Training Your Staff to Effectively Use Social Media Part III

Social media continues to become a huge portion of marketing, volunteer coordinating, non-profit fundraising, and research for any charity, so it only makes sense to have your staff well trained concerning this useful marketing tool.

So far in this series we have covered using social networking sites responsibly, assigning one person to be the online communications manager, assessing your time and output for the best results, and staying focused on a few goals. Here are a few more ideas that you may want to incorporate:

Don’t Stray

I am terribly guilty of violating this rule. I usually have several tabs open when I use the internet and the minute one of them shows a new message, curiosity gets the best of me and I have to see the new e-mail in my inbox. Not only that, but if it’s a sale flyer from my favorite store or a friend who wants to chat, I end up wasting about 20 minutes with nothing to show for my time. Furthermore, I get out of the groove of what I was working on in the first place and have to go back and figure out where I left off and where I was going with the task at hand. So this is my new rule that I am desperately trying to follow: Unless I am waiting for an important response, the only tabs I am allowed to have opened are the ones that are required to complete the job I’m working on.

Check Out the Competition

One good idea for your staff is to always keep an eye and ear out for what the competition is doing. The last thing you want to do is push a similar campaign on the tails of your competitor or to have a big event the same week. Know what like-minded nonprofits in your field are doing and focus on different areas. You also may want to research what nonprofits outside of your field are pursuing to gain ideas, success stories, or to learn from their mistakes. After all, there is no reason to recreate the wheel.

Utilize Your Staff

You already have a great base for spreading the mission of your organization: your staff! If they are working at your non-profit, they probably have a passion for your cause, they know the inner workings of your company, and, more than likely, they have accounts on social media networks. When you post a great blog, have an article in the local newspaper, or are promoting a new campaign, have your workers “like” your posts on Facebook or re-tweet your comments. Also, be sure to guide your potential donors to a well-designed website or Fundly webpage for the opportunity to donate. Each person has about 130 friends on Facebook, so just think of how many people you could reach with just the connections of your employees!

Come back tomorrow for the last installment of this series. When you know how to use social media tools effectively, your output can far exceed your input!