The Best Thing You Can Do TODAY
BOO!
Did I scare you with that big BOO!? Aw, shucks. Just trying to get you in the mood for Halloween. I want you to have more than a ghost of a chance at generating leads and converting visitors into supporters. And that’s why I’m offering up 9 tricks to help you make your social media strategy worth the effort you’re putting into it.
In fact, these 9 tricks are really treats. If you use them, no one will end up with rotten egg on their face. So… fear not! Why the heck not get in the spirit and … go for the ghoul?
Okay. I’m done being punny for today.
Let’s get down to social media brass tacks.
If you’re like most nonprofits, you’re constantly worrying about where to find new donors. And one terrific way to find folks is by getting more traffic via social media.
You don’t want just any traffic however. You want to drive visits from people who share the values your organization enacts. Otherwise you’ll end up with a high bounce rate and a whole bunch of folks who never engage with you.
SO… let’s take a look at some ways you can drive the right type of traffic. Traffic from folks who will want to engage with you, generated from an organization (you!) who clearly wants to engage with them.
Here are your objectives:
(1) increase your traffic;
(2) get more fans and followers;
(3) build relationships with your audience, and
(4) reach a wider audience.
It’s a circle. From traffic… to loyal traffic… to engaged fans… to engaging fans who share your content with their networks. Some great treats, yes? Now… some tricks to help you get them.
9 Tricks to Boost Social Media Traffic and Engagement
1. Profile
The objective here is to entice folks to want to know more after learning a little bit about you. And you want to make it easy for folks to find you. Whatever social networks you choose, begin by assuring you’ve got a complete profile . Fill in all the pertinent categories and fields. Provide links to your website. On Pinterest, include your Twitter handle as well. On Twitter, include your website URL in your description so people can easily find it. On LinkedIn, personalize your website link so it’s more compelling than “company website.”
2. Join Different Social Networks
Begin with your constituencies and which channels they frequent. Since this is often a guess, be sure to track your activity over time and see where most of your traffic comes from. Certain channels not working too well? Recalibrate. Don’t waste your time on networks that have very little pay-off.
3. Begin at the Beginning – Your Title
The title is the first thing folks notice. It must be catchy, and it must relate to your article.
No one wants to be duped into clicking through. These folks are more likely to become “anti-fans” than fans. Think about what will help your reader. If I think something will give me some information I need, that’s when I’m most likely to read further. My best advice on titles is to first identify a topic of value to your readers; then create a specific working title to focus your writing. For example:
- How to prevent seniors from illegal evictions.
- A complete guide to saving for college.
- Top 5 environmental benefits of green spaces.
A working title doesn’t have to be your final title. It just makes writing your post easier because it prevents you from taking detours that distract the reader from what you hope will be their main take-away. You can make your title catchier later on.
4. Always Create Engaging Content
You’ve no doubt heard that “content is king.” It is, and its queen is “engagement.” You need both. And the only kind of content that’s engaging is content that connects with your audience. If your constituents have no sense of humor, then jokes won’t do it for them. If they love fighting for justice, then giving to the arts may simply not resonate. In other words, one size does not fit all. If you really want folks to engage with you, aim for content that will affect someone’s life. And whatever you do, don’t be passive. Do something engaging with that content you’ve created and published!
That’s enough pre-Halloween tricks. If I give them all to you at once you’ll get so many treats your tummy will hurt. So we’ll wait until next week, after Halloween, for tricks #5 – #9. By then you’ll be ready for a little more sugar.
Grab great free stuff from nonprofit experts!
Speaking of treats…
1. There’s still time to get a bunch of free nonprofit goodies – – 7 different gifts, all of them amazing, and… no cavities involved!
2. Last chance for a super-discounted 4-session “Hour of Power” COACHING PACKAGE. One spot left! CLICK HERE to grab it.
3. Calendar this Wednesday to check my blog for this month’s Halloween Nonprofit Blog Carnival — posts from nonprofit fundraising whizzes far and wide, all on the topic of major gifts fundraising. You won’t want to miss it!
Image courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net
