How to Engage and Grow Your Nonprofit Social Media Audience
Social media engagement is crucial for building relationships, community and brand loyalty that takes your audience from passive viewers to active participants. Why?? Because at its core, social media is social. It’s an interactive, conversational medium and engagement is how you’re social, on social (media). When nonprofits start engaging with and talking to their audience instead of at their audience, true growth can happen. Here’s a little intro to social media engagement and how to get started!
First things, first, what even is engagement?
In the world of social media, the term ‘engagement’ refers to how you and your audience are interacting with each other. This includes liking, commenting, sharing, reposting, clicking links, etc. Ways you can engage can differ from platform to platform, so I broke it down for you:
*if you’re a seasoned social media user, you can skip this section*
Likes: Users can double-tap on a post or tap the heart icon to show approval.
Comments: Users can leave feedback or start conversations under posts.
Shares: Users can share posts to their stories or send them via direct messages.
Saves: Users can save posts to their collections for later reference.
Mentions: Users can tag other accounts in their posts or comments using the @ symbol.
Direct Messages (DMs): Private conversations between users.
Story Reactions: Users can react to stories by voting in polls, submitting questions, tapping sticker reactions, etc.
Story Replies: Users can respond directly to a story.
Live Video Interactions: Users can comment, like, and send reactions during live broadcasts.
Likes/Reactions: Users can like posts or choose from various reactions (love, haha, wow, sad, angry).
Comments: Users can leave feedback or start conversations under posts.
Shares: Users can share posts to their own feed, pages, or groups.
Mentions: Users can tag other accounts in their posts or comments using the @ symbol.
Direct Messages: Private conversations via Facebook Messenger.
Post Clicks: Users can click on links, photos, or videos within a post.
Page Follows: Users can follow a page to stay updated with their content.
Event RSVPs: Users can respond to event invitations and indicate their interest.
Likes: Users can like posts to show approval.
Comments: Users can leave feedback or start conversations under posts.
Shares: Users can share posts to their own feed or with specific connections.
Mentions: Users can tag other accounts in their posts or comments using the @ symbol.
Direct Messages: Private conversations between users.
Post Clicks: Users can click on links, photos, or videos within a post.
Connection Requests: Users can send requests to connect with others.
Endorsements: Users can endorse skills on other users' profiles.
Recommendations: Users can write recommendations for others, which appear on their profiles.
Event RSVPs: Users can respond to event invitations and indicate their interest.
How to engage
You know that one friend everyone hates? The one who you pour your soul out to and you only get crickets in response.
If you’re not regularly engaging with your audience on social media, you are that friend. All take, take, take and no give.
Don’t be that friend.
Be the bestie that can always be counted on to respond, to listen and to show up. Here’s how you can show up for your audience and be the friend everyone can’t wait to hear from:
Keep a constant eye on your inbox. Don’t let comments and messages go unanswered. If you want your audience to engage more with you (which they are doing, btw, by commenting and messaging you), you HAVE to respond. If you don’t, you’ll lose favor with your followers and they’ll stop interacting with your accounts. And who can blame them? If you’re not going to engage with them, why would they want to continue to engage with you?
Once your comments and DMs are covered, engage with your current audience, also known as “internal engagement.” Do this by interacting with those you follow in your feed. Like their posts, comment, especially if they ask questions your organization can answer or are striking up a conversation you should be a part of.
For example, a client of mine works to fight poverty and another local organization that fights food insecurity posted about the factors that lead to food insecurity, a topic well in the realm of an organization fighting poverty so we joined the conversation in the comments.
You should repost posts of those you follow that align with or support your cause, engage in stories by voting in polls, answering quizzes, submitting questions or opinions in response boxes. And you should always interact with and repost content from your partner organizations, if you have them. This will help you strengthen your relationship with your current audience and let them know you are there and you are responsive, the kind of friend they want to keep around.
If you use social media in your personal life, you already know how to engage because you’re most likely engaging amidst your daily social scrolls, just apply that to your nonprofit accounts. Internal engagement is crucial for strengthening your relationship with your current audience and building brand loyalty.
When you’ve got that down, it’s time to make new friends! Bring in new audience members by repeating the above actions, but with those outside your audience who you might not follow (yet) and who don’t follow you. This is often referred to as, “external engagement.” This type of engagement helps grow your audience and spread awareness of your organization and their mission.
How to implement
Start small, take 10 minutes a day to engage internally. Set a timer and your 10 minutes will be up quicker than you think! Gradually move up to 10 minutes of internal engagement, 10 minutes of external engagement and increase how many minutes you spend as necessary. A sweet spot to eventually get to is 30 minutes of engagement a day.
Don’t make your social media presence be a one-sided conversation. Make it a dynamic exchange that leaves your followers feeling valued and heard! Don’t want to do your own engagement? I do! Work with us for full-service management, strategy or limited content creation. Reach out here.
