Hi friends!
Picture this: You’re in charge of your nonprofit’s social media.
You’re getting creative with your photos, videos, and stories.
You’re giving 110% to creating content your audience wants to see.
And yet, despite all that effort, your content isn’t generating any more likes, comments, shares, or followers than when you started.
Frustrating, right?
Now, when this kind of thing happens (your efforts far exceed your results) it’s easy to get bogged down by the “I must be terrible at social media” thoughts… but allow me to set the record straight:
You’re not “terrible” at running your nonprofit’s social media.
You’re just missing a little experimental flair....
Why experimenting with social media matters
Feeling confused about the “right” way to approach social media doesn’t take much.
A simple Google” search or LinkedIn scroll can leave you with contradictory information about which times and days are the “best” to post on, or what kind of content is “sure to go viral.”
But, the truth about finding success on social media?
It’s not that simple!
That’s where experimentation comes into play — because the only way to find out what truly works for your nonprofit is by finding what doesn’t work, too!
Two simple ways to experiment with social media
When I work with nonprofits on exploring new social media approaches, we always start with the same two experiments:
1 - Experiment with when you post
Experimenting with “when” you post can mean the day of the week or the time.
For example, if your nonprofit typically posts on Tuesdays, you might experiment with Monday or Wednesday posts instead. Or, if you post most often in the mornings, you might switch things up by posting in the afternoon or evening.
Try out your new day or time for about a month, open up your social media’s statistics, and use the data to answer questions like:
- Did my audience respond more when I posted on Mondays or Wednesdays?
- Did my audience respond more when I posted in the morning or afternoon?
2 - Experiment with what you post
Experimenting with “what” you post can mean the topic of your content or the format.
For example, if your nonprofit typically posts about events or initiatives, you might experiment with some more people-focused posts like a “Meet the Team” series. Or, if you post static images with graphics or text most often, try posting a photo or a video instead.
Try out your new content angle for about a month, open up your social media’s statistics, and use the data to answer questions like:
- Did my audience respond more to event-focused posts or people-focused posts?
- Did my audience respond more when I posted videos or photos? Photos or graphics?
Whether you’re exploring new post days or times or trying out a new type of content, keep in mind that experiments only work with one variable change at a time.
With too many new changes on the go, you can’t pinpoint exactly which one led to an increase (or decrease) in followers, likes, or engagement…
And that data is the only way to start making meaningful, impactful changes to your nonprofit’s social media.
Remember: social media is social!
During your month of timing and content experimentation, don’t forget that social media is social.
Keep engaging, sharing, and commenting as you usually would, because experiments work best when you keep everything else business as usual.
And who knows — maybe consistent engagement is exactly what your social media presence needs!
Now, before you go, I’d love to ask:
What’s your nonprofit’s biggest frustration with social media right now?
Reply and let me know, and I'll help!
Catrina
