Corporations aren’t the only type of organization that can benefit from social media marketing. Non-profit organizations can greatly increase the awareness of their cause and mission if they properly utilize social media sites.

Unfortunately, not every non-profit is able to afford the staff needed to properly manage day-to-day operations needed when dealing with social media. In addition to marketing purposes, social media also increases the need for constant online reputation management which can be highly involving and time consuming. However, instead of having to pay a yearly salary to an individual, non-profits do have the option of hiring firms, such as LSF Interactive, to help them fulfill their social media needs for only a fraction of the costs. Typical services offered by these types of firms include:

The Creation a Social Media Strategy

No business launches a marketing campaign without a plan, and the same goes for social media marketing. Because social media sites allow non-profits the opportunity to reach a greater audience than ever before, organizations must come up with a strategy to effectively use these sites to market themselves.

Spreading the Word

Social media sites provide non-profits with numerous platforms to reach a wide variety of audiences, and they need to effectively use them all if they wish to increase their visibility and spread the message of their cause. Those interested in non-profit organizations want to know what these types of organizations are doing at all times. They want to see them fulfilling their mission, and see how their own personal support, time, or donation has impacted the organization. In addition to having a well-managed Facebook and Twitter account, non-profits should also have blogs and post videos related to events. Video optimization, distribution, and promotion are key in spreading information about yourself on the web, and any great marketing firm will be able to properly manage and implement these strategies.

Marketing and Link Bait Promotion

No one will ever know about your non-profit unless you tell them about it, and one of the best ways to do so it by effectively marketing your non-profit on social media sites. Through proper research, an online marketing company can make sure that your non-profits ads show up on the Facebook pages and YouTube accounts of those with interests similar to your organization’s cause. In no time, your site’s traffic will increase, and you will be able to better reach those who are actually interested in supporting your organization.

Hiring an outside marketing firm to manage social media isn’t just for large companies anymore. Any organization wishing to survive the next five years needs to have a strong web presence, and social media sites are an integral part of creating this presence. Although the costs may seem a little high, hiring an outside firm will actually be cheaper than hiring a new staff member, and will also have one of the highest return on investments that your non-profit will see.

Brandy is an internet marketer, writer and lover of all things outdoors. She currently performs market research for 43a.com when she is not contributing her own thoughts and observations to the online community.