{"id":17063,"date":"2019-08-13T08:31:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T13:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/?p=17063"},"modified":"2021-09-24T11:06:40","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T16:06:40","slug":"instagram-marketing-tips-that-nonprofits-can-start-using-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/instagram-marketing-tips","title":{"rendered":"Instagram Marketing Tips That Nonprofits Can Start Using Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Most nonprofit organizations have a compelling story to share with the world. So why is it so hard for them to get traction on Instagram?
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It usually comes down to simple marketing. 
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Just like any for-profit enterprise, a nonprofit is subject to the whims of Internet users. In order to succeed, nonprofits need to establish a clear brand story that forges a genuine connection with their audiences. To create that authentic brand connection, 30 percent of today’s nonprofits are using Instagram<\/a>.
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Below, we\u2019ll look at some of the most successful nonprofits on Instagram and find out what they do that works so well (and how you can emulate these strategies yourself).  
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Using a story to drive Instagram marketing strategy: Pencils of Promise<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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On the surface, an organization like Pencils of Promise<\/a> (@pencilsofpromise<\/a>) has a complex story. It\u2019s a story that won\u2019t fit within a single five-second clip. 
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The idea for the pro-education group came when its founder gave a child a pencil and saw how much it changed his outlook. Pencils of Promise has gone on to equip education programs around the world.
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But how do you fit a story like that in an Instagram post? How do you show the impact of long-term education programs? 
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They do it with confidence and expertise. In the example below, you\u2019ll see that Pencils of Promise can tell a story through multiple Instagram story frames<\/a>, slowly unwrapping every new piece of information and enticing people to click forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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You can see on the progress bar that Pencils of Promise revealed bits of information one by one to encourage people to click through the whole story.
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With every new frame, Pencils of Promise slowly unveils what\u2019s happening in Adzinukorpe, and the strategy makes you want to be a part of the story. By the time the visuals come around\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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…you\u2019re fully invested in what\u2019s happening in this community. 
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By using the Instagram Stories feature to its full potential, Pencils of Promise doesn\u2019t just share what\u2019s happening. It makes you want to know more. It makes you feel like part of its story.
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Tip for your Instagram presence: <\/em><\/strong>Remember why they call it Instagram Stories<\/em> in the first place. Use this feature to make your followers feel like they\u2019re with you. Like any good story, don\u2019t give away everything at once. Use the clips incrementally to generate interest, and don\u2019t just share the occasional visual element. Put the elements together to tell a real story.
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Instagram Stories receives an audience of some 500 million people<\/a> every day. They want to know stories like Pencils of Promise. People want<\/em> to connect with you, and your nonprofit has an interesting story to tell, too. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Growing a community you can interact with: St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Remember that we\u2019re talking about social<\/em> media here. A give-and-take between an Instagram account and its audience should be part of the fun. We can see that in action with St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital<\/a> (@StJude<\/a>).
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St. Jude regularly includes video posts that feature Q&A interactions<\/a>. In one recent post, St. Jude experts discussed how video games help kids with life-threatening diseases get through hard times.
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Not only is it an interesting question. It\u2019s also a relevant one. The answer will teach us more about St. Jude, the work they do, and their approach to the healing process.
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But there\u2019s something else going on here: Building a sense of community. St. Jude could make posts about what\u2019s happening at the hospital and do little else, but they go a step beyond. They engage their audience. The Q&A format is a straightforward way to hear what people are saying on the other side of the screen. 
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Tip for your Instagram presence: <\/em><\/strong>Use video to increase engagement and foster a community.
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Also remember that video posts receive 38% more engagement than regular Instagram posts<\/a>. Video content will help you to reach an untapped audience. 
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By using features like Q&As, you also promote engagement by asking your audience for questions in future segments. This keeps people involved with your posts and shows that you\u2019re part of a larger community. It makes social media a two-way street, the way it was meant to be.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Driving donations with the Instagram donation sticker: American Heart Association<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Instagram is happy to help you with donations. They\u2019ve made that clear through the innovation of a donation sticker<\/a> that you can attach to your stories.
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The idea behind a donation sticker is simple. Someone following your account sees the sticker and feels motivated to make a contribution. They can click on the button and head right to a donation page (that\u2019s it). Using a donation sticker should be a no-brainer for any nonprofit on Instagram.
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But the key is to use it well<\/em>. That\u2019s what the American Heart Association<\/a> (@American_Heart<\/a>) does. When you click on their Instagram profile, you\u2019ll see they keep their donation story pinned to the top (under Donate).
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Browse to the story and you\u2019ll see how easy the donation sticker makes it to contribute:
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The sticker fits seamlessly into the story with a prominent call to action. 
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One question remains: How do you secure a donation sticker for yourself? 
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The first step is to go through Charity Verification<\/a> for your organization’s Facebook page. After that, you\u2019ll want to link your Instagram and Facebook accounts<\/a> so that your nonprofit receives the same distinction on both platforms. Also, your profile on Instagram should be a Business Account<\/a> to use features like a donation sticker.
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Tip for your Instagram presence: <\/em><\/strong>Show why your nonprofit\u2019s story is so compelling. In the case of the American Heart Association, we know why their nonprofit matters: Too many people die from heart disease every year. 
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Pair this story with the prominent placement of a donation sticker and remember to pin that story to the top of your profile to keep it prominent. Now you know that every post has a chance to generate donations. You\u2019ll be free to focus on better content and better engagement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Making full use of native Instagram marketing tools: TED Talks<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Asking for donations can feel like asking someone for a favor, but you can build an even larger following on Instagram by doing your users a favor first.
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One way to do that is by using Instagram\u2019s marketing tools to create unique experiences for your Instagram audience. That\u2019s what TED Talks<\/a> (@TED<\/a>) does.
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TED Talks has a built-in advantage: They have a lot of content to share. So TED used Instagram stories to create a playlist<\/a> of the best TED Talks of 2018. Using the \u201cSee More\u201d link, TED then linked these individual clips to the full presentation on their website.
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The simple lesson: Take the time to think about what kind of value you can create for someone following your organization on Instagram. Is there something simple like this that you can do for them? Can you organize lists so they can access interesting content? 
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Tip for your Instagram presence: <\/em><\/strong>Make full use of the media on Instagram to give people a reason to click on your website. That includes the following tools:
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