7 Facebook Essentials Nonprofit Marketers Need to Know

The latest Marketing Profs tutorial on What the Web Marketer Should Know about Facebook really got my attention. Facebook is the second biggest social network in the world (following MySpace), with more than 40 million users and a phenomenally high user growth rate. 

Here are 7 Facebook essentials for nonprofit marketers:

1. Your nonprofit's Web site is becoming less relevant by the minute. Users dive in and out to find exactly what they need, but few "page through" sites at this point.
2. Facebook is the primary network for college grads, and its user base is diversifying rapidly beyond students (including the aging of the initial user base), with 35+-ers comprising over 40% of users).
3. With a clean and easy-to-use interface, Facebook is coming to be THE social network, and a key tool for your nonprofit marketing.
4. So its the first social network your nonprofit should tackle -- college grads with money. See this demographic and audience analysis for proof.
5. Media is embedded right in Facebook, so you have the opportunity to do some rich storytelling with audio, video and live-streaming video.
6. Individuals with similar interests are busy developing their own communities through Facebook's friends network.All of these are opt-in only; so participants are engaged and connected, having decided to join. Perfect way to connect with target audiences on your org's issues when there's an overlap in interests.
7. Facebook is a low cost and highly effective way to engage with a broader audience.Potentials benefits are powerful promotion of your blog, e-news, events and more, and an organic way of staying in touch with core audiences on an ongoing basis. You can even organize and manage events.

Take a look at the Humane Society's Facebook page, which integrates multi-media, event management and more.

Jump in today to strengthen your nonprofit marketing. Assign a few staffers to join and set up profiles, find what's there community-wise and start to participate in related communities. From there, you'll want to launch a group for your nonprofit or event. Turn to TechSoup's Beginner's Guide to Facebook for the nitty-gritty how tos.

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Comments

[phillygrrl]

Extremely helpful! Thanks!