Developing a Social Media Presence on Facebook - Is It for Your Nonprofit Organization?

Today, there is quite a bit of buzz about social media, what it is, and whether or not you should develop a social media presence. And, you have probably heard about a variety of social media sites, such as MySpace, Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook. Because the number of social media sites can be overwhelming, this article’s focus is on using Facebook, as a tool in your social media campaign.

Prior to pursuing any type of social media presence, you should assess whether or not it is worth your time and effort. If you develop a presence on Facebook, will it help you to market your services and programs, recruit potential clients, and recruit potential board members, volunteers, and funders? If you believe this approach has potential, and I believe it does, the first thing you should do is review your current strategic plan. Does it include goals and objectives related to developing and maintaining a social media presence or not? If so, who is responsible for this activity? If there is nothing in your strategic plan related to social media, the development and implementation of a social media campaign should be discussed with and approved by your board of directors before you proceed with developing a social media presence.

Your next step would then be to develop a business or fan page on Facebook. You will have to sign up to create a business page on Facebook, but there is no charge to do so. In addition, Facebook provides instructions on how to create your business page. I recommend that you review other business pages on Facebook to see how they are structured, and to assess what you like or don't like about them. Once you have a good idea of how you want to use your business page and how it should look, it is time to start developing it.

Facebook has a Help Center with three categories: Using Facebook, Facebook Applications & Features, and Ads & Business Solutions. Although all three categories provide helpful information, you will want to pay specific attention to the latter category, as your focus is on developing a business page.

As you build your page, you are going to want to address the following items:

1. Page title - This should be the name of your organization or your “dba (doing business as)” name.

2. Page administrator(s) - You will have to appoint one or more administrators to manage your page. These are the individuals who will update your page, respond to friend requests, answer questions, etc.

3. Page icon - You will need to post an icon on your page that says “Like.” When people click on this “thumbs-up” icon, they will become a fan of your business page. Facebook provides instructions regarding posting this icon on your business page.

4. Page logo or photo – There is an area at the top left-hand portion of your business page where you can post your organization's logo or a picture from one of your fundraising or other events.

5. Message box - Underneath the space for your picture or logo, there is a box to insert a small message. I recommend that you insert your mission statement in this box, as it is generally one of the first items that visitors to your page look at.

6. Page tabs - There are a series of tabs at the top of your business page. The “Wall” tab/page is where you can post a daily message, highlight an upcoming event, alert your viewers that you are looking for volunteers or board members, or announce a new service or program. On this page, it will also allow your visitors to post messages or advertisements. The “Info” tab/page is where you can provide information on your programs and services, and other critical information you want your viewers to see. The “Events” tab/page is where you can post upcoming events, such as classes, workshops, etc. There are other tabs you can use as well, but I feel that the three mentioned above are the most important.

Once you develop your page, you now have to get people to visit it. Your first effort should be to invite all of your internal and external stakeholders to become fans of your business page. Ask them to invite their friends, family members, and colleagues to become fans as well. You can also start befriending people on Facebook who might be interested in your business page. In addition, you can post an ad on Facebook to advertise your business page, as long as you have funds in your budget to cover this expense.

The bottom line is, the more people you get to become fans of your business page, and the more you communicate with them by posting information on your “Wall” (I recommend weekly or biweekly), the more people will know about your services, programs, activities, and upcoming events. This can lead to an increase in potential clients, individuals who may be interested in working for your organization, and individuals who might want to volunteer or be a board member.

Copyright 2010 © Sharon L. Mikrut, All rights reserved.