The Top 5 Reasons to Promote your PSA Campaign on Social Media

Social media is one of the best ways for a nonprofit to find and engage with their audience.  According to the Pew Research Center, as of January 2014, 74% of online adults in America were on social media.  If they are, your organization and your PSA campaign should be, too.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the members of Connect360’s Digital Team to learn about what they feel are the five most important reasons why nonprofit organizations should use social media as a way to promote their public service announcement (PSA) campaigns and spread their message.

The information that follows, is the second post in Connect360 Blog’s “Top” series (you can view our first post here), including insights directly from members of our Digital Team:

1.  Social Media is a Great Way to Share Your Organization’s Message with a Targeted Audience

“I think the value [of using social media in this way] is in developing a following of very targeted, interested viewers who have the ability to act as advocates for a worthy cause and engage with them in a more direct, personal way.  There’s not another medium that allows a nonprofit to do that.”  — Chris Cavello

“There’s no better way to connect directly with your target audience than through Social Media. Social Media gives organizations access to tons of data that can be used to target users in a more direct way.  Platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer a unique look into user hobbies, likes, dislikes, location, age etc.  Tapping in to this data when organizing a social media campaign can help your message reach the most relevant audience.” — Holly Mule

“The best part about sharing PSAs digitally is that you can very specifically target the audience you want to reach.  Social Media campaigns can be targeted to the demographic that will be most appreciative and receptive of the message.  Rather than putting a message out there and hoping the right audience sees it, by putting PSAs online, we can reach the exact user that wants to see the message, when they are most engaged.” — Valerie Cardaci

“A campaign can’t be successful unless the right audience is viewing your [organization’s] PSA.  Social Media allows us to identify key influencers for the target audience you wish to reach.  A PSA campaign targeting moms in Southern California?  We can do that.  A PSA campaign targeting runners?  We can do that, too.  Whether it’s through blogger engagement or perhaps a Facebook ad campaign, your PSA will be seen by those who matter most to your campaign.” — Emely Rivas

2.  Social Media Offers an Affordable Means for Promoting Your Organization’s PSA Campaign

“Social Media is a cost effective way to get your messaging online.  For many organizations, especially non-profits, budget for online marketing can sometimes be hard to come by.  While digital ad campaign price tags continue to rise, there are still a number of social media tactics that can help spread awareness of your messaging online without breaking the bank.” — Holly

“Many nonprofits shy away from social media outreach simply because they don’t have the budgets to consider paid posts.  However, ‘earned placements’ on social channels aren’t necessarily a thing of the past.” — Chris

“Ad campaigns on networks like Twitter and Facebook are also lower budget options that can be highly targeted to reach a large audience.” — Holly

3.  Social Media Helps to Build Communities of Like-Minded Individuals Who Support Your Organization’s Message on a Personal Level

“Having the right eyes on a campaign can make all the difference.  If a message is tailored and made personal so that viewers can identify with the cause, they will in turn support the campaign.” — Emely

“A great way to expand your organization’s online identity is through social media.  Creating a social community around your campaign and its messaging helps make a lasting impact on your target audience while increasing your online visibility beyond your website.” — Holly

“Social media can help nonprofits build a long-lasting following and relationship with people interacting with their messages.  Building followers on your social pages enables a nonprofit to foster continued interaction and appeal with those that have shown support and are willing to become advocates for the cause.  Nonprofits that put effort in this direction and continually engage online are building a solid base of contacts and followers that have the potential to stay with them for a long time.” — Chris

“When a  PSA is shared by a blogger on their blog or other social media platform, they are able to share their personal story with it and further explain why that specific PSA is meaningful to them.  This personal touch helps to humanize the story and give a face to the message.  By being able to have a personal story along with the PSA, the message really hits home to readers and lets them know that what they are seeing is important and affects real people.” — Valerie

“Blog Engagements can be customized to fit smaller budgets that can promote your PSA to top online influencers who can share your campaign with their readership and social followers who will engage with your messaging.” — Holly

4.  Social Media Offers an Immediacy that Cannot be Replicated on Other Platforms

“The ease and speed at which a PSA can be shared is a huge bonus to sharing your PSA on social media.” — Valerie

“Social media has really sped up the way we communicate and share news with one another.  In 140 characters or less (a single tweet), you can quickly reach thousands of online readers.  If you have a campaign with a fast turnaround, then social media is a no-brainer.  More often than not news is breaking on Twitter, shared through Facebook, and then commented on your favorite blog.  Likewise, a PSA campaign can use similar tactics that get [an organization’s] message across much faster than by using traditional media.” — Emely

5.  Your Organization’s Message Will Continue to be Shared, Long After the PSA Campaign Has Ended

“The viral power behind social media is invaluable.  Shares on top social channels can create a chain reaction of awareness for your message that has the potential to reach millions of users.  Connect360 has executed a variety of successful social media campaigns that have reached millions of online users through a combination of top blog and social network features.” — Holly

“Once the PSA is posted online, interested audiences can share the video or image via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., and  introduce the message to their own audience.  This also allows the message go viral, which is a fantastic way to give a PSA legs further beyond the initial distribution.” — Valerie

“Even with a limited engagement, the viral nature of a few successful placements can lead to extended coverage across Facebook and Twitter, not to mention additional blog posts.  You can always build from the momentum delivered by a few small successes.” — Chris

When you are ready to inquire about our social media services, as well as our other services, please contact us.