Facebook has just released a new guide on helping non-profit organizations better use Facebook pages to achieve their goals. A lot of this advice is not only insightful for non-profit organizations, but can also be applied to standard businesses as well, and is worth a read for any organization interested in building a deeper relationship with their followers.
#1. Build your own Voice and Create a Connection with your Followers
One of the key themes of the guide was follower engagement. Take the time to develop your own voice and interact with your audience in a way that is both authentic and personal. A couple of ways to do this are:
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Create fun, engaging content with clear call-to-actions to encourage people to like and share your posts.
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Respond to comments and followers to show them that their input is valuable and appreciated.
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Share any successes (such as reaching a fundraiser goal) and thank those responsible.
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Provide exclusive content like on-the-ground videos or sneak peeks to show your audience their importance to your business.
The guide also provides five best practices when it comes to posting:
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Post succinct content – Be short and to the point.
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Post photos and videos – Use relevant visuals and media to draw the attention of your followers.
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Post regularly – Stay near the forefront of your followers’ minds to increase the chance of engagement.
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Try a “Fill-in-the-Blank” post – These types of posts can spur discussion and generally have 90% more engagement than the average post.
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Be Timely – Talk about current events to stay relevant to your followers. Download the Facebook Pages Manager App on your smartphone to always stay on top of the discussion.
#2. Grow your Community
For organizations just starting out, Facebook advises non-profit organizations to start small with their own group of friends and expanding from there. If your organization has pre-existing contacts (such as an e-mail mailing list), be sure to encourage them to join your Facebook page.
It is important for organizations to connect their Facebook Pages with any existing networks or websites. For other websites, use social plugins like the “Like Box” and the Facebook Comments plugin to keep the transition to Facebook consistent and seamless.
Are there any other organizations that are similar to yours on Facebook? Partnering with them can be a mutually beneficial relationship that could lead to the cross-pollination of followers.
To speed this up, tagging the name of the partnered organization or spokesperson in your post will make the post visible to the other organization.
#3. Use Facebook’s Apps and Analytics to Refine your Page
Facebook provides many tools for organizations to measure their pages. Facebook insights can access the performance and growth rates of your page, as well as view feedback (likes, reach, and people talking about this) for individual posts.
Apps are also a great idea to add another element to your business page by creating content that can be easily shared and have a high rate of virality. Make sure your apps are mobile friendly, as more and more people are using their phones to browse Facebook.
The guide recommends finding a preferred developer that provides bonus and specialized content in an app for followers who Like your page, which can increase relations between your organization and your audience.
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