Integrated Branding Blog | Movéo

3 Simple Ways Non-profits Can Promote a Cause Through Social Media

1. Tweet. Find people who are interested in your topic by searching conversations on search.twitter.com. Reach out by following them and sending them a personalized message. You'll be surprised by how many follow back or find you by searching through conversations. Once you've built a following. Share your important announcements and hopefully some of your followers will Retweet it to their followers.

Just make sure that you're not only tweeting about yourself. Converse with your followers by answering or asking questions that pertain to them. Be active within your online community.

2. Create a Facebook page. Add your cause to Facebook and Causes.com and share your story. Make sure to let your Twitter followers and others that you have a Facebook page.

3. Rich media. Create videos and upload them to YouTube. Take pictures and add them to Flickr. Not only are these sites search engines in their own right, but can easily integrate with other social media platforms. You might embed a video or slideshow on your homepage or provide links as references in a tweet or Facebook post. Content is critical when it comes to social media, so never stop creating it or sharing it.

Once you've mastered these tactics, you can look into some additional ways to get involved. Make sure others can easily share your content with the click of a button, no matter where it is located. You might even contact a popular blog or social media guru and ask them for an interview concerning your cause. Getting visibility on a site like Mashable or Digg can turn a campaign viral in the blink of an eye.

Nonprofit social media marketing on Facebook

Because of the valiant deeds that many non-profits perform, it's no surprise that people can have a strong emotional bond with a particular organization that may have helped one of their friends or family members in the past. Because of this affinity, it's reasonable to believe that a non-profit can successfully find friends to follow them on Facebook.

Just think about the number of people involved with a non-profit organization. It's very likely that many of them have Facebook accounts, simply considering the number of people that use this platform.

It is free to setup a Facebook fan page. It just takes someone to manage it and make sure that content is being provided. Posting event updates and pictures to your page is a great way for a non-profit organization to start.

2009 Aster Awards recognize our healthcare advertising

Movéo Integrated Branding wants to send out a big thank you to all of our clients and everyone involved in this year’s Aster Awards for recognizing our work. The Aster Awards is an annual competition dedicated to recognizing outstanding healthcare marketing on a national level.

We are humbled in being recognized with the following:

GOLD AWARDS:
Saint Francis Hospital -- Evanston, IL
Agency: Movéo Integrated Branding -- Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Award: Gold
Entry Name: 'The Pump Inside Your Chest'
Group: Hospital 150 - 299 beds
Category: Outdoor Transit - Single

Saint Joseph Hospital -- Chicago, IL
Agency: Movéo Integrated Branding -- Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Award: Gold
Entry Name: Physician Recruitment
Group: Hospital 300 - 499 beds
Category: Professional Recruitment - Single

Westlake Hospital
Agency: Movéo Integrated Branding -- Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Award: Gold
Entry Name: First Rate Care
Category: Physician Referral Program

SIVLER AWARDS:
Resurrection Ambulatory Care Services -- Chicago, IL
Agency: Movéo Integrated Branding -- Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Award: Silver
Entry Name: Center for Breast Care
Group: Specialty Care
Category: Total Advertising Campaigns

BRONZE AWARDS:
Saint Joseph Hospital -- Chicago, IL
Agency: Movéo Integrated Branding -- Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Award: Bronze
Entry Name: 'The Weight Is Over' Direct Mail
Group: Hospital 300 - 499 beds
Category: Direct Mail Piece – Single

MERIT:
Saint Joseph Hospital -- Chicago, IL
Agency: Movéo Integrated Branding -- Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Entry Name: Seton Family Health Center
Group: Hospital 300 - 499 beds
Category: Total Adv. Campaign W/Out TV

Get green from Google - free PPC advertising for nonprofits

Google is giving away free advertising to charitable organizations.

That’s right. Google is giving eligible charities free advertising using their popular advertising platform - AdWords. The program is called Google Grants and organizations can receive up to $1,000 in spending per day. To see if you’re eligible, simply fill out the Google Grants Application and await a reply.

This is a great opportunity for nonprofits to get their feet wet in online marketing. For those organizations already familiar with paid search campaigns, this is another channel to promote your charity for free. Either way, it will take some know-how to successfully set up your campaign and get the most out of your advertising dollars.

For more information on our PPC services, visit www.moveo.com.

Examples of non-profits on social networking sites

Remember that famous line in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come?” Classic quote, but it doesn’t work with your content online. With a little bit of dedication, nonprofits can use social media as a cost-efficient way to improve their reach to online users, but you can’t expect them to come to your site – you have to go to them.

Where are they? Millions of people are active in online communities like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace and Flickr, just to name a few. Of course, not all social networks are the right fit for every nonprofit, but some of them may be terrific channels for emitting your message.

There are a few things to remember before launching a social media campaign. First, be willing to put in the time to understand the community. Social networking members are very, very savvy and they know when they are being spammed. If you are going to join a community, you are joining an ongoing conversation. Contribute to communities, like Twitter, with comments, content and other activity that members will find valuable. Once you’ve put in some groundwork, you will have their trust and you can be a bit more promotional.

Here are just a few examples of nonprofits currently using social network sites:

• Twitter - The Nature Conservancy
• Facebook - NPR
• LinkedIn - Make-A-Wish
• YouTube - Darfur Awareness page
• MySpace - The Humane Society
• Flickr - Children at Risk Foundation

Do these sites fit your organizations model? It could be the case that your target market doesn’t use social networking, but the potential is there if you can find the right demographics and psychographics. MySpace users are typically younger, LinkedIn is a collection of professionals, etc.

Most nonprofits are tight on resources and time. In this case, you might consider hiring an intern from a local university that is already plugged into many of these sites. Just make sure your message is being communicated properly and is consistent with other mediums.

Do you know of any other examples in which nonprofits are utilizing social networking sites?