The Power of Your Board Members
What if we told you that nonprofits have a secret marketing weapon that could increase engagement, establish longtail SEO, elevate your organization’s online profile across platforms and is almost free?
Spoiler alert: It’s your organization’s board members.
While a board of directors typically guides and advises an organization on various matters, their specific actions often depend on the type of board. There are a number of different kinds of boards. When you leverage the combined communication power of their members, you can complement and amplify the impact of each of your organization’s advertising dollars.
Here are some common types of boards:
Advisory board
Governing board
Managing or executive board
Working board
Cortex board
Cooperative board
Policy or carver board
Fundraising board
Patron board
Competency board
When board members share or amplify content, the engagement and impressions from any given post (or tweet) is referred to as organic (or unpaid). Organic engagement is doubly powerful, because it’s usually fueled by positive sentiment.
Anything your board members share is infused with passion and integrity, because if they’re serving on your board, they already believe in your mission and its importance.
Some board members may not be using social media. Some may be using one or two platforms. Some may have an active presence on multiple channels. Regardless of the level of familiarity with social media they may have, here are three simple ways your built-in brand advocates can help spread the word about the good work you do.
• Pick a platform. As we mentioned above, it’s possible to have a significant impact in the social media space even if you’re only using one platform. The secret is to be consistent and to post strategically. Make sure that the chosen platform aligns with the personality and habits of the individual. LinkedIn may appeal to an influential CEO, whereas TikTok may be a great fit for a junior executive whose network reflects a different demographic.
• Be intentional about your information. Why are you sharing it? Who benefits? Keep in mind that if your organization includes multiple beneficiaries in a single post, the impact will make more of a splash. Make sure that your update includes keywords, a call to action (for example, a link to a landing page for registrations or donations). Keep posts to one topic at a time. Sending mixed messages, or combining asks from the audience will dilute the strength of the message (and possibly confuse your supporters).
• Leave digital breadcrumbs. Tag any and all partners. Cross post with your partners. Make sure you’re all using the same keywords, links and digital markers, like hashtags. The flip side of this is using social media for data capture. Organizations that are mindful about social media can build their memberships, newsletter lists, identify brand ambassadors and expand outreach.
• But don’t forget: Without established boundaries, your staff and volunteers will be left guessing what is and what isn’t appropriate to share when using social media. Providing them with best practices in representing the organization will set you up for success and help you develop great ambassadors for your mission. Drafting a social media policy or employing social media consultants to help train your team can go a long way in making sure that you’re making the most of what social media has to offer.
That’s where the crackerjack squad of PGM comes in. We’ve leveraged social media for social good for many organizations, helping them to focus on their missions while we focus on their messaging.
We also believe so strongly in the power of mission-based work that we’ve been certified as a B Corp Certification — a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.
But enough about us.
We would love to partner with you to help your organization do more good in the world. To get started on the next steps, check out our nonprofit marketing offerings, or send us an email at [email protected] to learn more.
