6 Steps to Building a Not-for-profit Social Media Strategy for 2022

It’s a new year and that means there is nothing but new possibilities in front of you. It’s time to forget what your 2021 social media looked like and start fresh with a new strategy that will bring success in 2022. 

What does success on social media look like? It means having clarity on what you need to do, how to make the most of your time and resources and marketing online in a way that gets you measurable outcomes you can point to and say… ‘I did that.’

Whether you’re new to social media or you’re just looking to finetune what you’ve already started, these are the 6 things you need to focus on to get social media success this year.

1. Set goals

If in 12-months time you told me your social media was amazing and had achieved everything you hoped it would and more… describe to me what that looks like. This thought starter is one of the best ways to start framing your goals. 

Is success around more calls to the front desk? More bums on seats at your events? More sales of products? More people taking action about their health? Raising money? It should be different for every one of you. 

Take some time out now to write down what does that success a year from now look like? Then it’s easier to work backwards and figure out what you need to do this year to get there. 

2. Know your audience

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know this is something I talk about a LOT. But it’s also something few causes actually do well. 

In order to make decisions about social media content, platforms and tactics you have to know who you’re talking to and what will light them up. If your ideal social media follower was a person – describe them for me. The more detail the better.

If you’re not sure who your audience is, try exploring your Facebook Insights or your Google Analytics and figure out who you’re attracting now and what is engaging them.

3. Choose the right platforms

I get asked all the time – should I be on Instagram or TikTok? The truth is nobody can answer this question with any degree of authority until you can answer questions 1 and 2. 

If you know what your goal is and who your audience will be – it will be much simpler to make decisions on which channel is going to deliver that audience and that outcome.

For example, if your primary goal for this year is fundraising from mum and dad donors – Facebook is my first choice. Likewise if your audience is over the age of 55. 

If you want to get more rheumatologists to refer patients to you on diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis – then it’s LinkedIn. Same goes for attracting philanthropists.

4. Create a content plan

Be honest here. Do you recreate the wheel every single week or even every single day? Are you starting with a blank screen and asking ‘what should I post today?’.

It’s time to really beef up your content strategy. Every cause that is doing their social efficiently and effectively have fixed content pillars they talk to each month, story arcs they follow through for weeks (or even longer), a database of content resources and an overall plan to take people from never having heard of your cause to being raving fans ready to support you. 

You won’t ever reach the level of success you want on social media by creating posts when you find time. It has to have a plan that you stick to. 

5. Plan to grow

There have been more new social media users created in the last 12 months than in the five years that came before it. The changing world has meant more and more of us have embraced digital in a big way.

That means an even bigger potential audience for you. But it’s not just going to fall in your lap. You’re going to have to plan to grow that dream community of engaged people. You’re going to need strategy and tactics that you implement monthly to ensure a constant stream of new audience.

6. Measure your success

The single biggest way to keep your social media going from strength to strength each month is to systemise reviewing and reporting on your performance. If you can understand what worked, and what didn’t, you will be able to replicate it again the next month and add little tweaks so it keeps going from strength to strength.Don’t drown yourself in data though. Know which numbers matter to your organization, your goals and where to find them quickly and how to interpret them. 

So there you have it, my top secrets to succeeding on social media in 2022 with a well thought out strategy that will get you where you need to go. 

If you want a hand getting your strategy up and running, don’t hesitate to reach out. 

I’ve developed a number of cool programs from online self-learning to hands-on strategic consulting to help this become the year you get this right.