5 Ways Nonprofits Can Gain Exposure Through Social Media

Did you know that about 73 percent of online adults use social-networking sites? Would you like to utilize social media as an effective way to spread awareness for your nonprofit? Learn how you can engage your supporters and keep them invested in your cause with five simple social-media tips below:

Identify and connect with influencers related to your cause
Just getting started on social media? Begin by following partnerships and organizations that complement your nonprofit. Have you recently attended an event with like-minded organizations? Add those organizations to your list. Interact with your followers, and respond to their content with your own helpful insight. Search terms related to your organization, and follow people who write about related topics. For example, @AutismSpeaks could search #autism or #liub and interact with people who use those hashtags in their posts.

Employ the use of visual storytelling
A picture is worth a thousand words, and this holds especially true when using social media. On social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, you need to get your idea across as quickly and concisely as possible. Photos account for 75 percent of content posted on Facebook and have a global 87 percent interaction rate. On Twitter, photos can boost retweets by 35 percent. Visuals posted to social media are shared more than any other type of content.

Change up your content strategy
Utilizing visuals in social posts is a creative and effective way to keep followers engaged. Did your organization raise money for a great cause? Create an infographic to display this fantastic event, and post it on Facebook as a highlighted post. Other types of highly sharable visual content include banners, memes, inspirational quotes and cartoons.

Don't forget to ask (and say please)
Reach out to supporters, and ask for social posts and interactions. In the same way that you might raise money for a good cause, asking for social posts, shares or retweets from your supportive community can be a great way to extend your reach and exposure for your nonprofit. When your supporters send posts about your nonprofit to their social communities, it generates awareness with potential new supporters. Your next donation could be a social post away!

Promote the use of #hashtags
Whether you're holding an event or promoting awareness for a cause, using a hashtag enables you to engage with and track supporters across a variety of social-media channels. Use your hashtag in all printed media when promoting your cause or event to encourage supporters to engage and share related content. When Autism Speaks was promoting its "Light It Up Blue" initiative, it used #liub to promote awareness for its fundraising platform on Crowdster.com. Participants posted #liub in their social posts, and Autism Speaks was able to reply and thank them for participating by tracking the hashtag.

Gaining traction on social media takes time. Remember that social media in essence is social, so it should be constructed as conversational and friendly outreach. Try new things, and have fun engaging with your supporters. Feel free to follow us at @Crowdster for more tips (ahem, we follow back).

Jenn Maffeo is marketing director at Crowdster.