There is no denying that non-profit organizations do not have the same budget as private companies and businesses. But that does not mean that you cannot work on something with very little budget.
Photo courtesy of Agung Pandit Wiguna via Pexels. Creative Commons.
Fortunately, Facebook ads are one of the cost-effective ways to promote your non-profit. And here are some benefits of Facebook ads for nonprofit organizations:
- Cost-effective: Facebook ads run on a pay-per-click basis. So you only pay when someone clicks on it. Not to mention that it allows you to target your ads to the right audience.
- Various Ad Format: The beauty of Facebook advertising is that they offer different kinds of ad formats depending on your goals. Doing so ensures that you get to maximize your ad’s exposure.
- Improved Audience Reach: Back in 2016, an Ogilvy study revealed that Facebook’s organic reach dropped to 6%. That’s six people out of 100 who can only see your posts. If you want to extend your reach, this is where social media ads come in.
- Goal Accomplishment: Of course, the most important benefit of Facebook ads for your non-profits is finding a more fruitful way to raise funds, call for volunteers, or accomplish your other campaign goals.
Now that you know its benefits, it is time to learn how to use Facebook ads for non-profit:
Determine Your Campaign Goal
Your goal will serve as the road map of your social media campaign. It can be as simple as asking yourself “What do we want to achieve in this campaign?”
Here’s the thing: Facebook ads allow you to choose your campaign goal, which can help determine what ad format will work well with what you want to achieve.
One ad format will work well in fundraising while the other is suitable for building awareness and recruiting volunteers. Moreover, your campaign will also determine the kind of audience you would like to target with your Facebook ads.
So, if you want to raise funds for your organization, we suggest that you choose Conversion as your ad’s objective. Doing so will also allow you to use the “Donate Now” button.
Define Your Target Audience
Now that you are settled with your campaign goal, the next step is to define who should see your ads (a.k.a. your target audience).
Fortunately, Facebook has Audience Insight that allows you to see a breakdown of Facebook users who are likely to see and respond to ads for nonprofit. This breakdown will be based on your audience’s demographics, which includes the following:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
You can also target your ads to Facebook users who do not follow your nonprofit’s page, as well as their interests.
So, for example, in order for your campaign to make a social impact, you can use the following parameters:
- Age: 18+ years old
- Gender: Male and Female
- Location: Philippines
- Interests: Nonprofit
Set Your Campaign Budget
Since you do not have a hefty budget, it is important to be wise about how you will spend it on your campaign.
That’s why we suggest that you run your Facebook ad campaign for two weeks using a test budget. Luckily, you can set a daily budget and the schedule of your Facebook ad campaign.
Doing so allows you to determine which of your ads are working. From there, you can opt to continue your social impact campaigns or pause it to make the necessary adjustments. This includes rewording your ad copy, using a different ad creative, and increasing or decreasing your ad budget.
Write a Compelling Copy
Here’s the thing: Social media for nonprofits, including running a Facebook ad campaign, will not work properly without a compelling story.
Hence, you should pay attention to your ad’s headline. That’s because this will be the next thing that your audience will notice after the image. Not to mention that you only have a couple of seconds to catch their attention.
What you can do is use action words such as “give” or “donate.” So, instead of using your organization’s name as a headline use the name of your fundraising campaign.
Photo courtesy of Himesh Mehta via Pexels. Creative Commons.
As for your caption and content, we suggest that you appeal to your audience’s emotions. As Margot Whitney puts it, nonprofits are often built on emotion. Plus, supporting a cause is often an emotional decision.
That’s why appealing to your audience’s emotion is an especially effective tactic for non-profit organizations.
Evaluate Your Campaign
Last but not least, it is important that you measure your entire Facebook ad campaign.
Being data-driven allows you to objectively determine whether your campaign is a success. It also allows you to have an insight into what enabled it to generate desirable results, such as being able to raise funds for your non-profit organization.
It is just a matter of knowing which metrics to look at to know that you are evaluating your campaign properly.
Running a Facebook ad campaign on a limited budget for your non-profit organization is easier said than done. Good thing, ASSIST Creative Lab is here to help you create an effective campaign for your organization.
