5 Nonprofit Social Media Trends For 2017

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title_blog12The key to any successful marketing strategy is to adapt as changes occur in the industry. 2016 has seen an array of new developments and shifts in social media. Going into 2017, your nonprofit will increase donor engagement by integrating some of these growing trends into your social media strategy.

  1. Live Video. In 2016, we saw a burst of live video in the world of social media and “going live” is now a buzzing component of Facebook and Instagram feeds. As one of Facebook’s newest features, live video is pushed out to your followers (via notification or in timelines) much more than a simple post is. There are many different ways to use live video to your benefit and doing so will increase your engagement and reach exponentially. 
  2. Storytelling. In 2017, it will become even more important to share your story with your followers. By using Instagram stories and/or Snapchat, you’re able to give your audience an inside look at your nonprofit that they can’t get with regular posts. Also, using these live and more active platforms better guarantees that your post will be seen by your followers and target demographic.
  3. Less clutter, more meaning. As social media platforms continue to shift towards a more complex algorithm for brands news feed display, your nonprofit should focus on putting out powerful content that resonates with your audience, focusing on quality over quantity. Although it may seem like the more you post, the more your content will be shown to your followers, it’s actually the opposite.
  4. Engagement. In 2016, we saw Facebook add a notification to all brand pages that tells the viewer how quickly the page replies to messages. It’s becoming increasingly more important to reply and engage with fans on all social platforms. Replying to comments and engaging with your followers humanizes your nonprofit and reminds people that there’s a person behind the status update.
  5. Show personality. Along with the ever-growing importance of humanizing your nonprofit, it’s also important to let your personality shine through the content you create. Memes, gifs and emojis are ways that you can add personality to your posts while increasing engagement.

The key to finding success on social media is to develop a well thought-out strategy that not only fits your brand’s goal and mission, but also goes along with the trends. By finding the happy medium between what your audience wants to hear and what you want to post, you’ll see your audience and engagement grow in 2017! Looking to refresh and rejuvenate your online presence? Check out our social media packages here.