#MakeItSocial – Make Social Media Count With This Free Guide

Social media may be a relatively new discipline, but it has significantly affected the way we communicate today – think about how Twitter breaks news stories and how everyone can now be a citizen journalist. Over the years, the social media landscape has changed quite a lot and we still face all sorts of changes every day. From new algorithms and rules to improved attempts in battling trolls and online abuse, it’s vital to stay informed of the changes that happen.

The power of social media

Social media wields huge power and influence, which raises important questions such as whether it should be regulated. Given this power and influence is not always positive, it is one of the reasons why we started our #ReclaimSocial campaign two years ago as a way to counteract all the negativity that was flooding our social media feeds. Social media had become nefarious and we wanted to take social back to a time when it wasn’t so filled with hate, trolls, doom and gloom. Instead, we wanted to amplify more inspiration and empower charities to come together, on one day, to share positive stories about their work and their impact. The wide reach and success of the campaign helped remind people of how social media can, and must, be used as a force for good.

The need to #MakeItSocial

We’ve seen first-hand how powerful social media can be when it’s used in a positive way, which is why we’re delighted to be sponsoring the #MakeItSocial guide by Social Misfits Media, along with the Institute of Fundraising.

The third sector has the best stories to tell and social media can make the perfect channel to highlight them. It’s especially important, therefore, for the sector to celebrate the successful use of social media to inspire others to get started. It is also important to keep up with the latest changes across each platform and know how high-impact organisations can make the most of them. #MakeItSocial delivers both of those things, which is why we wanted to support it in every way that we can.

If you’re just getting started with social media, this guide will help you understand the elements of a successful social presence. If you’re confident about your social media skills, this guide will be a really help you feel inspired by successful case studies and how other organisations decided to try out new paths in their social media strategies.

While many charities still lack the resources and the skills to focus on their digital strategies, we need more guides like this one to prove the real value of social media and how more nonprofit organisations can benefit from it.

Reading the #MakeItSocial guide

The in-depth #MakeItSocial guide gives charities the practical tools to build a loyal community and to create content that engages them and inspires them to take action – whether that’s making a donation or signing a petition.

There are more than 50 pages of tips, best practice and case studies to inspire you.

To make it easier to digest, Social Misfits Media have divided it into three main sections – Community, Engagement and Solicitation (making an ask), which are the fundamental aspects of social media success. This isn’t meant to be a guide that you read and then stick in a drawer – it’s meant to be a working document that you can keep referring to as your social media activities grow. There are helpful checklists at the end of each section to help you take action and keep improving your social media work.

And while social media is brilliant for raising awareness, it can also be powerful for raising funds – just look at the success of #GivingTuesday and #RedNoseDay. Unfortunately, not enough charities are integrating social media into their overall fundraising strategy, which means they’re missing out. The ‘Solicitation’ part of the guide will give you the understanding and tools needed to create a strategy to make better asks.

We’re hoping that you enjoy this guide as much as we do. It’s been an amazing effort from the wonderful team at Social Misfits Media and we are very proud of sponsoring it to make sure that it reaches as many charities as possible.

If you’re ready to take the next step on your social media journey, you can read the free guide here.

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