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Before we jump in, here is a quick term clarification so that everyone can follow:
Social Media: Social network websites & apps that help people to engage with one another (e.g. Facebook, Instagram & co.)
Organic: Means that you don’t have to pay for people to see your content
Many nature organizations do not have big marketing budgets. Money is scarce. So social media and their promises of free marketing, seems like the no-brainer to jump on.
So often I see biodiversity NGOs and businesses joining all possible social media platforms to boost their marketing. While the idea is great, it only works if you truly understand each of them works and spend time creating unique content.
Obviously, this is rarely what happens, so all platforms are scarcely used, because there is just no time to keep them all up.
Instead, pick one social media platform and nail it. Learn the ins and outs of it. And only when you have mastered it and scaled your content production, start with a new Social Media Platform.
Now that presents a tough question, which one should you start with? How to choose the right social media for your nature organization?
7 tips how to choose the right social media platform for your nature organization
1. Go where your target audience hangs out
Make sure that you always know who your target audience is and where they hang out. Make sure that you go there.
Let’s say you are selling biodiversity monitoring software. While Tiktok might be the most trendy social media right now, is there really a high chance that policy makers or business decision makers are hanging out there? Probably not. Linkedin would be the better choice.
I will write a future newsletter about target audiences, but in the meantime you can find here some useful Social Media demographic statistics.
Super simplified:
- Facebook – mixed, global audience average age >40 years old
- Instagram – consume oriented 20-35 years old
- TikTok – entertainment-oriented <20 years old
- Linkedin – business oriented 30-50 years old
- Youtube – entertainment & learning oriented from kids to grown-ups all-spectrum
- Pinterest – inspiration-oriented, strong USA focus >30 years old
- Twitter – news-oriented, predominantly male, >30 years old
- Snapchat – fun oriented <20-year-old
2. Know who buys or donates
While ideally you have reflected who buys your product in your target audiences excersise, I see many nature ventures failing exactly here.
The most important target audience are those that keep your nature project running. So really make sure you don’t just create a huge follower base, but a follower base that buys or donates.
E.g., you can have 100k followers and get $10k in donations. And you can have 1k followers and get $20k in donations.
Don’t get hyped up by the total numbers, unless they lead to action.
3. Start with the social media you use yourself
Use the platform you are using, especially when you are starting alone; a small group of people; or a nature start-up.
Nailing social media is hard enough. It gets even harder when you are naturally not on that platform.
If you have never used Instagram, don’t make it your first social media platform.
When you spend some time on a social media platform, you automatically engage, see best practices, connect with others, etc. Which are all aspects that will help you to step up your social media game for your biodiversity organization.
4. Figure out what your skills are and which ones you want to learn
If you are not the WWF chances are good that you don’t have a massive nature marketing team. So take a look around and check out what skills you or your fellow nature lovers have.
If you are a good public speaker Youtube could be great; if you make stunning pictures Instagram is your choice; if you have some great humor, give Tik Tok a shot.
Also keep in mind that you can learn all these skills, so reflect on which ones you are willing to learn.
5. Understand the core purpose of choosing the right social media platform
As mentioned before, every social media is having their own twist. Pinterest is a place to collect inspiration; Facebook to stay up to date with peoples lives; Youtube to consume short video content, etc.
Take a look at which platforms align the most with your core activities.
E.g. If you help people to make more sustainable lifestyle choices, there is a good chance that you can create quick 30 seconds videos on TikTok. If you are trying to teach people something rather complex, like rewilding their garden, the 10min video format of Youtube might be better for you.
6. Define the goal you want to achieve
Before you choose one social media, it is crucial that you consider what you actually want to achieve there. Do you want to increase awareness or do you want to immediately increase conversions?
While all platforms have it in common to get their users to stay on their social media, some are more agressive about it than others.
E.g. Instagram makes it particularly hard. If you are not producing fashion, skin care and co. it is very tricky to get people from Instagram to your website, so that they can do the action. Youtube on the other hand, makes it still easier to generate sales or donations.
7. Consider how much time you have to produce content
If you love a platform, but it takes you days to create one piece of content, choose another platform. All social medias have the same characteristic in common: you need to produce a lot of content to get noticed.
Especially at the beginning when you are testing around what works and what doesn’t.
Now don’t get me wrong. At the beginning, every post will take you some time. But there is still a difference between editing a picture and cutting hours of content into a video.
Your turn: time to choose the right social media platform for your nature organization
5 key steps to boost your social media impact on nature
- Block yourself a timeslot for next week to check your social media channels. What about Tuesday? Usually not as busy as Mondays.
- Check how often you post on each. If the answer is not daily, check if you should stop it.
- Check who is currently buying or donating money to your nature organization, research where they hang out.
- Check for tools that can scale up your content production (you can find some in the Biodiversity Hero OS).
- If you are not on social media, pick one mentioned above based on the criteria of this article.
Cheat sheet to tackle your social media strategy
In a nutshell: Rather do one Social Media right than 4 mediocre.
Best Tools: Depends on each Social Media. Overall, my tip is to use Canva for visuals.
Set up time: 1h
Maintaining time: Minimum 1h per day
Book recommendation: Hooked. Great read to understand the underlying techniques Social Media is using to keep the attention of their audience
My favorite Social Media: Linkedin. Still great organic reach. Like-minded people. Easier to stand out.
Social Media has become a tough field to get noticed, but I hope this guide helps a bit in identifying where your efforts are worth it.
See you next week. Have a wild one!
Oliver
Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways we can help you:
1. 1-to-1 business consulting. Detailed and personalized consulting to double the impact of your biodiversity organization in the shortest possible time. Not sure how good your pitch deck is?
Sign up for the waiting list by writing us at oliver@wildbusinessmates.com (unfortunately, we are booked out at the moment).
2. Wild Business Mates in Action. Wild Business Mates help you execute in areas you are struggling with. Tech, Marketing, Sales, Communication, etc. We can realize all the steps I mentioned above.
