Photo By: Olivier DELAERE

Advertising can be extremely expensive and with the economic downturn no one can afford not to market their business. A combination of media with a solid frequency is generally the best way to go to create and maintain a presence in the marketplace. But what about non-profit organizations?

Non profits generally run under some sort of funding program. Whether they are given state funding, or rely on privat funding to operate, non-profits generally don’t have loads of money to spend on their marketing efforts. A solid combo of frequency and reach is not easy to come by when marketing for a non-profit.

Social Media and Non-Profits Go Hand in Hand

I think Social Media is even more ideal for non-profits than for-profit organizations (though it’s great for for-profits too of course). Obviously the free price tag is an excellent reason. Leveraging social media will allow non-profits to really stretch the marketing dollars they have, or allow them to market themselves should they not have a budget.

We already know that companies tend to do well with social media because the consumer feels more comfortable. Their guard is down, and the company is able to effectively reach them without the “salesy” vibe. This works even better in the non-profit’s favor, because they aren’t making profits. Rather than a company benefitting directly, the funds they bring in go directly to those who need it the most.

Consumers will tend to feel more open to non-profits because they can feel good about supporting a cause. It makes them feel good, and even look good to others. Viral networking will help your non-profit to weave its way through more and more networks. Even if you have supporters/friends in your network that don’t attend events or donate, they’ll still help you to expand your own network so you can eventually find people who will. If your cause is something others can believe in, many people will take on a personal interest and promote your organization and upcoming events for you.

Get Started

A great resource to keep you up to date with social media specifically for non-profit organizations, is a blog I stumbled upon written by Beth Kanter , called “How Non-Profits Can Use Social Media.” Beth is extremely passionate about what she does, and has some pretty cool information from both herself and guest bloggers.

Facebook, has an excellent way for non-profits to reach people. The “Causes” application created by Project Agape , makes it possible for anyone to create a cause, recruit a following, update your network and even raise money directly through the application.  The process is simple, free and very effective.

In this society it is difficult to keep the attention spans of consumers. Utilizing social media can keep your organization at the tip of people’s minds—constantly. Traditional marketing allows a non-profit to create awareness–Social media allows non-profits to create a movement.