How to Reach the Right Audience with Your…

Answering these questions will help you reach the right audience, the right way with your social media, communications, media relations and other nonprofit marketing outreach

I’m flattered that an experienced fundraising and development professional inquired about employment opportunities with us. It means others see value and synergy in our services and understand marketing’s integral role in a nonprofit’s long-term sustainability and ultimate success in achieving its mission.

We’re not hiring, but I feel good about the sector’s outlook. Given the number of jobs nonprofits are posting on industry-specific sites like Idealist and Opportunity Knocks and the thousands more being collected on SimpleHired and Indeed, the economy is clearly improving. But what if your charity or foundation doesn’t have or isn’t in the position to hire a marketing professional? Can you expect to effectively attract and retain donors, engage supporters, or promote your programs and services to those in need? These and questions on how foundations engage their followers were raised during The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s recent presentation on a study of the funder-grantee relationship and social media. (You can check out the hour-long webinar below.)

While many grantees aren’t engaging with their foundation funders’ social media because they’re unaware of the opportunity (it’s astounding how many organizations fail to promote their social media channels on their website and offline collateral), others won’t see your efforts as anything more than ‘social’ unless it’s positioned as a value-added resource. To reach the right people, the right way, answer these questions:

• What is your organization’s main goal?
• Who is your target audience and what do you need them to do? (The more clearly you can define their wants, habits and preferences, the better.)
• What are your social media goals and how will they contribute to achieving your overall goal? (This should be asked for any communications, media relations, etc. strategy)
• What’s your message and how can you best deliver it? (From a social media standpoint, make sure you’re using the right channel for your audience.)
• What specific measures will show that you’re on the right track?
• How can you best motivate your audience’s action? And what tweaks need to be made along the way?
• What resources are available and/or needed to support your plan? And who will be responsible for implementing and monitoring it?

Depending on the campaign’s length, you’ll need to revisit these questions over time and build upon your successes and opportunities, accordingly. To see this action, check out Knight Foundation’s plan to foster better conversations with their grantees and potential partners.

So back to your organization: In the absence of experienced marketing support, are you leaving social capital on the table? Share your story in the comments section below.