You’ve read about how Facebook can be used as a powerful tool within a fundraising arsenal.
Here are six more specific ways to improve your fundraising results from using Facebook:
1. Get people talking about your fundraiser on Facebook
The whole point of any Facebook marketing strategy is to get people talking about you.
When people talk about you, awareness is spread throughout Facebook via friend networks. But the reality is that people don’t like to talk about raising money. What they do like to talk about is making an impact. Creating a campaign-specific content strategy allows you to grab people’s attention within the context of the greater cause.
For example, a breast cancer foundation can focus on how breast cancer not only effects moms, but also their kids. Creating an entire content strategy around that specific topic gives current fans a new reason to talk about the organization.
2. Promote your Page Posts about the campaign
Facebook recently launched a feature that allows Facebook Page admins the ability to promote specific posts to a greater number of their Facebook fans and their friends. Select a recent post about the campaign that has a high virility and push that out to a wider audience.
3. Encourage donors to share why they gave
The moment someone actually donates to your cause is extremely precious. But because they won’t always feel this way (which another problem for another blog post), time is of the essence.
Right after they complete their donation, make sure you have a big fat “Share” button on the Thank You page.
Make sure your donation platform allows the user to log into Facebook with one click. Also, make sharing the donation amount optional (most people won’t want to share amounts)
4. Acquire emails on a custom tab
One of the most effective ways to integrate Facebook into your fundraising process is to use Facebook as your acquisition tool. If you give them good reasons to join your list eventually they’ll add their name as an expression of their deepened commitment to your organization. From that point on, your fundraising messaging will be better received, simply because the audience is more receptive.
5. Add a donation button to your campaign tab
Facebook has a much lower conversion rate than email, but certainly not zero. Putting a “donate now” button on a custom tab that’s specifically designed for your campaign will allow you to more easily promote the fundraiser within your Page stories and comments, and also allow you direct targeted Facebook users to a landing tab with Facebook ads.
It’s also important to remember that this campaign-specific approach works much better than a passive CTA that’s always present.
6. Report outcomes
Another excellent way to use Facebook is to report back to your fans how much money you raised, and more importantly how that money will be used to have an impact on the cause.
But be as specific as possible, by translating the money into specific outcomes. For example, “$10,000 of the money you donated will help build a new library for an elementary school in Tanzania”.
Try not to say “we” raised.