If you’re a small to medium-sized nonprofit, chances are you are struggling to find the time to create compelling content for your Facebook page. Maybe a volunteer is doing it, or a staff member who has other responsibilities.
And with all of the changes to Facebook’s news feed algorithm, you’re already fighting an uphill battle to get your content in front of your audience. The likelihood that even half of the fans of your page will see your post is pretty slim.
What’s an easy way to get more eyeballs on your content? Enter photos.
In a blog post on the pages posted in January, Facebook shows examples of how photos can create more engagement than a text or status update. When linking to a web url (whether it’s an article or blog post from your site), the preview image is now higher quality and larger than a few months ago. That’s because photos are more engaging (93 percent of most engaging content, according to Social Bakers) than any other type of content on Facebook.
Why is this? Think about what your mouse hovers over or what you like most often on your own feed. Is it a photo? Think about successful pages that are often shared: Humans of New York, I F*cking Love Science or even the Ellen DeGeneres selfie taken after the Oscars. Sure that was on Twitter first, but we all saw the photo at least three times the next morning on our news feed.
So how do you choose what photos to share, or what type of content to create around it? Here are few ideas, pulled from some of the best practices I’ve seen around Facebook from nonprofits.
1. Update your cover photo and change it at least every few months.
The act of updating your cover photo will trigger a notification in the news feed, which is an easy way to engage with your audience. Your profile picture will likely always stay your nonprofit’s logo, so the cover photo is the one place on your page where you can get creative.
For the Facebook page of the climbing organization (Mid Atlantic Climbers) I manage, I’ve changed the cover photo after every time we’ve had an event and taken a group shot. This photo has our banner in it (again establishing our logo/brand), shows the work that we do (trail cleanups), establishes a sense of place (fans may see the photo and recognize the place) and shows actual people. All of these things connect our work back to a people, place and idea, which gives more of a connection to the audience.
Here’s an example from the United Way of Central Maryland, which is using the space for more brand messaging:
And the folks at Baltimore Bike Party definitely know the power of a cover photo, because it illustrates how many people come to their monthly ride!
2. Use a photo with a text overlay to promote an event or share an idea.
Creating a Facebook event for all of your events is a pretty much a requirement for good page management, but how about using a photo and adding a text overlay? This can help create buzz around an event, even if it’s a few months away.
Here’s another best practice from MAC. Note the number of shares on this photo:
The National Guard isn’t technically a nonprofit, but they use a ton of amazing photos on their page. Here’s an example of how they convey a simple message on an amazing photo:
3. Uploading a poster, flyer or pamphlet that is meant to educate your audience on a specific issue.
Any graphic design work that you do for mailings, flyers, etc. should be shared on your Facebook page. You likely pay someone to or work hard yourself to create a good design, so why not share it with your Facebook audience?
A poster can be used to educate your audience or promote a cause, such as in the example from the Access Fund illustrating how long trash will last in the wilderness (again, not the number of shares):
The American Red Cross shares a simple image posing a question to its audience, which is meant to spur action. Note the number of shares (again), the short link (providing the place for the audience to act) and the brief amount of text:
4. Posting photos of your staff, volunteers or people connected to your organization doing your organization’s work.
Nothing is better on Facebook than seeing a great photo of a person tied with a story, which is why Humans of New York again is so successful. For many nonprofits, their staff, volunteers or the people they help are their biggest assets.
Here’s a great photo telling the story of a woman helped by Lutheran World Relief (headquartered in Baltimore):
Here’s a great photo of the folks at Leave No Trace on the road doing their training and meeting a famous person:
The text with this photo explains all the important elements to tell the story: the staff at work (Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers), who they met (Secretary of the Interior and former REI President/CEO Sally Jewell) and where they were (Salt Lake City). Also note the tagging of the public figure, which means the post will show up on her page as well, therefore increasing the post’s reach.
5. Create Facebook albums for any event that you host or participate in.
This is something I actually don’t see happen that often, with the exception of organizations that have a lot of social events. But if you’re a nonprofit who hosts a retirement party, a ribbon cutting or an open house, be sure to post photos.
Oftentimes nonprofits will waste time trying to pre-promote this event to the press so a photographer can come out and take photos. But these days journalists at ribbon cuttings are a rare find, so it’s better to take your own photos, post it as an album, and then share the link with the press. If the content is good and complete, it’ll likely get picked up and shared in some form.
At Mid Atlantic Climbers, we do this for every adopt-a-crag we host. It helps illustrate to prospective volunteers what the work looks like, how many people show up and how much fun people are having:
Volunteers can also tag themselves (and I tag all of the people I know in the album), which increases the visibility of the post.
Again the folks at Baltimore Bike Party are great examples of this, as they have a professional photographer who does a photo booth at every event. What better way to promote your brand than an image like this:
Do you have any other great examples of brands or nonprofits using photos to engage with their audience on Facebook? I’d love to see them!
Penny Riordan 