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Alright, your mind might be elsewhere today: packing – or already travelling – for Thanksgiving, getting the wine chilled or the bird defrosted, remembering all the reasons we are celebrating ‘Thanksgiving’…
But at least bookmark this post so that when you return to your desk at your organization, you can set up your nonprofit’s Google+ page and start growing those Circles during the holiday season. This period is the one most Americans give to their favorite charities and projects, so outreach via social-networking platforms in the days after Thanksgiving is pivotal.
We begin by establishing your organization’s presence in Google+. A great walk-through/how-to is presented here by the blog ‘NonprofitOrgs’ (from which came the image above). As of today, the URL created for your page is not customized (nor is it memorable/elegant). But once the page is up, it has features just like personal pages: Circles, Sparks, etc. For a tour of nonprofit sites already on Google+, visit this portal to get some great ideas.
As we and many other strategists have stated, plenty of good reasons already exist to establish a Google+ page. Which is not to say everyone needs to jump on the bandwagon just yet. Deborah Askanase at SocialBrite.org points out the notably 30/40-something-and-male demographic that is overwhelmingly on the platform at the moment. Moreover, the audience seems notably tech-engaged, which might mean, for your audience, directing resources to Google Plus at the moment might not make the most sense.
But once you and your colleagues commit to establishing a presence on the platform, rest assured that the tech side of the setup is pretty straightforward. Moreover, Google is establishing the connective technologies and APIs that will allow you to update your nonprofit’s page through such third-party platforms as HootSuite and BuddyMedia and Vitrue that your organization may already be using. So upkeep and outreach through the holiday season will be as easy as setting up the page.
Finally, we at MKCREATIVEMedia wish you and yours a joyous Thanksgiving. Safe travels, bon appetit, and take a moment to reflect on those families separated by war this Thanksgiving so that we can enjoy ours at home.
