You know you should be tweeting, posting, sharing, and engaging. But are you entirely sure who’s on the other end of all your nonprofit’s social media marketing efforts?
The truth is, most nonprofits run wildly into the light, hoping their ideal donor, volunteer, or otherwise constituent is on the other side eagerly awaiting their arrival. However, a much more effective and methodic approach to social media marketing is defining before hand exactly who you’re looking to target, and how.
According to ongoing research being conducted by Pew Research Center, 74% of adults who are online are actively using social media networks. By those statistics, your target audience is almost certainly out there. But how do you find them?
Here are 4 ways you can start going about identifying, targeting, and engaging with your target audience on social media networks.
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Choose the right social channel
Not all social media channels are alike. Each comes with its own niches, audiences, uses, strengths, and weaknesses. However, each one can play an integral role in ensuring your nonprofit’s social media strategy is touching all four corners of your plan.
If you’re looking to reach middle aged, male, professionals aged 30-45, you probably wouldn’t go looking on Pinterest. LinkedIn would be your best bet there. -
Don’t believe the myths
There’s a prevailing myth that should be dispelled right here and now that Baby Boomers do not use social media. Stop thinking that. Right now.
According to that same Pew research data, 46% of individuals on the Internet aged 65+ used some kind of social media. -
Think like your audience
Before even crafting your very first tweet, stop and think about exactly how your target audience is using that social network. For example, if they’re on Twitter, they’re probably looking for some kind of quick bite of information. Whereas if they’re on LinkedIn, they might be more inclined to follow a link and read a longer form piece of content. Think about how you use each social network, then extrapolate that into considering your target audience.
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Get buyer personas
You might be thinking to yourself right about now “Hey, wait a minute! my nonprofit doesn’t sell anything, why do I need buyer personas?”
The truth is, the practice of brainstorming, mapping, defining and refining buyer personas is one of the best practices a marketing department can engage in whether they’re selling a good, service, or simply trying to drum up interest in a social cause. In almost every possible scenario there’s an ideal user, identifier, supporter, or buyer. Find the best age, demographics, and descriptors and give them a name. Then–BOOM! You have a buyer persona, and are one step closer to finding your social audience
