Charities and nonprofits took a big hit from internet scammers over the years. Right now, it is very difficult for genuine organisations that want to do good to persuade people to donate their money or time for their causes. However, the internet proves to be the weapon charities can use to fight back against scammers, build a solid reputation and collect donations. In this article, we will show you how Facebook marketing can help charities and nonprofits support their causes.
Facebook Is the Biggest Public Forum for Any Organisation to Find Contributors
There are over 2 billion monthly active users on Facebook. This is possibly the largest online audience you can ever reach with your messages and requests for donations. Looking at the structure of the age groups, people over 25 are the best represented on Facebook, as youngsters tend to migrate towards Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
This is actually the ideal audience for nonprofits and charities – people who are earning a stable income and have very well defined values and causes they care about. They are most likely to become your long term donors, supporters and ambassadors.
These being said, here are some tips for creating an effective Facebook marketing strategy for charities and nonprofits:
1. Share Your Success Stories on Your Page
A Facebook page is one of the best marketing tools to build your good reputation. This is where you engage with followers and share your values and commitments. However, since it is the social media, you should not just say what you are doing, but show it instead.
Video is king on Facebook – especially native videos (uploaded directly into the platform). The best way of gaining trust for your charity is by showing what you are doing and how you use donations. With a few videos from your action sites and projects, you can win more future donors than with endless pages of written content.
2. Meta Marketing Starts with a Conversation
Being active on Facebook must never turn into a monologue where you say what you are doing and what you are standing for. You should constantly try to open and maintain conversations with your followers.
You can start with a thought provoking statement or a question on a topic close to your interests. From the answers, you can gain valuable insights about the way your followers think and are likely to act in certain situations. For example, if you get a lot of offers for help for a specific cause, you can start targeting the respective followers with ads to donate for that cause.
2. Start a Fundraiser
As part of Facebook marketing strategies, Fundraisers are a fairly recent addition. However, you must be the owner of a verified page (with a blue or gray badge) in order to start a fundraiser. To get a verified page badge, follow these steps.
The core elements of a Facebook Fundraiser are:
- The goal amount
- The time in which the donations can be raised
- A description of the fundraiser
- A cover photo.
For more help to create your first fundraiser, follow these instructions.
3. Add a “Donate Now” Button to Your Facebook Page
The simplest way to collect funds for a charity or nonprofit is to add a “Donate Now” button to your page. As part of your Facebook marketing campaign, you should periodically remind your followers that the best way they can help you in your work is through donations.
Through a consistent posting schedule and transparent policies on your website concerning the way funds are used, you will win your followers’ trust and persuade them to use the Donate Now button on your Facebook page.
4. Take Advantage of the Refined Targeting Criteria for Facebook Ads
Yes, we have come to this part of Facebook marketing: where your charity or nonprofit needs to invest money in order to generate donations. More precisely, this is one of the backbones of your Facebook marketing strategy: Facebook ads.
However, you should know that among other forms of paid advertising on the internet, this is one of the most effective. Why? Because Facebook allows you to target prospects by a wide range of criteria, such as:
- Demographic data: location, gender, age group
- Income levels
- Interests
- Behaviour
If you have a clear profile of your ideal donor, you will definitely be able to target people with similar traits through Facebook ads.
5. Try to Attract Influencers
Influencers are not only top level celebrities with millions of followers and who are next to impossible to reach on a personal level. Some mid-tier influencers are very approachable and enthusiast about helping a good cause by promoting it to their followers.
It takes a simple search on Facebook to identify influencers in your area who care about your cause and are willing to establish an online barter with your charity. Next, you have to persuade them that you are genuine and trustworthy. Afterwards, you can mutually benefit from the understanding you’ve reached.