Hear best practices and pitfalls to avoid right from the horse’s mouth. How can you create a successful presence on Facebook, what are some of the new and innovative uses of this key platform, and what’s the scoop with Facebook’s new nonprofit resource center?
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6. Our Philosophy 1. You’re all our partners. v 2. We can have the most impact by building free tools that anyone can use. 3. It’s all about education.
Introduction: Name, role at Facebook.Today I am going to give you all a little 101 for Non-Profits on Facebook. I’ll talk about the role of Facebook in the social good space, how we view our relationship with the non-profits, NGOs and social movements that live on Facebook today and give you all some basics on what you can do to maximize your presence on Facebook.
I’d like to start off with our mission, which is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. By doing this we’ve not just allowed people to connect and share with their friends, colleagues and family, but we’ve set the stage for organizations like yours, everything from huge international organizations to individuals looking to make a difference, to spread the word and further their mission.Our mission is working out really well . . .
First, it’s all about people and their authentic identity. Facebook is built around an authentic identity. On Facebook, authentic identity is monitored by the community because real people are connecting with their real friends. The expression of a true identity helps people better connect with more people in more ways. Second, it’s about connecting people with the people and things they care about: The people they know in the real world (friends, co-workers, college classmates) and the interests they have (tv shows, a favorite band and, of course, the causes you care about). We make it easy to find people you might know and instantly connect – or re-connect – with them. Third, it’s about giving people the tools to share their thoughts and opinions with those people. Through tools like status updates we give people the opportunity to share their thoughts with their friends. With these tools, Facebook makes it possible to share thoughts, opinions and feelings and define yourself not only by your network of friends but also by your interests, likes and dislikes. This product vision has set the stage for incredible success in the social good space, from movements to huge organizations to individuals looking to make a difference . . .
So now you’re all asking yourselves, how you get in on the action?
People ask us all of the time, ‘how can we partner with Facebook?’ Here is how we approach the space:The way we see it, you and all of the organizations and movements using Facebook are our partners. Our tools are open and free to use. The way we can be most helpful to all of you and other non-profits is by focusing 100% on building and developing the best tools for you to spread your mission.But we don’t stop there. The great news is that we just happen to know all of the tips and tricks to creating a successful Facebook presence, and we want to educate all of you on maximizing your impact on the platform.
Now, I know we have people at all different levels of sophistication when it comes to the space, but as I said I like to stick to the basics that any organization can do no matter what their size. I’d like to walk you through my 10 tips for non-profits on Facebook.
My first tip when it comes to establishing a great Facebook presence is to Create a VoiceOne of my favorite things about social media is that it’s forced brands and organizations to get a personality. People on Facebook don’t want to connect only with properties but the people behind them. They want to have a social experience. Make sure your Page reflects this.So, be sure to make it personal and authentic. Don’t talk to people in press-release speak. Talk to them like you would your friends.Don’t just bombard people with information to educate them on it, make it more personal and compelling.
Here is an example of a Red Cross post. Notice how it’s not in press-release speak but as peopleDon’t use the third person, ‘WE’Use exclamation points, speak like you would to your friends.When sharing links, blog posts, outside information, be sure to add your own personal spin to the information. Give it an intro that will grab people.
Program Your PageOne of the questions I get the most is how often do I update . . . The truth is that there is no one answer that applies to everyone. Obviously you want to stay away from extremes (20 times a day or once a month). What you need to do is test out what works for your fans. Don’t be afraid of experimentation.If you’re just starting out, think of your Facebook Page like you would your own magazine or television channel, and program it. An easy way to do this is with theme days, for example creating a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule, where you have a Monday kick-off to the week message, a ‘hump day’ program on Wednesday and maybe a ‘Fan Friday’ feature, where you feature on of your supporters on your Facebook Page. Test what works and adapt your programming from there.
Themes will help you plan content. Take this example of Big Cat Week done by The Humane Society. A little secret about the web . . . People LOVE pictures of cute animals and babies. If you have an organization built around those you can do very well . . . In all seriousness, the Humane Society knew that they had a lot of cat fans and created a Big Cat Week to draw people to the Page and get them to interact by commenting on the pictures of cats and adding their own.One final thing you want to think about when creating themes: They help you remain timely. Be sure to use holidays, world events etc. to do special programs on your Page. It helps bring you top of mind with people as you show up in their news feed. For example, Christmas updates, Earth day updates, etc.
Create Exclusive Content and ProgramsGive people a reason to be on your Facebook Page.Your Facebook Fans may be very different from the people on your website, blog, YouTube or Twitter. Recognize them.Don’t make your Facebook page a repeat of your website or blog. If you do, make sure you give it a personal spin.Yes, bring content from other places but also give people a reason to be on your Facebook Page. Facebook-specific programs and content are the way to do this.
Nicole Kidman went to Haiti last year and did exclusive updates about her experience live on the ground. Facebook was the only place you could see these and gave people a reason to go to the Page. Also, it’s important to realize that your Fans on Facebook might be different from those on your website or Twitter or YouTube. You want to make sure you’re calling them out specifically so they feel recognized.
Use Visuals Here is the thing about plain text updates . . . In a crowded news feed that is full of updates from my friends and family (and maybe even Britney Spears), a plain text update just isn’t that sexy.Use photos and videos to get your point across. People are much more likely to engage/pay attention when there is something to look at/watch. If you only have text updates it’s not as powerful – PLUS it doesn’t help if you have international followers who don’t operate in the same language you do.
This is an example from TOMS Shoes. I’m such a big supporter of their model and the work they do. They have shoe drops across the world where employees give away a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. This picture of 2 cute kids enjoying their shoes is much more effective than a plain text update. By seeing this visual I’m engaged right away and seeing the result of my contribution.
Push and PullDon’t just talk at your supporters. Promote your cause while eliciting a response from followers. When you ask a question that causes them to comment, not only are they engaging but their engagement shows up in their news feeds, which gives awareness of you to their followers.When someone comments on your Page it goes into their newsfeed. That’s the possibility for their on average 150 friends to see it.This is how things go viral.
The Nature Conservancy does a fantastic job at this. They are in the comments section of their Page at least a couple of times a day. It makes them look very present.Additionally, make sure that you are in the comments section encouraging and responding to comments that your fans are posting. Don’t just get the conversation started, make sure you keep it going.
Make Supporters the StarsOrganizations recognize their volunteers and supporters all of the time, just not necessarily online. Make sure you are bringing this concept onto your Facebook Page.When you do this, 2 great things are going to happen. First, you’re going to have a supporter for life, because they feel like they’ve connected with and been recognized by you. Second, who doesn’t love a bit of internet fame? They are going to tell their friends who will then help spread that around your social circle. It’s a great way to spread your cause authentically around a friend group.This could be a great reason to create a Fan Friday (which we spoke about around programming), where you reward supporters.
(RED) recognizes fans in a very simple and effective way. They have a photo of the week feature (nice example of programming), where fans upload pictures of themselves wearing red and one is picked every week to be spotlighted. This is a simple and easy way to accomplish this.
Engage Similar Groups and OrgsMake sure you are leveraging the social capitol of your partners. This happens in 2 ways: First, make sure you are creating conversations with other organizations in your space. Create conversations between Pages to send eyeballs and traffic between your two Pages. Second, make sure you are using your friends in partners, eg sponsors, spokespeople, board members etc. They often have a really large Facebook presence, and you want to get to their fans.
This is an app that lives on Delta Airlines’ Page. They are a top supporter of Habitat for Humanity, and are asking their customers to vote on which city they should build houses in next.This is a win-win for everybody . . . Habitat for Humanity gets exposure to Delta’s hundreds of thousands of fans while Delta gets their customers engaged in their charity efforts.
Get Creative with Facebook FeaturesIt’s important to remember that there are a ton of features beyond your Facebook Page. It’s important to experiment with those other features to see if they’ll have a benefit for you. This can range from Check-In deals at events, walks and fundraisers to Facebook Groups for organizing your team or reps.
Stand Up 2 Cancer used this signage at their enormous national fundraising event to get people to help spread the word.
Know Your SupportersHow many people here use Facebook Insights?Use Facebook Insights to know who your supporters on Facebook are. This will help you develop more targeted campaigns. We have a webinar on Facebook Insights that lives on Facebook Live.
You can get demographic info (age, gender, country) and post feedback.Use these to craft your future posts. Appeal to your Facebook Fans!
Market Your Facebook PresencePeople are spending a lot of time on Facebook. Nielsen says it’s at 7.7 hours a month globally. You want to people to know that you are where they are spending their time.Make sure your Facebook Page url lives on all of your materials, web properties, etc. Let people know that you are engaging and forward-thinking.Also, remember that over 200 Million people access Facebook via their mobile phones. If they see your signage out they can like your Page from wherever they are!
Here is an example of a Facebook badge that (RED) has on their website.
Be sure to check out http://facebook.com/nonprofits.There are 3 things I want you to do here that you’ll find very valuable:First, Like the Page to get updates from our wall, where we feature creative ways people and organizations in the space are using Facebook. You’ll get some good inspiration.Second, use the Resource Center, where you’ll find case studies, best practices and overviews on Facebook tools.Finally, we want to hear from you about how you’re using Facebook. Send us your story via the Success Stories tab. We pick our favorites and highlight them on the Non-Profits Page.
We’re constantly working to build the tools and resources you need to get your message across and further your mission.We can’t wait to see the things you come up with and hear about the impact Facebook is helping you have.Thank You!