1. choose your platforms

Not all social media platforms were built equal. For example, Twitter is great for short videos and links whereas Instagram is all about imagery. As your time and energy will no doubt be limited, make sure to think about which platforms are most appropriate for your particular charity, content and campaign.

2. communicate a clear message

It’s important to communicate your fundraising message clearly and succinctly both through your social media posts and on any web pages you link to (such as your website, Eventbrite or JustGiving). Make sure that you explain what you’re fundraising for and why it’s important – the better people understand how their money can make a difference, the more likely they are to donate.

3. make it easy to donate

Wherever you’re asking people to make a donation, make it as easy as possible and ensure they don’t have to jump through lots of unnecessary hoops. The more methods you offer for payment, the better! Not everyone will want to donate online so think about adding information for posting cheques or making text or telephone donations.

4. encourage your supporters

Ask your existing supporters who are active on social media to be digital advocates for your charity. Encourage them to share your social posts and spread the word on your behalf with their network. If you have any famous patrons, supporters or followers, why not ask them to tweet or post for you too?

5. promote regularly

This involves a tricky balance between reminding your followers of your cause and encouraging them to donate, but not overdoing it and putting people off. A well-planned social media campaign (thinking about the timing and content of posts) will do much better than endless, repetitive posts – think quality rather than quantity.

6. collect donor information

When people choose to donate, make sure to capture their details so you can get in touch with them again the next time you run a campaign and keep them informed about your work. Just make sure you adhere to GDPR laws when collecting personal data.

7. keep people updated

Social media is a great platform to keep your audience updated about how your fundraising is going. If you have a target for a particular campaign, let people know when you reach it. Donors also like to know how their money is used, so contacting people on social media with personal messages of thanks and to remind them of difference they’ve made is a great idea.

need help?

We’ve worked with numerous charities including World Cancer Research Fund, Anti-Slavery International, Care International and The Fostering Network. We understand the challenges charities face and are passionate about helping you reach your target audiences, increase fundraising conversions, convey key messages and improve user engagement. Get in touch or visit our charity services page for more information.

content & inbound marketing

However active you are digitally, if you’re only re-posting other people’s content you won’t get the full benefit. You have to be generating consistent quality content to shine on the web. This approach now has a name – inbound marketing. It’s ‘inbound’ because people are drawn to your website for high-quality authoritative content, as opposed to you sending ‘outbound’ adverts, newsletters and promotions.

Inbound marketing is based on the principle that self-selecting visitors to your site are more open to making a purchase than those cajoled by advertising, who will often arrive with a suspicious mind. This key difference is in the level of trust these two groups have, because of the different routes they have taken to find your content.

the importance of imagery

High-quality written content needs excellent imagery for maximum effectiveness. And the bolder and brighter the better, as US researchers found that coloured visuals increase people’s willingness to read by 80%!

There are plenty of free (and paid) online photo libraries, but it’s easy to get lost in trying to find the perfect image so make sure to plan enough time for this crucial aspect of content design. Even more time may be needed if you choose to use Photoshop or another tool to personalise or update imagery.

infographic, video or another format?

With people’s increasingly busy lives and more and more content vying for attention online, infographics and videos offer a great way to convey rich and colourful information in a succinct and compelling manner.

But it doesn’t stop there… there are almost infinite ways you can design your content! Think about your brand values, target audience and digital marketing strategy – could a podcast, a Pinterest board or a vlog help you achieve your goals? Good luck!

For on-demand help with your content marketing, please get in touch.