By Darren Gilbert

That means that any NGO who is not using social media as part of their PR strategy is losing out. 

Create a sustainable conversation

Social media is all about engaging and speaking to the public. However, you have to understand that anything that you talk about needs to have a hook that will allow it to continue. As Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good points out, it’s about creating sustained conversation.

James writes, “Look at social media platforms, particularly Twitter and Google+, as an opportunity to keep conversation going about your organization’s mission. For example, every week at the same time and on the same day host a Twitter chat with a hashtag unique to your organization to talk about key issues.”

If done right, you will be able to create a greater awareness for your organisation. That is, of course if you remain consistent. Lana Laham of Yoke explains: “By having a strong and consistent social media presence you’re communicating to your followers and the rest of the world that you’re here to stay and to make a real difference.”

Mimic successful NGO’s

If you want to know how to get the right results on social media, a great place to start is to look at those who are already excelling.

Nonprofit Tech for Good writes in an article on their website: “Small NGOs can learn a lot by studying the online fundraising and social media campaigns of large NGOs. Analyze their websites and donation pages, subscribe to their e-newsletters, and follow them on social media.”

Now, every NGO is different so you do need to realise that what works for one may not work for your NGO. However, it’s about taking the principals and ideas that successful NGO’s use and then adapting them to your goals and purposes.

Pick the right metrics

The topic of ‘metrics’ can lead you down many paths. Some of those will lead you to places that you don’t want to visit. Others will leave you enlightened. It is the latter on which you need to focus your attention.

“[W]Hat’s a ‘like’ worth when the person only had the intention to win a prize? And what are 100.000 followers worth if none of them are actually listening to you? Absolutely nothing,” writes Casengo’s Mike Kaarsgaren. Instead, you need to look at those metrics which will actually give you something solid.

Kaarsgaren continues: “[W]e suggest you focus on unambiguous metrics instead. The click-through rate, and the amount of ‘referral traffic’ and conversions from social media, are directly linked to the profitability of your social media strategy.”

Once you have an idea of what is working and what isn’t, it’s simply a case of cutting out everything that is working against you.

What are your thoughts? Do you know of any other ways that NGO’s can use social media for their benefit? Tell us below.