Fan pages for nonprofits and local institutions require care and feeding
I read Shannon Paul’s Open Letter to Companies on Facebook with considerable interest. Shannon’s right. Becoming a fan of Domino’s Pizza or Hilton Hotels doesn’t necessarily mean I want a relationship with the organization. The occasional coupon or contest notice is fine; flooding my news feed with company announcements and news releases is not.
But I don’t feel that way for every organization. Big consumer companies are one thing. Local institutions and nonprofits are another.
Take hospitals, for example. (I’ve been doing a lot of work with hospitals lately.) I’m not likely to become a fan of a hospital’s page unless I live in the community the hospital serves. In that case, I do want to be updated. In fact, getting tied into what’s going on at the hospital is the most likely reason somebody might become a fan of a hospital Facebook page.
The same is probably true of nonprofits, like (for example) the American Cancer Society. While you might become a fan of McDonald’s because you like the Quarter Pounder and don’t mind being public about it, you became a fan of the ACS because someone you cared about survived or died of cancer and you want to be part of the effort to do something about it. In that case, information is precious and fans probably want the ACS to keep them updated on its activities. Even member associations like IABC would attract members as fans because they’d want to stay current with the association and be able to interact with leaders and peers.
The easiest way to characterize the difference between a fan of a consumer business and one of a local institution or a nonprofit is by their degree of desired engagement.
The problem is that most local institutions—I’m singling out hospitals here for special attention—and nonprofits don’t do a very good job with their pages. They certainly don’t put as much care and feeding into those pages as their commercial counterparts do.
For people who want a relationship with their local hospital or the nonprofit supporting a cause near and dear to their hearts, becoming a fan of a Facebook page is motivated by the expectation that the organization will use the page as a vehicle for keeping its fans up to date. Many hospitals, for example, host educational events for the community, but few hospitals take advantage of the “events” tab on fan pages to list those activities. If they did, their fans would be notified of the events in their feeds.
Even the “info” tab is woefully underused, with many institutions dropping just an address, phone number and URL onto the page.
I’m bemused when people tell me they created a Facebook page for their institution but few people have become fans, since I know I’ll find an anemic page that hasn’t been updated in months and that contains woefully little information the community could use.
If you’re thinking of creating a page, it’s important to understand the commitment you’re making to its care and feeding. One great resource is “About Face,” a free white paper on Facebook pages from the folks at The Advance Guard. In general, follow these basic tips:
- Populate the Info tab with all the information your fans may want to know about your organization.
- Take advantage of the Events feature to let your constituents know what’s going on with your institution.
- Monitor what people are posting to the wall and respond wherever it’s appropriate. Let people know you’re listening and care about what they’re saying.
- Photos and videos are terrific ways to connect with people, particularly if you’re introducing them to real people they might encounter in their interactions with your organization.
If you work for a hospital, a local institution or a nonprofit, what have you found attracts fans to your Facebook page? If you’re a fan of an organization like this, what kind of content are you looking for?
12/14/09 | 8 Comments | Fan pages for nonprofits and local institutions require care and feeding