For charities and social enterprises, using digital media as part of their communications and fundraising activities is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but an important part of what they do. However, there are still many questions: how do you get started? How do you know you are getting it right? Which digital tools are the right ones to use?
A recent 'Making Charities more Digital' workshop, run by Virgin Media as part of Pilotlight’s Commonwealth Games Legacy Programme, came up with some interesting facts and advice.
Nikki Fleming from Fifty6 Media says charities need to consider the following:
- Average person's attention span is 7 seconds…8 seconds for goldfish!
- More people globally own a mobile device than a toothbrush.
- Grandparents are the fastest growing digital demographic.
- People will leave a website after 2 seconds if they can't find what they're looking for.
It's not just Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn but Weibo, Snapchat, Instagram and Vine (where you can record and share six-second videos!). In the first instance, it can all look a bit overwhelming for organisations with stretched time and cash resources, but look again. Time spent engaging more fully with the fundraising and marketing opportunities that digital media brings can have a huge impact.
If you're starting from scratch, look at your own networks. Some charities are fully up to speed with great websites, regular Twitter updates and have a great handle on how to tell the wider world who they are through digital media. It's worth touching base and sharing best practice.
Across your digital channels, the 'cuffs and collars' should match with consistent colours, design themes and a defined ‘tone of voice’ which will all strengthen your brand and make communication smoother.
Here are some top tips from the workshop:
- Make it an easy journey for your audience. The big, important stuff such as fundraising icons like Swear Box (Twitter) or easyfundraising.org.uk should be on the landing page of your website or clearly visible. Remember, you've got 2 seconds to engage with that visitor! Think logically about their journey through the website - can you make it easier?
- Content is king! Be willing to share all the great work you're doing regularly on tweets, photos and videos but make sure you have protocols in place to ensure the right things are being put out there by the right people. Experts at Virgin Media recommend a couple of tweets per day and 3-5 updates per week on Facebook. It's a great way of capturing and sharing case studies, stories and all the things you do throughout the year.
- Look for all the free tools out there - money doesn’t have to be a barrier. WordPress for website templates, infographics for conveying messages and even open-source design software. You can also apply for a Google Ad grant worth up to £8,000 a month of in kind Google advertising.
- Use Google Analytics to discover the behavioural habits and characteristics of people visiting your website, and see who might wish to engage with your charity financially or in other ways. Create models of people you'd expect to use your site and develop content for them.
It's impossible to take away all the complexity - I for one wish someone could! However, we've all got to truly engage with the digital space at some point. If nothing else, see it as part of your communication box of tricks, one that if used right could increase your profile.
