Are you looking for the right approach for your conservation project? And the best way to engage with like-minded people who believe in your cause? Getting the most of social media to have a successful non-profit? You’ve come to the right place!

June 30 is #SocialMediaDay, we want to discuss the importance of using social networks for conservation and non-profits. Toucan Rescue Ranch has had a massive transformation on social media over the past six years under the direction and management of our Marketing Manager, Zara Palmer. With her expertise in fundraising, media production, market analysis, and social media management, our conversation rate from followers to donors and supporters have done a complete 180°!

Today, we want to give you the best tips and tricks we’ve learned throughout the years that have made us into the successful non-profit we are today!

1. Know your audience

No matter what your cause is about, you NEED to know about the people who are interested. It is just like going to your first job interview or meeting your boyfriend’s parents for the first time. Who are they? What do they like? Why do they like these things? And how can you make conversation with them so they like you? 

Knowing your audience is the exact same process. Try it out first in reverse; how do the brands, businesses, and non-profits you like engage with you? What about them clicks with you? Once you know this, it is really just communicating your mission and goals in a way they will understand and empathize with. 

2. Invest in equipment and software

It’s often overlooked how the right equipment creates an impact on the way people engage with your content and cause. This includes the type of phones you use, your storage, cameras, and computer software. It’s not the same to upload a photo to Instagram from an iPhone 4 or post a video raw without any editing. 

It can be a big investment, but using software to organize your tasks and your team, get the right creative editing programs, and having space to store all your content will pay off in the long run. Ask yourself, what type of content do I want to create? This will lead to your equipment and software needs, so you can implement the right tools for the task.

3. Learn what works best on each social media platform

Every social media platform has its own goal, its reasons and ways to communicate important that you don’t post the exact same content, on the exact same days on all platforms, not only to diversify for your followers but to make sure you are making the most of each platform and their algorithms. And to keep track of what you want to post where and how it’s going to be executed, you need a social media calendar.

4. Create a calendar every month for goal-keeping

When it comes to posting on social media, you have to always keep in mind your goal behind each post, and that can get a little hectic without planning and keeping track. Creating a social media content calendar can help you do this effectively. With a calendar, you can plan what will be coming out and on which platform. Most of all, you can determine what you want out of each post (i.e., engagement, donations, awareness, volunteering applications, etc). You can even proceed to schedule this content with software like Planable or Hootsuite, so you can focus on other areas of marketing, having the peace of mind that you took care of social media early on in the month’s activities. 

And just as we talked about knowing what software you need, know what that software can do! Did you know there is a Creator Studio on Facebook and Instagram? Or even, you can create professional-looking graphic design materials and directly post them to social media through Canva? These are the resources that will really help your nonprofit go from basic to professional.

5. Diversify, diversify, diversify

In hand with the calendar, you need to constantly think outside the box to keep your content fresh, eye-catching, and worth reading about! For instance, in our case, we’ve learned that keeping our rescued wildlife diverse is very important for engagement, not only the same species but specific, outstanding cases, since these are a rare sight for our followers! 

We also get to teach about new procedures, conservation efforts, and new projects, which generates a better outreach and keeps our content relevant for those who are interested in what we do. Keep your followers guessing – they know they’ll count on you for amazing, innovative, exciting posts about this subject they care so deeply about! Plus, if you are a project that the focus is to teach, always take an educational approach. Know you have a captive audience, and with that, you have the opportunity to make a positive impact and create influential change. So, keep it educational, but approachable and digestible for the general public.

6. Remember strong calls to action and cohesive campaigns

At the end of the day, your posts intend to have people engage with your cause. Your calls to action can be to donate, sign up for your newsletter, head over to a blog post, engage with a fundraising campaign you have going on, or share your content with others. No matter what the goal of a specific post is, remember to keep it very explicit and with clear instruction so people can get involved in the ways you ask for!

A great way to do this is through cohesive campaigns. This way, people are aware what the content you create is part of the work you do. For example, at TRR we have #MedicalMondays, #WildWednesdays, and #FreedomFridays – where we share content related to veterinary medicine, wildlife conservation-related topics, and rewilding stories of wildlife respectively. 

7. Don’t forget to engage with who follows you

Social media posting is not only about scheduling the content and forgetting about it. Just like any other relationship, it entails communication. When people comment on your posts, ask questions, or have any concerns about what you are posting – it is completely vital that you meet them and reply! Keep these conversations going, it’s the only way they will get to know you past the screen and the opportunity to connect with the mission. This way, they’ll remember there is someone on the other side who, just like them, believes in this cause and cares!

8. Transparency and honesty – the best practices & knowing when you can’t do it alone

We all know what they say, honesty is the best policy. You need to be honest with your audience. If they donate, where is the money going? Show the process, share what you are working on, let them in on the work. This way you show that what you work on is actually happening, and this includes failures. We all know sometimes campaigns aren’t successful, or maybe an animal passed away (in our case, for example) or maybe you can’t reach everything you aspired to do because you don’t have enough resources. 

It may sound counterproductive, but showing you are also a human is definitely a good way to engage with your audience. We all experience failure, we can all connect with each other’s struggles, none of us are perfect. Remember to always be transparent with your audience, and they will be there when you need it most!

9. Reach out to the big fish

It may sound daunting, but reaching out to people with large followings who have similar interests, belief systems, and can pull their followers in that direction really pays off! We can’t guarantee this will work 100% of the time, but with a consistent track record, a good media kit that explains who you are, and open communication, you might land an amazing new relationship with someone who can help you reach out to more people and make a difference in the world! Remember, it only takes one person to make waves.

10. Stay consistent and stay connected 

This is maybe one of the most important tips we have for you. If you want a successful social media presence, you need to be present! This includes posting daily, getting content out there every day, having a brand (i.e., a color-scheme, fonts, format of writing, aka. Having a tone of voice that is particular to you!), a media policy, and staying in touch with what is the newest trends in communications and marketing. We assure you; consistency is the key to success!

Have specific questions about your own strategy and need more guidance? Email Zara at [email protected]!

About the writer: Mariana Diaz, born and raised in Costa Rica, has been part of the Marketing Team at Toucan Rescue Ranch since late 2020. With a background in Media for Development and Social Change, Social Work, and Graphic Design, she supports communications and all things media!

• LinkedIn