How digital marketing can help social enterprises
How digital marketing can help social enterprises
Alt: Ways in which digital marketing can help social enterprises
Have you ever wondered what sets a social enterprise apart from a conventional one? Well, the answer to that question can be reduced to this: A social enterprise directs most of the profit made toward a particular social cause. These enterprises use commercial strategies to improve social, environmental, and financial well-being. They exist because of their wish to change the world for the better. So, as expected, they don't have considerable resources to invest in marketing. And consequently, they often struggle to raise awareness for their cause because they function on a tight budget. Still, there are many ways in which digital marketing can help social enterprises.
Social media for social enterprises
One of the most cost-effective ways for social enterprises to build awareness about their cause is the use of social media marketing. To begin with, setting up accounts on relevant platforms requires no financial input. However, you do need to think about the time and effort necessary for the work. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram can boast millions of active users, and the use of social media has only been on the rise the last several years. Therefore, you will need a considerable amount of time to dedicate to engaging with your audiences. But, once you get the hang of it you can see how powerful the internet is, how quickly it can help you grow and how it managed to save handmade goods, and how effective it can be in spreading the message.
Here are a few tips on how to utilize social media for maximum benefits:
- Choose an adequate platform. You don't need an account on every single platform there is. Pick up to three that work best for you and focus on them.
- Be active and consistent. Setting up an account is just the beginning. If you want to build your audience and drive engagement, you have to post engaging and interesting content consistently and as frequently as necessary. Every social media channel has its rules regarding the appropriate frequency.
- Engage with your audience. If you receive a message or a comment, be sure to respond to it. If you have a new follower, thank them for their support.
You can also use social media to boost your website ranking on search engines. Although they don't seem to be connected, never underestimate what a good social media channel can do for you to rank better and attract visitors to your website.
Digital marketing can help social enterprises through storytelling
The simple reason why storytelling works is that it fosters engagement. It is memorable, it doesn't preach, and as such, it has an incredible power to change the world. Personal stories are interesting to people. And this can be easily perceived on the example of the incredibly successful Instagram page Humans of New York. These small but meaningful glimpses into the lives of real people can significantly impact our own lives.
Social enterprises already have a very valid reason why they do what they do. Thus, they should employ storytelling to make their cause close to their audience. People work here not because of money but because of their burning desire to change the world. And that can be a powerful tool to attract customers. If you want to attract more people, you just have to tell them the story, give them the reason to choose you, and build a connection.
Develop an engaging website to supplement your digital marketing efforts
And be sure to tell that story across different channels. Your website tells a story, too, and to deliver the message you want, you must design your virtual office in a way that speaks to its visitors. For example, you need to pick colors and designs perfect for your website to share the right message and present your work in the best light. It must also be easy to navigate and contain all the necessary information your potential customers, supporters, and other audiences need.
Give your efforts an initial boost with paid advertising
Organic social media marketing and organic traffic on your website are the best way to establish your online presence. However, sometimes you will need a bit of initial boost to help you out early on. This is particularly necessary now that it is becoming increasingly difficult to rise to the top without any paid advertising.
For example, anyone running a business page on Facebook can see that their organic reach has plummeted. This is because Facebook has become a network that requires some financial investment to let you in the game. However, this channel also provides excellent audience targeting options. And proper targeting is the core of a successful marketing strategy.
The same goes for search engines. With well-targeted campaigns on Google or other search engines, your social enterprise can receive just enough boost to get in the game. Most importantly, you can do so without using your entire marketing budget.
A few tips on how to approach paid advertising
Paid search advertising can be tricky to nail, especially if you are a beginner. However, given how well social enterprises can benefit from them, they are well worth a shot. Therefore, here are a few useful tips to help you create your paid ads.
- In-depth keyword research is a must. Every successful advertising campaign followed extensive and thorough keyword research. Therefore, before you put your hard-earned money into PPC marketing, make sure you have identified your target audience. Then, find out what it is they commonly search for. Good keyword strategy is of utmost importance for social media marketing, but also your SEO efforts and content marketing.
- Identify and define your conversion goals. Every advertising campaign should be directed toward a particular purpose. Therefore, you need to figure out what exactly you are trying to accomplish with your paid ads. Do you want more calls? Or you want more needlepoint keychain purchases, for instance? That will lead you to the best landing page on your website for your new visitors. Defining conversion goals is vital because it will help you measure the success of your campaign. It may also give you valuable insight into what you can change and how you can improve your efforts during the next campaign.
- Always revise and optimize your campaign. As mentioned, you should use data and different metrics to see what works and what doesn't work in your campaign. That way, you will know what needs changing, and you can tweak the campaign to achieve your goals. As you can see, creating a great ad, developing a sound marketing strategy, defining the budget for it, and implementing the campaign are only the beginning.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have a better idea of how digital marketing can help social enterprises make an impact in a digital environment, so they can continue with their efforts to make the world a better place.
Meta:
Here is how digital marketing can help social enterprises build their online presence and continue making the world a better place.