The First Step to Determining Your Nonprofit Social Media Strategy Is Picking the Right Channel

As you know, gone are the days where you can post a status or tweet a picture just when you feel like it. These days, the nonprofit industry and all industries for that matter must have a social media marketing plan in place with strategies and tactics to engage with their followers and ultimately influence them to donate.

You have to focus on the right social media channel for your industry, and right now, YouTube has been gaining traction in the nonprofit industry. This channel is a great way to drive donors to your ultimate call to action of donating. And the best part that brings music to your ears—it’s free.

Social Media Tips for Nonprofits

Back in 2010, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide came together with Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and found that most American’s first interaction with a nonprofit was not through social media. A mere 18 percent of respondents first became involved with a nonprofit because of their social media accounts.

So, what are we doing wrong? How do we best utilize our social media? According to the study, most nonprofit social media campaigns heavily focus on giving out information rather than fostering a dialogue and encouraging people to take action.

If you want to hit the ball out of the park with these two key points, add YouTube into your nonprofit social media strategy. Through YouTube, you can find your audience and connect with new audiences, converse with them, bring others into the conversation and drive them to take action.

Putting a Face to the Cause With YouTube

Today’s your lucky day because nonprofits and activism are one of the fastest growing categories on YouTube—it accounts for more than 4 billion views on the site. And your nonprofit can help get that view count up.

Create social challenges and encourage supporters to upload their own videos, like the viral Ice Bucket Challenge from the ALS Association. Implement contest marketing with video challenges and offer a grand prize. Share real stories of who you support to connect with donors on a personal level.

And the icing on the cake—YouTube has a donate button on the page that pushes donors to act immediately with an online donation rather than to navigate away from the webpage to your website.

Get out there, strategize, record, upload and help those who need it most.