Building a community of donors, members, advocates and volunteers within Facebook is an effective strategy for many nonprofits.
After all, interacting with supporters across multiple channels consistently proves to be more profitable – to generate higher revenue for your charity or association. And Facebook is a marvelous channel for cultivation, engagement, and for converting prospects into donors and members.
But how do you build your fan base?
How do you get people flocking to your Facebook business page?
Jo Barnes wrote a guest post on JeffBullas.com on how to get your first 1,000 fans on Facebook.
Within her 10 steps are examples which I think you’ll find helpful, so I encourage you to read the article.
But first, here are 10 steps to a larger Facebook community:
1. Make your page interesting
I know. Easier said than done. THE place to start is with your cover photo/image. Don’t be afraid to have a bit of fun. Often even serious missions have a bright side; or a lighter way to express the problem you want people to help solve.
2. Create content people want … that they really want
You need to test and find out what works best for your charity or association. To get started follow the guideline that in general, Facebook posts with higher engagement include …
– Photos
– Quotes (when appropriate; and it can be from someone well-known outside of your nonprofit as long as it relates to what your sharing)
– Infographics
3. Invite and tell all your friends
Get as many people as possible on your staff to invite folks in their networks to “like” your page. Leave no stone unturned.
4. Network
This refers to networking within Facebook. Comment on posts by complimentary nonprofits (perhaps not a direct competitor…not an org with essentially the same mission). Visit the Timelines of your Fans and comment on something they shared with their network. And use “Interest Lists” to keep track of your favorite pages and people.
5. Run contests
6. Host webinars
Don’t be quick to dismiss this even if you’re a charity. Think of a webinar as a visual progress report. Share a series of stories on the great things donors have helped make possible through their support. Storyboard this.
Associations can share a wide range of information to help their members. And although they’re typically 1-hour long I think you could test something shorter, especially if you’re a charity.
7. Run Facebook ads
Remember, only about 10-15% of your fans see your posts / updates within their news feed. You must do everything possible to increase the “reach” of your posts. Facebook ads are a good way to do that. You can set the budget and be quite specific on the demographic you want to reach. Test them!
8. Create interesting threads
This step was something I hadn’t thought about before. You could promote a 30-minute Q&A session where supporters type in a question and you answer it on the spot.
Or run a themed event during a set time on a given day. Ask members to share their favorite marketing book if your association has something to do with marketing or helping members build a business. An environmental group could have people share a photo of their favorite bird, animal, or park.
9. Add a Facebook “like” box to your website
Here’s the plugin to do this, https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/
10. Promote across channels
Ask supporters on your email list to come and “like” your Facebook page. Promote it within Twitter, direct mail, etc. Just remember to give them a good reason to do it.
Although she outlines ten steps don’t feel like you have to progress from 1 through number 10. Odds are that if you pick 2 or 3 you would get marvelous results.
However, it does take effort and most of all you must be consistent. Flash in the pan efforts won’t produce growth in your Facebook fan base. You may even drive people away because you’re not consistent in what you do and what you share.
Which one of the ten steps are you going to start on TODAY? Oh, and when you “like” my Facebook page you gain access to exclusive content. I invite you to “like” it now. (Big Smile)
Related posts:
Are social media results pure luck? Or strategic influence?
56+ Tips for Nonprofits on Facebook
And since Infographics often work well for Facebook updates, Cause Marketing and Nonprofit Infographics
Resources for this post:
Original article with the 10 steps, JeffBullas.com
