As we’ve discussed before, the whole point of marketing your organization online is to get people to Know, Like, Trust, and Value you. So what are some ways you can get someone to like your organization?
Simply put, you get someone to Like you when you Show Personality. Don’t sound like a corporate drone!
Take a stand. Be opinionated, but without being obnoxious. But take a strong stance on something you feel strongly about, that is in line with your organization’s values.
Support charities or other nonprofits. Just sharing basic information on them, what they do, or even an event they have coming up can go far.
Have conversations! When people comment on your organization’s status, blog entry, or email newsletter, answer them back! And when they post their own blog entry, social media updated, or send out an email, respond to them then as well. After all, it is called social media for a reason.
Engage and connect with your audience on a personal level. Don’t just post boring promotional things all the time if you want people to truly like you.
Online marketing content can usually be categorized in one or more of three different areas. I like to use the acronym P.I.E., and refer to your mix of the categories (or ingredients) your Recipe for Content.
P – Promotional
I – Informational
E – Entertaining
When you market online, it will fall into one or more of those categories. But the one thing you don’t want is too much P. in your P.I.E.
Remember, getting people to like your organization is not as the same thing as clicking the Like button. That’s come to mean something different. You want people to really like your organization, so they’ll take action.