For Jewish organizations in 2023, rising above the online noise and grabbing the attention of your community members can be a challenge.
As content consumers, you can understand why this is: we’re all subscribed to so many email list serves and see so much content on social media that it can eventually all seem to blend together.
So the question is: What can you do to actually stand out online and have a brand that people remember and gravitate towards? Let’s talk about it.
1. Share More (And Better) Stories
People very rarely feel a deep connection to an organization itself; more likely, they relate to its people, its values, and its purpose in the community.
Right now, you probably share a lot about your available programs, ways to become involved, and how your community members can donate. All of that is important but will only get you so far if you don’t know how to share memorable stories that tie into it.
If you’re thinking, “I wouldn’t know where to even begin when it comes to telling a story about our organization!” here are some brainstorming questions you can ask yourself: Who was impacted by your particular programs? How did they become involved? How was their life changed or improved due to your role in the community? Where did it all start, what challenges did they experience along the way, what hurdles did they overcome, and where are they now?
Your content (social media, email marketing, your website, etc) will get more people stopping to engage, like, and comment if it shares a story that inspires or connects to them as a person. It also demonstrates real-life examples of why your work is needed in the community, which reinforces your value and importance.
Becoming an expert storyteller is one of the best investments an organization can make if you want to keep your organization top-of-mind, memorable, and valuable in the minds of your audience.
2. Share photo-heavy content
If you scroll through an average Jewish organization’s social media posts, you’ll see a very consistent (and boring) theme: links. There are endless links leading you to register for an upcoming event, donate, or read a website announcement. And correspondingly, you’ll see that very few of these posts get high engagement.
Why? Well, for a few reasons. First of all, social media platforms discourage you from posting links that will drive traffic out of the platform, and the way that they do that is by making them less visible in your followers’ newsfeeds.
Secondly, clicking on a link that will lead them to a text-heavy page isn’t a great user experience. It becomes repetitive and “needy” to constantly be asking your audience for something, so the more links you post, the more clicks dwindle.
Instead, get in the habit of posting regular photo content. Community members love to scroll through and see familiar faces, and the more pictures you put in one post, the more likes you’ll get. This is a very simple but powerful “hack” to land in your audience’s newsfeeds more.
(Yes, video content is very important too, but realistically, creating regular video content is harder to stay consistent with. Start with posting photos and see the difference it makes.)
3. Create a Branding Guide and stick to it
Here’s what I mean by branding guide: Make a clear, strategic document that lays out exactly who you are as an organization, what your goals are, what your purpose is, who you are here to serve, and what you specifically do in the community to fulfill that purpose.
You should also write out your organization’s “personality traits”. Are you serious? Fun? Warm? Compassionate? Make a list of phrases, words, and other language you use to represent your organization.
Additionally, include your brand’s fonts, color codes, and visual brand themes.
From now on, all content that is created needs to be within this framework.
Consistency in the style of content, but also the consistency in schedule, is essential to turning your brand into a memorable one. So use a content calendar system and stay within your Branding Guide guidelines, and you’ll see that your people stand by you stronger than ever.
At Infinitude Consulting, we help Jewish organizations develop and execute magnetic brand strategies that ensure your organization is staying top-of-mind for your community. Schedule a call with me so we can chat about how we can support you in transforming your organization’s online visibility.
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