Countless companies and organizations are heading over to Instagram to promote their products and services. Plus, nonprofits are looking to score followers on Instagram to gain support for their causes.
But what happens if your nonprofit is on a tight budget and or it’s never used Instagram in terms of business? Don’t panic! We’ve got you covered with these 8 practical tips on how your nonprofit can stand out above the crowd on one of the most popular social media platforms to date!
- Create An Account For Instagram Business Tools
“Before you can have an Instagram for your nonprofit, you’ll have to switch from a Personal account to a Business account, if you don’t have one already,” says David Schwartz, a marketing blogger at Academ advisor and Writing populist. Creating a Business account is free, and it gives you the many tools that you can use, such as the ability to add a Contact button, and the ability to look at Analytics.”
- Have an Accurate and Complete Profile
With your profile as your homepage on Instagram, it’s important to make it look as complete and accurate as possible. Why? Because that’s the first thing that users will see when they find you. In other words, your Business profile acts as the “first impression” for those curious about your organization and your cause. By setting up a Contact button, users can just tap on the button to find a phone number, email, etc.
- Know Your Audience
Your nonprofit should already know who your target audience is. However, the success of your nonprofit on Instagram depends on your followers. Your followers determine how you talk to your audience, and what content they want from you.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Who will most likely respond to your call to action(s)?
- What are their motivations?
- What are their hopes and dreams?
- Why would they support your cause?
- Have a Purpose
Along with your audience, you’ll also need to know your purpose. Why do you want your nonprofit on Instagram?
First, do a little assessment. That should help you come up with answers to the following objectives:
- How do you want to build your community?
- How do you wish to showcase your work, culture, and values?
- How do you want to build brand awareness?
- Why bring your nonprofit to Instagram specifically?
- How is Instagram different from other platforms?
- Link Instagram and Facebook Pages
By the time you’ve switched over to a Business profile, you should be able to link your Instagram and Facebook pages. By linking both pages, you can then run ads on both platforms and learn how they’re performing. This ensures that all of your followers – Instagram and Facebook – can stay up-to-date on your nonprofit.
- Create Instagram-Worthy Posts
Now, it’s time to create content! Remember: Instagram isn’t just about posting photos and videos; it’s about creating GOOD-QUALITY content that best fits your audience.
Here are some examples of good-quality content on Instagram:
- Educational videos (i.e., PSAs)
- Behind the scenes (i.e., your nonprofit’s workplace culture)
- Testimonials (i.e., impact stories, from volunteers, etc.)
- Partner showcases (sponsor takeovers)
Also, learn the basic aesthetics of an Instagram post:
- Character counts
- Relevant hashtags
- Appropriate emoji usage, etc.
- Create Eye-Catching Captions
“On Instagram, you shouldn’t just rely on photos and videos to grab people’s attention,” says Kevin Masterson, a business writer at Academized review and Dissertation service. “Writing compelling captions for said photos and videos is just as important. Just keep in mind that you’ll only have 2,200 characters to create a good caption.”
- Post Regularly
Finally, it’s important to be consistent with your postings. Like exercise, you should stay active on your social media, including Instagram. Not posting on a regular basis will not only net you less followers, but you’ll also start losing followers and or credibility for your nonprofit.
So, be committed to your postings by doing the following:
- Post at least three times a week.
- Experiment with various content, and see what works.
- Look for notable trends in your Instagram Insights.
- Schedule posts with tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.
- Remember: It’s always quality over quantity.
Conclusion
As you can see, Instagram can be useful for your nonprofit, as long as you take into account these 8 helpful tips. While things won’t happen overnight, it’s still important to work towards success on Instagram. Once you know the ropes, and keep at it, you’ll soon see more donors and supporters following your cause.
Kristin Herman is a writer at Student writing services and Resumention.com. She is also a contributing writer for online publications, such as Write my essay. As a marketing writer, she blogs about the latest trends in social media marketing and influencing.
