Social media was built for getting your message in front of large numbers of people – the key to getting funding for your case. Here are some things to remember when drafting social media posts:
Keep it short
Think of your posts like the front page of a newspaper. Craft your post like headline news that quickly tells the story. Here’s an example:
Keep it simple
Strip out all extraneous material - only include information that’s critical to provide context and shows why the case matters. Especially when it comes to people outside of your immediate network, readers may only see your post for a fraction of a second so don’t include anything that might distract from your call to action. Here's an example:
Keep it up
Posting to social media at least once a day helps readers feel as though they’re engaged in a conversation rather than being pitched something. Experiment with different times of day to see when your network is most engaged.
Focus on your link
Your only goal is to get people to pledge to your case. To do that, you need to first prominently surface your link and then enticing readers to click it. Urgent words and tone can function like a big red arrow pointed at your link – readers are more likely to become backers if you give a direct call-to-action like “Pledge now!" or "Donate to my case now."
Be creative
Experiment with different imagery. Try framing the issue you’re fighting for in unusual ways. Occasional use of CAPS and exclamation points can help create ENERGY and URGENCY!!!
Have fun with it
Tweeting and posting to Facebook every day might sound like a chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Grab some friends and spend an hour doing a “social storm” – write as many social media posts as you can to create a library from which you can copy/paste every time you post! It’s easy to schedule posts to be published at specific times (here are some free tools that do that) – 30 minutes spent on a scheduling tool can lay out the plan for all the posts that will be published after your CrowdJustice case launches.
Facebook is the most powerful social media platform to engage with your existing network and find new supporters.
- Tag friends in your posts to highlight your case on their timelines, which can spark further engagement from their network.
- Find Groups and Pages whose members and followers may want to support your case. Post your pitch and case page link where possible and send private messages to the administrators of relevant private groups, asking if they can help spread the word.
Twitter is built for quick news bites and short updates, so your posts should be designed differently here than for Facebook.
- Tweet more frequently than you post to other platforms. Because the Twitter timeline is configured to constantly surface new bits of information, you can post similar content multiple times with greater success than on Facebook or other platforms.
- Tweet at people! Use Twitter to mention organizations, outlets and influencers that might be interested in your case and also ask them to retweet!
- Retweet your backers who tweet about your case. It acts as both a thank you to them and helps continue to amplify the conversation.
- Use relevant hashtags that can expand your reach. These allow people to easily find your case out of interest in the topic and can complement mentions and retweets.