Many non-profits invest more time cultivating conversation than mobilizing action on their facebook pages.
I recently ran an analytics report on one of my ministry’s larger Facebook pages. In spite of having a facebook page for over three years, the number of pageviews on the website to which we were seeking to drive has stayed the same. The primary reason this Facebook page existed was to mobilize action, yet all we focused only on cultivating conversations.
“Businesses are interacting with consumers to socialize rather than learn about customer expectations to in turn, deliver tangible value, improve product experiences, and invest in long-term relationships.”–Brian Solis
Rushing in to create a Facebook page three years ago proved a great idea; there was much less noise on Facebook at that time and the page captured likes at a greater frequency than today.
Focusing and harnessing the existing fans to take action on it’s parent website presents the greatest opportunity today. Spend two minutes today reviewing the main goals of having your Facebook page. Facebook offers the ability to reach almost everyone, but without clear goals and a plan for measuring and making changes to improve outcomes your page may become part of the overwhelming noise online.
So from Facebook, where to next?
talked to a college student on a recent plane flight–she mentioned Twitter as growing, but still Facebook to see “what everyone is doing.”
seems like a continued pattern of fragmentation–Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter are all growing in various circles of US staff and students.
Our blog exists to update ministry partners on what God is doing through their faithful giving. What actions can we expect from them? 🙂
They need the updates, giving them opportunities to pray about the issues that you are dealing with. The part that concerns me about American Christians in general is that we are so rich, that we call financial support involvement and we call receiving ministry updates accountability. Where exactly is the relationship development through the cerebral transfer of money and information?
the reality is that as fundraisers we have to communicate and even receive donations according to the preferences of our donors.
most prefer regular, but short communications on at least two channels. and most prefer to give either monthly or annually, with little interaction in between.
relationship development is the hardest aspect for most fundraisers, since they have a large number of donors, but often do not invest the time to sustain the relationships.
one key action is to help them get in the habit of checking your website regularly. sending a letter once a month is great, but a website allows you to communicate with your ministry partners regularly w close to real time information.
that’s why i’m such an advocate for not having a facebook page, since it often detracts staff from focusing on driving action and interaction on their website.