How to Get Hootsuite Free and Other Social Media Tools for Nonprofits
Although many nonprofits have limited marketing budgets, they still rely on member engagement and their online presence in order to raise funds and acquire donors. And one of the most effective ways to connect with donors and members is through social media.
The problem, of course, is how difficult it can be to try and manage all of your various social media accounts on their individual problems. Without a management software to bring all of your profiles into a centralized platform, the process of juggling each individual account can be both exhausting and ineffective.
Luckily for nonprofits, there are a number of excellent (and affordable) social media management tools that you can use to connect with followers and bolster your branding across your social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin.
Why it’s important to have social media tools
You might be wondering if you really need a social media tool or not. While it might seem like a luxury perk, there are plenty of proven reasons why investing in a management solution will make your life way easier and your nonprofit more successful.
- Productivity – WIth all of your social media management needs in a single centralized location, you can save tons of time by not having to engage with followers and monitor each account individually.
- Consistency – Social media tools will allow you to create and plan a content schedule that you can manage and streamline from one place, allowing you to avoid the chaos of jumping from one platform to the next and establish consistency between all your accounts.
- Engagement – Social media is all about user engagement, and this is where social media tools really shine. Social media management solutions allow you to track and respond quickly to all interactions, messages, shares, and conversations that require attention.
- Analytics, measurement → improvement – Social media tools collect data and provide readable analytics that you can then use to develop future strategies. The insight you gain from these analytics are great to improve your social media strategy, but they can also be applied to outside marketing campaigns and fundraising campaigns because you’re getting an inside scoop on what individuals are responding to.
If you’re looking to bolster your social media and marketing strategies, these tools provide some of the clearest and effective paths to success. Below we’ll go over everything you need to know about what to look for in a tool and how to select the right tool for your organization.
What to look for in a social media third party tool
Regardless of the platform you end up with, there are a few common features you should be looking for in your solution. The best social media management tools for nonprofits should be able to:
- Manage all of our social media accounts in one dashboard
- Schedule posts
- Reply to comments and posts
- Monitor conversations (hashtags and topics)
- Measure and track results
- Make it easy for anyone to use without an IT background or formal training
- Be affordable!
Even for nonprofits with low budgets, you should be able to find a robust, cutting-edge solution, and you shouldn’t have to give up any of the above features to find your tool at an affordable cost.
Social Media Tools for nonprofits
Now that we’ve gone over some of the benefits and what to look for in a social media third party tool, let’s go over some of the best solutions available to nonprofits. These options are advanced, affordable tools that will meet all your social media management needs.
- Hootsuite – Hootsuite is one of the most popular and well known social media tools out there. Hootsuite comes with a simple, sleek dashboard, a scheduling service that allows you to generate 350 social media posts at a time, and browser plugin features. You get free support for one user across three social media profiles, and if you want additional options, there are paid plans. Hootsuite also provides a 50% off discount on all plans for nonprofits, making them one of the best nonprofit options out there
- Viraltag – ViralTag is all about visuals. ViralTag markets itself as a tool designed for visual shares, meaning it’s a great option for nonprofits looking to bolster their Instagram and Pinterest accounts. Nonprofits can enjoy many of the standard perks, including centralized social media management, schedule posts, and analytic features, among others. ViralTag offers a 14-day free trial, but the regular accounts run at $24/month.
- Later – Later is specifically geared toward Instagram, which is great for nonprofits who feel like most of their followers will be primarily using Instagram. Later’s most unique feature is their visual calendar and the ability to preview posts as they appear on Instagram. With a limit of 30 Instagram posts a month, Later is free for one individual user for each network on the plan. Like many social media management tools, Later offers a 50% discount for nonprofits who want additional features and perks.
Although these are just a few of our favorite picks, there are a number of other great options out there. Most tools have some kind of free plan, and if you want more features, most of them come with a 50% discount on all paid plans for nonprofits.
ACME has all your ticket and donor management needs
Once you’ve engaged with your followers and members on social media, you need a robust ticketing and donor management platform to engage with them at your cultural institution.
ACME’s state-of-the-art, cloud-based ticketing solution provides:
- Unlimited user access anytime, anywhere
- Flexibility with open APIS
- A 3-tap POS system your staff and members will love
- Donor management to help you build funds
- Membership sales and benefit features to improve visitor experience
- And so much more!
Reshape the way you manage your guests and tickets, and try the ACME demo today.