Who do we communicate with and what do we want from them?
The first step is to consider who you can reach with your social media posts. All of a sudden, our followers (likes) probably come to mind very correctly, but beyond them, we can potentially reach new people with a simple organic post, as the algorithms will not only show us content from the pages we follow but also those that they think are interesting to us based on our previous activity. In addition, if we use hashtags or if someone comments/shares our post, we can reach new people right away. (If you'd like to read about how you can use algorithm-friendly strategies to be present on Facebook, read this article.)
The second step is to think about what we want from those we reach. As simple as this may seem, it may not always be something we pay enough attention to. We can ask for specific support, to sign a petition, but also to share our post, comment or like. In all cases, we need to think carefully about what the ultimate goal of a particular post is, so that we can formulate our message accordingly.
In summary:
Who are we reaching on social media channels?
Our own existing followers
People who are not yet following you, but potentially will
What do we want from them?
Become a follower
Take our message to others: comment, like, share our post
Financial support, volunteering, signing a petition
Love us, commit to us for a longer-term
The above are also ranked according to the level of engagement because while you can ask for self-selection from people who have only liked your page, it is much more reasonable to target people who have already.
From whetting the appetite to becoming a regular
Imagine you are running a restaurant. Your aim is to get as many people as possible to know and love your cuisine, to come back regularly, and to recommend you to their friends.
How will you do it?
First, you need to attract attention: with mouth-watering photos, videos of the dishes and the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Once the appetite has been whetted, the next step is to turn interested parties into consumers: a clear, attractive menu, realistic prices, friendly service, etc. This is where the actual purchase takes place.
Once someone has been your guest, you want them to come again. To do this, you can use a loyalty discount, an extra gift for club members, or the introduction of something new so they don't get bored of what you have to offer. The key is to make the customer feel that it's important for you to keep them coming back.
Now try to translate this restaurant analogy into the language of your own organization.
"Appetite stimulation" - here we mean content that shows through pictures and videos the way your body feels about life. The main focus is on visuals and you are trying to engage people with your message through emotion.
"Buy" - once the interest is there and your followers have an idea of the values you represent, you can make specific requests. This content type is for fundraising, recruiting volunteers, signing petitions, subscribing to newsletters, encouraging people to vote, etc. Your goal here is to get your followers to take a specific "action" of your choosing. In such posts, always use a "call to action", i.e. a call to action that clearly tells the reader what you want to ask for, e.g. "Subscribe to our newsletter!" "Support camping for underprivileged children!" "Sign the petition!"
It is very important not to forget the people who have been following and/or supporting your organization for a long time. They are not as excited by "appetizing" posts as they are familiar with your activities. To keep them interested, it is worth creating more "exclusive" content. This means different things for every organization, but you can think of things like jokes that are only obvious to the inner circle of the community, language that only people who have been following you for a while understand, or the classic "behind the scenes" content - funny candid photos from a formal photo shoot, bloopers from a campaign video, cute cats and dogs in the office, informal introductions to colleagues, etc. This extra content is specifically designed to show people who know and trust your work the human side of your business and feel an even stronger connection with you.
To summarize, the following table shows which message types should be used for which purposes, and the characteristics that can be used to measure effectiveness.
What proportion of the three content types should be used?
It depends on the characteristics of your organization and the social media platform you use. The table below can be used as a guide, but it's worth experimenting.
In the last line, you will see that e-mail has been added as a channel. Although we've mainly talked about social media so far, the principle applies to emails (e.g. newsletters) as well and you can see how the proportions are shifting. While social media channels (specific to the nature of the platforms) are dominated by the "appetite stimulation" category, where the emphasis is on visuals and emotion, email communication should have a much greater emphasis on direct, concrete messages for action.
Specific examples of the three types
The following examples of the three types are taken from the Bánkitó Festival Instagram page. Although Bánkitó is not a classical NGO, as a value-based non-profit festival, its communication is relevant for an average NGO.
In the first category, we see mood pictures: this is what we can expect when we go to the festival, and this is the feeling of life that we can use to attract attention.
The second category is specifically about ticket sales, where we formulate what we are asking the audience to do - in the example, the invitation to buy a festival ticket is a quasi-request to buy the ticket. In this category, it often works better to use graphic content instead of photo/video, but only if the graphic very clearly summarizes what you are asking for.
In the third category, two members of the crew toast on the terrace of the Catfish pub. The sign reads "All is well in Bánko, the Harcsa is open" - a post understood by those who have been to the festival and know that the Harcsa is a cult place on the lake. So those who have bought tickets to the festival can count on continuing to be part of the community they want to belong to.
In the bottom post, the festival organizers also write about the values they stand for as human beings and encourage their followers to come out to the first influenza protest.
How do I put this system into practice?
Once you understand the difference between the three types of content, you can start putting it into practice!
Take a look at the content of your most recent months or your most important campaigns and try to put them into one of three categories. If you can't fit into one of the three categories, think about what you would need to change to fit into one of them.
Then start brainstorming content for the coming weeks and months, with this in mind. Collect content ideas for each type (you don't need to write the specific post, just have the key message and the idea).
Each post (or email) should have a specific, pre-defined purpose, so keep this in mind when brainstorming.
- What is the aim: to attract new followers? Retain old supporters? To ask for support?
- Who are we addressing: people who are meeting us for the first time or people who already know us well?
Bring on the content calendar! If you haven't used a content calendar before, this is a good place to start. The content calendar is a tool to plan in advance the content that will go out through your different communication channels. It will help you to keep the right proportion of content types and to see you through the coming weeks and months so that you can plan your communications. Feel free to copy this content calendar template and adapt it for yourself, but if you type "social media content calendar" into a search engine, you'll find plenty of free templates with other breakdowns.
Now that you've learned about the three types of targeted communication, it's time to put them into practice! Start planning, create mindfully and don't be afraid to experiment with the proportions of content types. If you consistently apply the methods outlined in this article, you'll soon not only attract new followers but also build a strong community of people who will support your goals in the long run. Get started now and make the most of your communications!