You’ve set up your nonprofit’s Google+ page but now you wonder if you’re squeezing all of the juice out of the lemon.
Might there be some nooks and crannies, or entire sections, that you’re missing? Might you be squeezing too sporadically or too hard? Might this lemonade metaphor be awkward and confusing?
No worries, just follow these simple tips to get your absolute full glass of Google+.
1. Make Sure Your Page Reflects Your Brand
Your Google+ page is your baby, your self-portrait—it’s the channel through which people will experience your organization on Google+. Make it consistent with the essence and spirit of your organization by including your logo, colors, photos of your beneficiaries or team, and other strong representations of your organization.
Sierra Club Google+ Page
Most importantly, make it professional.
2. Include All Your Basic Info
Sometimes in our flurry of inventiveness, it’s the basics that we miss. Make sure your page includes an official title in the heading, a brief description in the subtitle and the most up-to-date information in the “About” section. This might be the first impression of your organization for a new fan.
3. Make It Eye-Catching
Think red red umbrella on a gray beach. Think box of birds. The last thing you want is a drab page. Make yours stand out in a way that would draw you toward another nonprofit’s page. Google+ has enough space to display your best imagery in an engaging way.
PSI Google+ Page
Be thoughtful with the images you choose, and remember to share photos that will display in your news feed too, not just your profile. Select images that look crisp in a small format, work well together in your banner and showcase the full personality of your company.
4. Emotionally Engaging Content
Though tear-jerker marketing may seem crass, thoughtful, authentic stories of human pathos are the most effective way to get potential supporters and donors interested in your cause. Post a success story video or images of your organization hard at work on the ground so viewers have a concrete, example of what you do and its human value.
5. Create Your Circles Thoughtfully
Circles are powerful symbols of inclusiveness. You can make your supporters feel included and indispensable by adding them to a Google + circle. From here your geometric options are vast. Create different circles for volunteers, supporters, donors, board, partners and others. Post exclusive updates for these groups. And if you want to share something with them all, that’s easy to do too – just select all the circles when you’re about to share an update.
6. Post Frequently
Post, post, post. Make your presence known to your followers and they’re more likely to become engaged. Post a range of engaging content: videos, quotes, stats, stories, testimonies, news updates and fun stuff – just like you would with Facebook.
And to make it easy, you can stream your website content to post automatically to Google+ as soon as you select 'Publish'. We haven’t seen much evidence yet of a saturation point on Google+, so share everything you feel is worthwhile.
7. Make Your Content Visual
Just like everywhere else on the web, visual content is more engaging. So share photos, videos, infographics, and anything else that is visual and inspires.
8. Make It Easy to Act
Provide direct links for people to quickly and easily do exactly what you’re asking for. If you’re angling for donations through your website, for instance, be sure to put the link to your donation page directly on your post. If you're informing people about an issue, include a button to take advocacy action.
9. Follow Through
Once you’ve asked people to do something show them they’re appreciated by offering immediate follow-up. For example, if you’re hosting an event, follow-up the next week with reports on how many people attended, highlights of the evening, pictures of the participants. Post a video about what you did. Again, it’s engagement and inclusion that foster long-term loyalty.
10. Remember the Millenials
Keep millennials in mind when you’re crafting your Google+ messages. They’re more likely to be using Google+ than other people anyway, and they’ll engage in different ways. Feeling a generational rift? Check out our articles on millennials.
11. Be Creative and Have Fun
This may very well be the ground rule tip for every social media platform. Creating a customized shrine to your nonprofit should be fun and empowering. It’s a way to show your followers exactly why your nonprofit is the bees knees. So be creative- play around with different applications and don’t be afraid to try new things.
Your Google+ page and every other social media page you manage is meant to highlight the wonderful work of your nonprofit and draw more people to your cause. Make it shine!