Four Social Media “Best Practices” Nonprofits Should Ignore (Really)

Nonprofit social media marketers often find themselves overwhelmed by the demands of managing social media with limited resources. Unlike for-profit companies with entire teams dedicated to social media, nonprofit organizations must juggle a hundred different responsibilities, often without the luxury of specialized roles or extensive budgets.

Why Nonprofits Struggle with Social Media

When I say “nonprofit marketers,” that’s a pretty generous title since, as noted, many nonprofits don’t have dedicated full-time teams of marketing staff, let alone those explicitly focused on social media. Often, a “nonprofit marketer” is a volunteer who is placed in the role or a development staff member who’s asked to also “manage social media” in addition to their fundraising responsibilities.

To compound the issue of being strapped for time, nonprofits are generally resource-starved and rarely commit their precious and limited resources toward investment in social media. But that’s okay! Nonprofits can achieve success with social media marketing, and they can do that with organic (unpaid) reach. If they know where it makes sense to focus their attention and limited resources, and they know what to ignore.

The “Nice to Haves” You Should Ignore

In the for-profit world, social media strategies are often fine-tuned to perfection, with extensive attention paid to algorithms, data analytics, and search engine optimization (SEO). And again, with dedicated teams of highly trained and well-resourced marketing professionals to do it all.

But for nonprofit marketers, these can be time-sucking distractions. That’s not to say that these things aren’t important in social media marketing (of course they are!), but they require extensive time and skill to manage and do well.

So, while it goes against conventional wisdom, these are the aspects of social media marketing that nonprofits should ignore—well, at least those without a social media marketing team. These are the “nice to haves.”

1. Algorithms: Algorithms are constantly changing, and trying to master them is an exercise in futility for nonprofit marketers who don’t have the time to keep up. While understanding the basics of how algorithms work is important, you should not waste time trying to beat them. Instead, focus on consistently posting quality content. The algorithms will take care of themselves.
2. Data and Analytics: While data-driven decisions are valuable, delving deep into social media metrics can become a major distraction. Most nonprofit marketers don’t have the luxury of time to analyze every like, share, or comment. Instead, a general understanding of what’s working and what’s not is enough. Focus on the big picture rather than getting lost in the weeds.
3. Social Media Rulebook: Conventional wisdom about the “best times to post” or “how many hashtags to use” can be helpful, but it’s not worth obsessing over. The rules change constantly, and what works today might not work tomorrow. Instead, focus on consistently delivering valuable content to your audience.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is another area that can consume a lot of time and effort. While it’s good to be mindful of keywords in your social media captions and understand the basics of SEO, nonprofit marketers should not spend too much time on it. Mastering SEO is an incredibly demanding task that evolves constantly and requires more time and expertise than most nonprofits can afford.

Focus on What Matters: Three Building Blocks

Given the resource constraints, nonprofit marketers should focus on three core building blocks: quality, consistency, and efficiency. This approach allows you to maximize your impact without getting bogged down by the distractions of the “nice to haves.”

• Quality: Ensure that your content is valuable and relevant to your audience. Use tools like Canva for design and ChatGPT for content ideas to create professional-looking posts without needing an entire team of designers or writers.
• Consistency: Develop a routine for posting regularly. Batch creation and centralized scheduling can help you manage social media content more effectively, freeing up time to focus on other important tasks.
• Efficiency: Leverage automation tools like ManyChat and Repurpose to streamline your social media management. These tools can help you maintain a strong social media presence without requiring daily hands-on involvement.

Related: Read my article about nonprofits can leverage social media automations.

Implementing Systems

As a nonprofit marketer (or someone who’s been asked to lead your nonprofit’s social media marketing efforts), you probably don’t have the luxury of focusing on every single aspect of social media marketing. However, by filtering out the distractions and concentrating on what truly matters—quality, consistency, and efficiency—you can still significantly impact your social media efforts.

To do this, you need a system. The Marketing Magic Marsterclass is designed for this purpose. It teaches nonprofit marketers how to ignore the “nice to haves” (while showing them the basics they do need to know) and provides methods for mastering the three foundational elements of social media marketing—the “must-haves.”

Systems are all about working smarter, not harder, and making the most of the resources you do have. Because of the nature of nonprofits and resource constraints, having great systems is especially important for these organizations. By implementing this particular system, you’ll be able to drive engagement, grow your audience, and further your nonprofit’s mission without getting overwhelmed by the “nice to haves.” Learn more about the masterclass.