Grant deadlines?

We offer a range of grant development services from funding research to grant writing. Contact us today to learn how we can help you!

Subscribe to Words That Work

Words That Work, a free newsletter, offers practical, low-cost strategies to help you market your nonprofit organization. Sign up today.

Click here to subscribe

Although it may be hard to imagine, there was a time not so long ago when agency executives were asking similar questions about websites. They were driven by the mantra that “everyone needs one,” and often launched a website without clear-cut goals and objectives and with little planning for maintaining the site. Not surprisingly, results were often dismal. To keep from repeating history, here are three steps to help you succeed in social media.

• Start with goals and objectives. Social media is a marketing tool, a tactic that if used appropriately, can advance your organizational goals. If you jump into social media without understanding this connection, you run the risk of wasting a lot of time and resources. Before you make social media part of your marketing mix, decide how it can (or if it can) help further your goals and objectives.
• Develop a plan. Your social media efforts should be an integral part of your overall marketing plan. As with any other tactic, decide what you want to accomplish and develop quantifiable objectives. Develop a message for each target audience and choose appropriate social media sites for those messages. Develop a timeline and assign responsibility for implementation. Evaluate your efforts on a regular basis and tweak your plan as needed for optimal results. Recognize that for most organizations, social media is just one marketing tool in an arsenal of many.
• Join in the conversation. Social media is all about building relationships. As in any successful relationship, you need to stay involved by sharing your thoughts and ideas. This can be time consuming so you may find it helpful to set aside a chunk of time each week to read and respond to posts, share articles and connect with others. Think of social media as virtual networking. The more you give to others, the more you will get in return.