The transition from offline to online has been instrumental for many businesses and brands in the world today, but to limit it to only those industries and markets would be a huge mistake. As more people continue to get online and gain access to mobile devices, the usage and reach of the internet continues to grow on a daily basis.
With this in mind, the implementation of everyone getting ‘online’ has been quite a positive experience for non-profit organizations and charitable groups that have been willing to take advantage of everything it has to offer.
This is especially true with social media, as it connects more people with each other than ever before. And it’s also making the relationship between brands and organizations easier and more accepted than ever before.
As the internet and social media continue to play a more important role in our everyday lives, today we are going to highlight the many different ways charitable groups have been able to increase awareness, bring in more donations and resources, and also help those in need.
Social Media Platforms Provide Access to Billions
Without the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, the internet would be a much different place. Instead of a one-sided conversation, it’s now all about user content and engaging with everyone else — whether they are inside or outside of your circle.
For charitable organizations, this has been one of the best ways for them to build their following and reach new audiences on a daily basis. And with more than three billion users spread across each of these popular platforms, the means for gaining new followers and potential volunteers and donations on a daily basis is quite limitless.
In the case of WE Charity, they went from a localized Canadian-based charitable organization, to being one of the most well known groups in the world today. And of course, social media and influencer outreach has played a huge role in this process, as they now have more than 3 million followers, subscribers and volunteers across the major social platforms with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram leading the way.
And what’s also great about focusing your organization’s growth and efforts on social media, is that it allows for a much more direct and instant way to engage with audiences, while also not having to put out a lot of advertising money in the process.
Television Ads and Print Advertising are No Longer a Focus
Speaking of ‘putting money out’, the traditional marketing and branding methods of television ads and print advertising simply don’t work the same way they used to. Not only are less people watching television, but there are also more ways to watch your favorite shows and movies without having to see any commercials as well.
And when it comes to print advertising, this is another method that is quickly finding itself being tossed out the window. After all, why pay for an ad campaign that provides little to no tracking or user stats, when that’s exactly what you are getting with almost all internet marketing and social media outreach.
It’s also important to mention here, that after the Covid-19 pandemic, more people are less likely to go out and be active in stores — thus resulting in less exposure for print ads and billboard advertising. And with less people out there, this would ultimately lead to higher costs and less ROI, than what is currently possible through online and social media methods.
With all of that in mind, this is just one of the many reasons why non-profit and charitable groups continue to focus more efforts on their online presence and reach.
The Connection Between Charity Groups and Influencers is Growing
Outside of the outdated and traditional methods of branding and marketing, one of the most powerful aspects of growing a charitable foundation online is that it immediately connects your group and cause with the rest of the world, and not limiting you to just a small local area.
Once an organization is live with a website or social profile, their reach is limitless — and not only that, but the whole process of outreach, providing users with information and obtaining donations and resources can all be done within a few clicks as well.
Through the use of paid advertising, remarketing and influencer collaboration, any charity can see a 100X return on their efforts versus what they may have seen by limiting themselves with traditional localized print or television advertising. And if you also add email marketing into this mix, these numbers can continue to increase even further.
And in addition to your own marketing and outreach efforts, there are plenty of charity review sites like Charity Navigator, that can help grow your organization through user reviews, charitable information and any other events or crowdfunding efforts that might be taking place.
No matter how well you might think your charitable group is known out there, it’s important to make sure they are getting free exposure and legitimacy through these outlets as well.
How to Improve Your Charitable Reach through Social Media
In order for charitable organizations to survive, they must always be reaching new audiences and increasing their donations and incoming resources at all times. For most groups, this was always a struggle when they were limited to just local audiences and manual outreach. Thanks to the power of the internet and social media, such limitations are no longer in place.
It’s also important to note that no matter how big or small a non-profit foundation might be at the moment, there are plenty of ways to immediately get more active and reach more people on any given day through the internet.
One of the best ways to get started in this process, is to start following as many of the most popular and well-known charities on the internet today. By following each of these groups, you will then learn what’s working best for them, while also adapting these same content creation and branding methods into your own day to day operations.