Picture the image of a sleek, modern professional woman in a sharp suit, strolling confidently into a busy coffee shop. You might be seeing signs that your favorite fashion icon, Grace Kelly, once graced the cover of a magazine. But this isn’t a scene from a Hollywood movie—it’s you, reading a blog post.

When it comes to the way we communicate, society has shifted to prioritize visual content. Whether it’s a smartphone or a computer, people now reach for images more often than text.

For marketers, this shift presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, marketers now have a new tool in their arsenal—visual content—but on the other, the demands and expectations of the digital world can feel overwhelming and confusing.

If you’re a nonprofit looking to gain a deeper understanding of the way social media works and how you can implement a social media strategy for your organization, this post is for you. Here, we’ll cover the basics of social media marketing for nonprofits, including what is a nonprofit, how to choose a social media marketing plan, and much more.

What Is a Nonprofit?

Nonprofits, sometimes called social welfare organizations or public benefit organizations, are organizations that are organized to promote social good. They usually work for social equality and often focus on benefiting underprivileged communities. Many nonprofits also work to save species and eliminate poverty. While there is no typical nonprofit, most of them follow the same basic structure, which includes a Board of Directors, Executive Director, and staff.

The primary difference between a nonprofit and a for-profit is not how they operate but rather what they do. For-profits are created to make money, and their primary purpose is to maximize profit. Nonprofits are typically set up to solve a social problem and to create change, so their purpose is to improve people’s lives. This could mean providing homeless people with shelter or serving disadvantaged children through education. Basically, nonprofits strive to make the world a better place.

Why Does Social Media Matter for Nonprofits?

Let’s be honest. Much of what we communicate about through social media channels happens in real time, so the fact that people are engaging with your content now is very important.

With each passing year, social media channels continue to evolve, changing how we communicate and how we discover content. It’s important to keep up with these changes to maximize your impact online. However, these changes can also make it more difficult to have a traditional presence across all platforms. Plus, with more organizations focused on digital transformation and online marketing, the competition for gaining social media followers and building an audience is escalating.

What Should a Nonprofit Do if They Want to Use Social Media to Grow Their Audience?

As mentioned above, having a traditional presence across all social media platforms doesn’t mean much if you want to gain traction online. This is especially important if you’re a small organization that wants to become more prominent. So what should you do?

One option is to use social media to build a brand that lives in the digital world. To do this, you need to focus on creating high-quality content and using the right platforms to promote it. You can also look into using storytelling to engage your audience. For example, you could create themed content around Black History Month or Hispanic Heritage Month. Doing this can help you form a stronger bond with your audience and encourage them to engage with your content.

Another important thing to consider is your target audience. You should try to identify who you’re aiming your content at and create different versions of your content to fit different personas. You can start by defining your audience and creating persona profiles. This will help you tailor your content to match the needs of your specific audience. In addition, you should ask yourself, “Who are my ideal customers?” “Who is most likely to be interested in my product or service?”

How Can Social Media Improve a Nonprofit’s Reach?

There are many ways that social media can improve the reach of a nonprofit. For one, you can use social media to identify and connect with potential supporters. More and more individuals are using social media to learn about and gain support for causes that matter to them.

This trend makes connecting with your audience a lot easier. If you can develop a strong following on social media, you can use these channels to promote your organization and gain more support. In doing so, you can positively impact your community and the world around you.

What’s Next?

Now that you’re equipped with a better understanding of what a nonprofit is and how social media marketing for nonprofits works, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Remember: your audience is waiting.