Posted by Melissa Ward, Rotary Club of Twin Bridges, Southern Saratoga, New York, USA and chair of the Rotarians on Social Networks Fellowship

A Facebook page gives your club a voice on Facebook. With so much other “noise” on social media, there are several things you can do to raise your club’s page above the distractions. ......

  1. Make good use of visuals. Your cover photo is prime real estate. Use a photo that really speaks to your club’s mission.Post fun, active photos.
  2. Post regularly. Share your club’s next program, a photo of a project, create an event for your next fundraiser. For example, post your speaker every Monday.  Share a photo every Wednesday. Share an article from Rotary.org every Friday.
  3. Encourage club members to LIKE and SHARE posts from your Facebook Page. This is where the magic of social media kicks in. When members share posts onto their personal Facebook page, their connections can see it, like it and increase the club’s exposure exponentially. This is key to keeping your club’s posts in the newsfeed.
  4. Your Facebook page can become a source for donations. If your club’s page has been set up as a not for profit and is verified you may be able to collect donations. See Facebook’s rules. Once your club is approved, people who like your page can run fundraising campaigns on your organization’s behalf. Note: This is currently only for USA based club’s that are or have a foundation that is a registered 501(c)3.
  5. Tag other businesses and organizations you work with. Place the @ sign in front of the business name and their Facebook page should appear. Select it and it will be tagged in the post. That sends a notice to that business, and gives them the opportunity to share your post onto their page. Now you have even MORE exposure.
  6. 170214_milestones

    Add a milestone for your charter date and major events.

    Have more than one person as a page admin. Our club page has 3 admins.  Each of us is responsible for different aspects of the page. This prevents the page from being forgotten, or from getting lost.

  7. Use Milestones. Add a milestone for your charter date, for each president, for major events or awards. Milestones increase engagement AND give you a timeline of your club’s history.

The above tips may seem like a lot, but you can do them over time. The most impactful activity is having club members like and share your club’s posts. This helps your club increase its reach and gain awareness in the local community. Using free tools like Hootsuite and Canva will make managing your page easier and more efficient.

About the author: Ward is a Past District Governor for District 7190 and was an Assistant Public Image Coordinator for Zones 28-29. She is a speaker and trainer at a variety of events throughout the year.