Nonprofit Insights: Engaging Volunteers on Facebook

Engaging Volunteers on

Facebook

September 25, 2014

#vmlearn

Who are we?

2

#vmlearn

John Haydon @JohnHaydon johnhaydon.com

Using Facebook to Engage Volunteers

• The problem with Facebook

• Brand voice versus Friend voice

• How does the newsfeed algorithm affect my Page’s reach?

• When time and day should I post updates?

• How can I optimize each type of update (text, images, links)?

• How do I ask people to volunteer on Facebook?

• What about a content calendar?

• How can I determine what content my Facebook fans like the most?

What we’ll be discussing

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Get a notepad and pen

Taking notes will increase the likelihood that you’ll take action. Also, you can jot down resources I mention that ARE NOT in the slides.

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

The problem with Facebook...

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

People don’t use Facebook to connect with brands or nonprofits

The problem with Facebook

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

70% of us trust brand recommendations from friends, but only 10% trust messages from those same brands.

- Forrester Research

The problem with Facebook

People don’t trust what you say...

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

The problem with Facebook

So where should I start?

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

First, you must understand your current fans, grasshopper.

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Facebook Graph search lets you search Facebook’s massive database of interests.

Use Graph Search to analyze your fanbase

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

Use Graph Search to analyze your fanbase

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

1. My friends who like [your org] 2. Favorite interests of people who like [your page] 3. Favorite interests of people who like [your org] and [competing page] 4. Groups of people who like [your org] 5. Pages liked by people who like [your page] 6. Pages liked by women who like [your page] 7. Pages liked by men who like [your page] 8. Fans of [your page] and [another page] 9. Restaurants in [your city] visited by people who like [your page] 10. Pages like by people who live in [your city] and like [your page]

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

Try these ten graph searches to start with...

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

#1: Start with your database!

Your Community!Subscribers!Donors!Volunteers

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

A 2012 report by Pew Internet says 75 percent of adults are engaged in volunteer work.

Friends

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

#2: Select best segment for promotion.

Your Community!Subscribers!Donors!Volunteers

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

A 2012 report by Pew Internet says 75 percent of adults are engaged in volunteer work.

Friends

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

#3: Encourage your community to tell their friends!

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

A 2012 report by Pew Internet says 75 percent of adults are engaged in volunteer work.

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

How can I effectively grow my Facebook fan base?

Convert

Click a link or scan a

QR code

Pinterest (content is key here)

Email (strategically

target segments)

Twitter (partners,

peers, advocates)

Friends

Friends

Incentive

NetworkCommunity

Photo contest Exclusive content Event participation

People in your database Friends of your community

Opt

imiz

ed m

essa

ging

Events

PR

Other channels

Clear articulation of people and objectives helps determine which strategy to use.

Clear definition of objectives helps determine strategy and KPIs.

Convert = join an email list, like a Facebook Page, sign a petition, etc.How to use Facebook to recruit volunteers

Create a plan!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

When should I post content to my Page?

Use Insights!

Insights shows you what days and times your fans are online.

When should I post content to my Page?

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Post links

Your content should be made for mobile

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

When you shorten a URL, you are taking away information the user needs to be able to decide if they should click the link or not.!!

In fact, research has shown that long URLs get 3x as many clicks as short URLs.

Post links

Don’t post short URLs

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Post links

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Post links

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Post links

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

But... links get the least engagement

!

!

!

Post links

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Post pictures!

Images get more engagement.

Post pictures!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Images also capture more physical space in the newsfeed

Post pictures!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Post pictures!

Great photos tell a story

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Great photos tell a story

Post pictures!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Resources for creating great images: !Curation: Google Plus, Reddit, Flickr, Fotolia (paid) !Editing: Pixlr, Photoshop, Over, ColourLovers.com

Post pictures!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Twitter for non-profits: Fundraising and friendraising

How can I optimize photos for the most engagement?

Use Canva to create images

Post pictures!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Ask questions!

Comment rates on questions are more than double comments on non-question updates!

from HubSpot

Ask questions!

Questions work!!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Less than 140 characters boosts engagement

Keep it short!

Ask questions!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Closed questions

Ask questions!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Closed questions take advantage of the brain’s built-in auto

complete feature.

Lower hurdles enable more action

Ask questions!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Examples that work:!

Ask questions!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Twitter for non-profits: Fundraising and friendraising

Examples that work:!

Ask questions!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Don’t forget the call-to-action!

Don’t forget the call-to-action!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Don’t forget the call-to-action!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Don’t forget the call-to-action!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Don’t forget the call-to-action!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Make sharing emotional and

conditional

Don’t forget the call-to-action!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

http://pinterest.com/johnhaydon/powerful-updates-from-nonprofit-facebook-pages/

More examples of awesome updates

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

Share stories, use CTAs, experiment!!

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

Share stories, use CTAs, experiment!!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

So how do I ask people to volunteer?

Share stories, use CTAs, experiment!!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

How can I use other channels to boost engagement on my Page?

How can I use other channels to boost engagement on my Page?

Leverage email

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Promote individual posts that have recently performed well.

!

This gets your email subscribers to join these conversation on

Facebook, which then reaches their personal friend networks.

How can I use other channels to boost engagement on my Page?

Leverage email

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

How can I use other channels to boost engagement on my Page?

Leverage your library!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Create a content calendar

How can I use a content calendar to get organized?

Watch this video to learn how to create a private Google calendar

Use Google Calendar!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

How can I use a content calendar to get organized?

Watch this video to learn how to create a private Google calendar

Use Google Calendar!

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Boosted Posts

Step #1: Rank posts by engagement rate.!!!

What are the best ways to Boost page updates?

Boosted Posts

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Step #1: Rank posts by engagement rate.!Step #2: Select top performing posts!!!

What are the best ways to Boost page updates?

Boosted Posts

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Boost Top Hits

Step #1: Rank posts by engagement rate.!Step #2: Select top performing posts!Step #3: Selectively boost!!!

What are the best ways to Boost page updates?

Boosted Posts

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

What are the best ways to Boost page updates?

Boosted Posts

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Q&A

Founder of Inbound Zombie - a non-profit social media consultancy in Cambridge, MA

Instructor at Marketing Profs University

Author: Facebook Marketing for Dummies, 3rd and 4th Editions

Speaker: The Nonprofit Technology Conference, Social Media 4 Nonprofits, Blackbaud’s BBCon, New Media Expo, AFP New Jersey, TechSoup, GrantSpace, Chronicle of Philanthropy, NetworkForGood and various local Chamber of Commerce.

Clients include: Habitat for Humanity, EpicChange, Share Our Strength, Environmental Defense Fund, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston Medical Center, Community TechKnowledge, Scholastic, TechSoup, WaterAid America, University of Massachusetts, Community Music Center of Boston, National Wildlife Federation, Razoo Foundation.

Using Facebook to engage volunteers

Questions?

3

#vmlearn

John Haydon @JohnHaydon johnhaydon.com

Next Webinar:

Making It Last with For-

Profit Companies

http://learn.volunteermatch.org

#vmlearn

October 22, 2014