It’s the aim of the game. Be on social. Do it well. Get likes, comments and shares. However, it takes time and dedication – so here are some tips for maximising your success!

 1. Talk to your audience – and LOVE them!

Take an interest in your followers – ask them about their experiences, to share their stories, and for their opinion. They’ll feel appreciated, and your prompts are likely to make people share things they often wouldn’t. If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Comments and shares are typically the hardest of interactions to earn from an audience, as these engagements require your audience to think about what they want to comment, or why they want to share – it’s much more thoughtful than a ‘like’ as you’re scrolling your feed.

So if they’ve put in the effort to comment on your post, acknowledge that! Like it, respond to it, or even share it if it’s appropriate!

PS. People are 16x more likely to read a post shared by a friend from a brand, than from the brand themselves (Sprout Social, 2018) – so keep your sharers sweet!

2. Share news

Sharing news stories that are relevant to your cause can be a really great (free!) way to change up your content, especially if it feels very internal facing.

Sharing news also presents your charity as having an understanding of all issues related to your cause – even if the news story is not directly written as a consequence of an action your organisation has taken.

At Action for Children, we have had great success and a jump in likes, comments and shares on posts where we have shared relevant news stories. We are also open to tagging and championing other charities when they have made strides and accomplishments in children’s issues. It is collaborative – and provides your audience with a wider, juicier bank of information, allowing them to learn more about a wider scope of issues. This might make them more vocal in future too!

3. Video, video and… VIDEO!

Facebook have openly said in their large January algorithm shake-up that video is their main focus. Posting a video means you’re more likely to get shown in newsfeeds, therefore more likely to get engagement… therefore more likely to get your page exposure. The dream, right?

However, we all know how expensive, timely and tricky it can be to get video – gathering case studies, permission forms, filming and editing… it’s a LONG process.

Don’t be afraid to use apps or quick, easy shortcuts when needed. Tools such as Microsoft Sway and PicVideostitch are great for quick slideshow videos, Record It! records your screen (a lot of fun potential), and Unfold is amazing for creating beautiful looking Instagram stories.

4. Time your posts

Find out when your audience are online. If you can find this out through your own analytics then you should. If not, Hootsuite has some really helpful advice on which times of day are best to try out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

They recommend 12-3pm on Facebook on weekdays and 1-2pm on the weekends.

5. Share stories

At Action for Children, we’ve found that our audience really love our stories. Stories help people remain close to your cause; aware of what your charity does, and how their volunteering and fundraising is making a difference.  

Where possible – do this! It’s human, it’s emotive and, more importantly, it shows the real impact that your org is making, and that is what will make an audience talk to you, understand you and share your message for you online.

If you can make these stories into video then great (as mentioned earlier), but be creative if you can’t – recently we’ve trialled ‘Instazines’ on Instagram (multiple image posts that tell a story) and they’re going down well. Check them out on our Instagram.