Thrifty Social Media Marketing Tools for Nonprofits

With all the free social media avenues available today, they are all truly geared to people and groups who want to share a message with the world, but do not have access to the funds required for TV and radio advertisements.  Fortunately, chances are the people you want to hear your message are already listening on social media outlets, it's just a matter of making the connection with them.

Of course, one of the most popular social media sites is Facebook.  It is completely free and a great place to start for those just beginning a social media campaign.  Many people find it quite intuitive when learning how to use it, but for questions one can always google "Facebook tutorials" or simply google your question in your favorite search engine and most likely an answer will turn up.

Other free social media avenues are Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr and WordPress, which is also free or has a nominal charge depending upon which WordPress version used.  Again, free help is available for each of these outlets by using a search engine to ask questions or find a tutorial for help.  The key to finding free help is to always enter the word "free" in your search criteria.

Some nonprofits may find that Facebook allows them enough flexibility to essentially have a casual blog to interact with their clients.  Others may want a more robust blog.  WordPress is a very popular blogging platform used by millions.  There are actually two different sites for WordPress.  WordPress.com is great for those who are fine with using the free tools available in WordPress without a lot of customization.  Technically, WordPress.com is free, although 3rd party ads will show on your blog site unless a $30 annual fee is paid for their removal.  WordPress will host your blog for free, albeit with a name that is somewhat unprofessional, i.e. "www.yourblogname.wordpress.com" unless you buy your own blog domain name and have it mapped to the WordPress site.  To find out the best place to buy a domain name, search for "low-cost domain hosting".  Some companies charge less than $10 per year for domain names.

WordPress.org is for people who are more comfortable with technology and want to get more involved with using tools that will create a more custom look for their blog.  The good news is that WordPress.org does not post 3rd party ads, so it is not necessary to pay a fee for their removal.  Anyone using WordPress.org must have a hosting company for their blog and hosting companies do charge fees for their services.  Again, it pays to search for low-cost domain hosting to find the best deal.

For more information about all the free social media outlets available for nonprofit organizations and suggestions on how to use them to maximize your reach, please contact us.