consistent stream of engaging and relatable content, it helps build your page’s credibility.

For your fundraising campaign, consistency means you’re delivering the same core message in all your posts. You also continually share the story you’re telling, so your followers know when to tune in for the next update. This way, you develop a habit for your followers. Consistency makes followers more involved with the campaign and more likely to donate regularly.

Lastly, consistency refers to your campaign’s ability to reach goals on time. Remember, if you’re consistent in delivering the promises of your campaign, your followers will also become more consistent in their donations.

4. Build Relationships and Trust

People usually take part in campaigns because they feel strongly about the campaign’s cause. That said, they don’t simply donate one time and end with that. They usually follow where the campaign leads to. Was it successful? Did it reach its goals? They want to know if you’re using their money for something worthwhile. In short, they form a relationship with the campaign.

There’s an enormous amount of trust required in building a relationship. Some small things help your campaign become more trustworthy, such as offering reliable and secure ways to donate and being completely transparent in how you’re using the funds.

You can also build a relationship with your audience by communicating with them regularly. Since you’re fundraising on a social media platform, you can easily make use of its social functions to engage with your audience. Reply to their comments, respond to messages, and even comment on their posts when they share yours—there are countless ways to make friends with your donors.

One benefit of building strong relationships with your donors is that it encourages them to donate more than they usually do. They become more involved with your campaign, so show them how much they’re helping.

Pro tip: Make sure your campaign is equipped with a tiering system to accommodate their desire to contribute more. This way, they are not only encouraged to donate more but they also feel their contribution has been acknowledged.

Rounding Things Up

These are just a few tips that could help you jumpstart your own social media-based fundraising campaign. Of course, there are other aspects of a campaign that affect its success. But making sure that you have a strong presence on social media would at least get your message across to more people.

To recap, you need to have a sound digital marketing strategy, tell a story, be consistent, and become trustworthy to build relationships.

Once your fundraising campaign takes off, your impactful social media presence will help you maintain the momentum. Because you have a captive audience who feels strongly about your cause, each successful campaign fuels the next. A continuous stream of fundraising campaigns is then possible, allowing you to reach goals in quick succession.

Guest Author

Raviraj is the director of growth at Donorbox. He is a digital strategist with over 5 years of experience. He is passionate about helping nonprofits with online fundraising. He enjoys playing badminton and travels the world when he’s not at work.

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Social media feature image by George Pagan III on Unsplash