Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with some social media newbies–a small nonprofit in the local community. They were using social media, but not very much. They have a website, but not much experience on social media. Maybe you’re in the same boat? Here are a few ideas you might use.
Check your followers
Do you know who your followers are on Facebook? On Twitter? Anywhere on social media? This nonprofit was surprised that many of their followers lived in a different area than their services cover. More of the locals were covering the cost for people that were farther away. It’s pretty easy to get demographic info about your followers. Here is a description, from the horse’s mouth (Facebook): How do I see demographic data about the people who like my Facebook page? You might also give people a reason (or two) to follow your page. For instance, maybe people want to learn about your free events.
Use good images in posts
It’s ok to occasionally use a poster or graphic with lots of text on it, but how about something that draws people in instead? An image with people in it will draw others in, especially if it’s someone they personally know! One silver lining about the pandemic–it’s often easier to get photos of people, since they’re sometimes masked. Otherwise, you probably want to ask permission to use photos of people. If you don’t know what makes a good image, this might help: 10 Best Practices for Eye-Catching Social Media Images. One tip I like is to vary your social media images. People don’t want to see exactly the same images all the time. So experiment with images and see which ones get the most reach.
Ask what people want to see
It’s easy to ask what people want, especially if you’re connected to your followers in real life. You can ask people when you see them, or ask on your social media platforms. You will probably be surprised at what people want! I’ve written about How to Find Audience Pain Points and Why You’d Want to before. You don’t have to simply post about yourself, either! People may want information about other topics and solutions to their problems or issues. One of the easiest ways to figure out your audience pain points is to use a search engine like Google.
Get more people to follow you
This is something that doesn’t occur to a lot of people. Ask them to follow you. They often will. Also–pro tip–if someone has “liked” one of your Facebook posts and isn’t a follower, you can invite them to follow you. You can also ask super fans of your page to invite their friends. If you’re a nonprofit, you may have lots of employees connected to your page, and this is another good, simple way to get more followers.
Follow Carol!