5 learnings from the masters of social media you can use in your fundraising today

Internet is a massive testing ground. Let’s learn from the best and do our jobs better!

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1. Build a community & story around your cause

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Modern audiences have learned to filter out advertisement.

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Your audience support your mission.

Forget advertising.Build your content strategy around your story.

Most interesting stories are created, when you build your story around your core values.

Apple story’s core values: Beauty, uniqueness

Example // Apple

Example // Apple

Greenpeace story’s core value: Courage, protection

Example // Greenpeace

Example // Greenpeace

Charity: Water story’s core values: Joy, access

Example // Charity: Water

Patagonia story’s core values: Adventure, Sustainability

Example // Patagonia

Clothing company’s founder saying we shouldn’t buy his clothes when we don’t need them is a powerful way to tell the company’s story.

In the age of advertising fatigue authenticity creates interest.

Ask these questions to make your brand more story focused:

What are my brand’s core values? What kind of stories can I build around them?

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Maya Angelou

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget

how you made them feel.”

Value statement as a name of a social media channel

Learning 1: Build a community and story around your cause. Always keep your core values at the centre of your story.

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2. Use the content types of social media heroes

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Some content types are “made to be shared”

The important question to ask yourself is: How can I give my content a more shareable form?

List articles

How would you use list articleswith this campaign?

Using Facebook’s autoplay to your advantage

Facebook wants to increase its market share in videos. They are currently giving more organic views for posts with

videos. Autoplay has also dramatically increased (really short) video views on Facebook.

Create videos that work without sound when they are autoplayed on your followers’ newsfeeds.

Static vs. content-driven landing pages

The most typical way to fundraise online is to drive traffic to a static landing page.

This works fine but attracts little organic traffic.

What about making your story your landing page?

Combining a donation / signup form with shareable content lets you drive organic traffic turn donations / leads.

Signup form next to shareable content:Conversions from organic traffic

Learning 2: Always look for ways to give your content a more shareable format.

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3. Use emotion right to make your content shareable

First some fundraising realities

Case RokiaSave the Children & Rokia

3.2 million people live on the verge of starvation. 2.4 million had no access to clean water. In a third country, 4 million children needed emergency shelter. Serious, urgent crises affecting a huge number of children.

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100

Hunger Acces to clean water

Save the Children & Rokia

Rokia is a 7-year-old girl from Mali, Africa. She's desperately poor and faces a threat of severe hunger or even starvation. Her life will be changed for the better as a result of your financial gift.

Case Rokia

0

0.6

1.2

1.8

2.4

Statistics Rokia's story

$

Case Rokia

How do sad stories work in social media?

Emotion

SadnessIn a study on how much New York Times articles are shared: Sadness = -16% sharing

© Elizabeth Haslam

Emotion

What aboutangry?

Emotion

Angry / anxious

Boosts sharing

Why angry works and sad doesn’t?

Study on New York Times’ sharing: Physical arousal

boosts sharing

Stuff that makes your heart race

makes you share

The issue we face as fundraisers:

Our issues are often sad

How to use emotion right?

SOS Children’s Villages Norway tested whether passersby would give their jacket to Johannes.

Sadness: Johannes doesn’t have a jacket Hope: People are willing to help Sadness: The situation in Syria

Hope: YOU

Learning 3: Always combine low-intensity feelings (e.g. sadness) with activating feelings (e.g. angriness, hope).

© lauren rushing (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

80% of your readers will read your headline only

Headline is your only chance.

You have to nail it!

© amanda tipton (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

"Curiosity gap”

George Loewenstein: curiosity has two components

1. I notice there’s a gap in my knowledge (heading)

2. I close the gap (click)

People have an inherit need to close the gaps in their knowledge.

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Graphic: NY Mag

Obama’s campaign email subjects were all about surprise.

Or how does it feel to get a “Meet me for dinner” email from the president?

Use numbers

Readers look for value and specificity. Numbers are a great way to promise you aren’t going to waster their time.


Address your reader

The surest way to make your headline relevant to your reader is to address her in the headline.


Use email to drive shares on Facebook.

Use email to drive tweets. This works great for thank you emails!

Drive shares for key Facebook posts on your campaign landing or thank you page.

Launching a “viral video”? Create a custom audience out of your viewers.

Instagram followers

Facebook Followers

Traffic to landing page

Running successful articles on specific topics? Retarget yourreaders with related messages.

Learning 5: Link between channels in more ways than just driving traffic to your landing page.

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Thoughts, questions, comments?


Thank you! Lets keep up the conversation! Follow @Touko_S to stay in touch and get digital marketing updates!

Send in your thoughts, questions & comments on chat or on Twitter @Touko_S

© Boqiang Liao (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Learning 1: Build a community and story around your cause. Always keep your core values at the centre of your story.

Learning 2: Always look for ways to give your content a more shareable format.

Learning 3: Always combine low-intensity feelings (e.g. sadness) with activating feelings (e.g. angriness, hope).

Learning 5: Link between channels in more ways than just driving traffic to your landing page.

Learning 4: Know the psychology behind a click and use it!

Thoughts, questions, comments?


Thank you! Lets keep up the conversation! Follow @Touko_S to stay in touch and get digital marketing updates!

Send in your thoughts, questions & comments on chat or on Twitter @Touko_S

5 learnings from the masters of social media you can use in your fundraising today

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