Nowadays a social media plan is crucial. Write out a description of the audience(s) you are looking to reach with social media, think about the content you want to get to them and where they hang out online. Once you are ready, here is a very concise breakdown of some of your options to get you thinking what is best to reach your target audience.

LinkedIn – It is great to have a company page where you can have all the info about people working with you. It is difficult to promote company pages, but groups are a very effective tool if you can join the right ones or even better create your own. Many people use LinkedIn as a Social CRM (Customer Relationship Manager). There is also a way to find board members.

Twitter – A powerful tool to build social proof and easy to keep up with, it is a great way to build a following in a bite sized manner. There are hundreds of millions of tweets a day so it is easy to get lost in the noise, but it is not as difficult as other platforms to build a following with the great number of tools available. Learn more about the twitter tools.

Instagram – A photo sharing platform based on mobile, you can give an inside view of the non profit. Many will find your pictures even if they are not following you, so it is not the best place to direct people, but you can direct to other platforms.

Pinterest – Provide infographics to a market itching for good content that can lead to quality leads, it is another platform that has an easy entry to get followers and send out content beyond infographics, plus a great way to gather info on our clientele, finances and good business practices and then promote that content to our fans. Make sure your site has a “pin” button and your fans will generate traffic for you.

Facebook – You should have a Facebook page at least for social proof. Take the “like” dive and invite friends and family. Schedule some posts. Beyond that, it may not be worth building out unless you are going to focus on it, since organic growth is minimal. However, if you put a lot of effort into it (and have some marketing budget), it can be worth the effort since you can really target well and there is such a broad audience you can find almost any niche.

Youtube – If you can have quality videos, this is the second biggest search engine in the world. In can be the window int your organization and your work. Countless hours are spent every day on here and if you get someone watching a video that is a lot more time with you than reading a tweet. Advertising is fairly cheap right now as well. Learn how to make quality videos.

Slideshare – A great place to put your presentations, this has a solid professional network that can get you great quality leads. Read more on how you can be using slideshare.

Google + –  This is technically the second largest social network and backed by the  “#1 name in search”, however, the network is said to be changing significantly soon. This platform is great for connecting with people based on interests and topics thanks to the communities. It is said to help build your SEO here too.

Quora – If you are doing any type of deep research, this is a good place to get answers. It takes some effort, but you an really brand yourself  as an expert in a particular field. You can also blog from here.

Meetup – Find where locals in your arena are meeting. You can organize your own event on here too. It is a great way to network if you are looking to meet people in person locally. Meeting people in person takes time and this site is certainly much more a long-term than short-term play when it comes to networking.

One final tip – you do not want to be a jack of all trades and master of none. It is better to start on a few for social proof but really focus on one, doing it very well and setting up systems, before turning your attention elsewhere.

TreeRoots Nonprofits offers a discounted Social Media coaching pack to nonprofits to help plan out and start to implement an effective Social Media strategy. Contact us for more details.

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