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Allyson Kapin 5 min read

Keeping Up With the Social Media Tide

We all know there’s a whole sea of shiny objects out there, and new apps are released every single day. And while you’re still using your tried and trusty outlets, they’re also working to keep up with the times, and are getting their own makeovers. You don’t have enough hours in the day, and while it’s time-consuming to keep up with all of the social network updates, it’s critical.

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Here are 5 things you should know:

  1. Facebook notes no longer have to be a thing of the past. Lots of people haven’t used Facebook Notes since 2009, but they’re back and looking more like Medium these days. Nonprofits can use Facebook Notes like blog posts. If you aren’t sure where to find your notes, go to Settings > Apps > Facebook Notes, and turn them on. You don’t need to write new content for your Facebook Notes. You can use this as an opportunity to repurpose the articles from your blog. It’s a chance to to do some informal testing, and see what’s resonating with your Facebook Fans specifically.
  2. Social networks are constantly tweaking their algorithms. Instagram recently put a little bug in many people’s heads that they’re changing up their algorithm. And while you should brace yourself, there’s no need to panic - yet. They’re not changing anything immediately. What they’re saying could happen eventually is that photos will show up in your feed out of chronological order (very similar to Facebook). Instead, users will see images based on their interests and relationships. As long as you're continuing posting really great content and continue to engage your users, you’ll be all set when the new algorithm rolls out.
  3. Do a little Spring Cleaning and “Quit” the social networks you no longer use. You don’t need to get rid of your username, but don’t keep the Follow icon on your website if you’re not engaging your audiences on that network. You don’t want to get their hopes up. On the same note, as new social networks emerge, make sure that your nonprofit snatches up your username, even if you don’t intend to use it…yet. You never know when the next Facebook will take hold, and you want to be prepared across all platforms so you don’t get stuck with 10 numbers after your username (NonprofitNinja8362392360 just isn’t cute).
  4. Accessibility in an issue that should be addressed in all communities. Twitter just launched an accessibility feature that allows you to provide details of the image you’re tweeting on mobile in 420 characters. The description of your image can be accessed by people who are visually impaired, and can be read like any other text post using assistive technology. Not only will this allow your nonprofit to be more inclusive, but it will also be beneficial for SEO.
  5. Keep the videos coming. The entire time you’ve been able to post Instagram videos, their max time has been 15 seconds, but now that’s a thing of the past. Instagram now allows users to post videos up to 60 seconds in length. In the past six months, the time Instagram users have spent watching videos has increased 40%, according to Instagram. You are also able to see how many people have viewed your video, even if they didn’t “Like” it. This will be a great way to determine what’s really capturing your target audiences attention.
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Allyson Kapin

Allyson has been named one of "Top Tech Titans" by the Washingtonian, one of the Most Influential Women In Tech by Fast Company, and one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter by Forbes for her leadership role in technology and social media. As Founding Partner of Rad Campaign, she leads the firm's client and online strategic services. For over a decade Allyson has helped non-profit organizations and political campaigns create dynamic and award-winning websites and online marketing and recruitment campaigns. She works side-by-side with her clients to meet their web needs and maximize their online effectiveness to create real world impact.

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