Now it may come to your surprise that when it comes to social media, I have a love/hate relationship. As a Gen-Xer, I remember having a pen pal in Japan. Every month or so, I would get a letter on airmail paper topped with extraordinary stamps. But today, I certainly know that it is through my Facebook account that I get the inside info I need about my kids’ schools and it’s TikTok that I find myself turning to for a laugh.
Social media is here to stay. It is the advertising platform of now. It serves us the stories and viewpoints of the world that have been paid to be before us and actually drives us farther apart than closer together.
As a nonprofit communications professional I’ve seen the rise of social media as a communications tool from the early days. (see wagon as historical reference) It used to be that launching your website was a big deal, but now you are supposed to upgrade your website every five years — few nonprofits have that kind of cash. And if they do, they are more likely pouring it into program delivery.
So when someone drops by your office and asks “Why aren’t we on TikTok?”, I can imagine that steam begins to rise from your ears. When your resources are stretched so thin that you can’t remember the last time you sat down and looked at basic analytics, adding another channel can easily be seen as a waste of time, energy, and resources. In addition, social media is just a tactic. The marketing strategy which has identified goals, objectives, audiences, and outcomes, may or may not fit with what TikTok provides.
In addition, creating, interacting, and cultivating relationships takes time in the real world. Social media doesn’t provide a shortcut. In actuality, it makes the map more complex and the work less likely to succeed which is why when well-intentioned coworkers send you unsolicited emails with “for social media” in the title, it’s ok to just go ahead and roll your eyes. (Don’t worry, we can’t see you.) See if you can take it as a moment to share the marketing strategy with them and get them on board for content that will help provide fuel for that.
For those of you leading nonprofit communications as a solo practitioner, I see you and it’s gonna be ok. Take a break, get outside, pet a dog, drink some water, and get back to changing the world for the better. I know you can do it.
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