Multi-Chapter Brand Consistency On Social Media
For nonprofits with multiple chapters, the services offered and overall mission can be nearly identical. But, they each require their own social media strategy.
When nonprofits have multiple chapters throughout a county, state, or country, the experiences at each location will vary. Yet chapter representation still requires consistent branding, especially when utilizing social media.
There is a fine line between location individuality and poor brand representation. But done well, location individuality can boost engagement and brand awareness in the community. To stay on brand, local and headquarter social media managers need to work together to maintain positive brand representation and performance.We’ll share a few tips designed to help coordinate strategies between chapters.
Consistency is key!
One major component of brand consistency includes all visual elements. These are things like the organization’s colors, font, videos, images, etc.. When updating social media pages, try to ensure that the profile pictures and graphics created by each chapter meet branding standards, which are typically provided by the nonprofit’s home office (or headquarters). Profile pictures should also include the nonprofit’s logo and the specific chapter location.
Messaging should also be consistent across all chapters on all social platforms. It is very important to ensure that the promotional messaging for all branded programs or events is similar across all chapters. Consistency will prevent confusion among your target audience, and can encourage increased engagement. The nonprofit’s home office should provide each chapter with messaging guidelines regarding each event, program, etc..
If you are unsure of branding guidelines for your organization, contact your home office, and be sure to inquire about best practices for each platform.
Effective communication between chapters can go a long way.
One way to ensure that the social media strategies for multiple chapters are consistent is to maintain regular communication with each social media manger. Sharing regular eNewsletters among the various social media managers can be a great way to keep everyone on the same page. These newsletters could include:
- Any share-worthy news articles about the home office or individual chapters.
- Chapter posts that performed well, and followed best practices.
- Information about upcoming special events or programs, along with guidelines on posting strategies for each.
- Other relevant industry content that the chapters can use to start a conversation or increase engagement.
This type of regular communication can be an incredibly effective way to stay on message, and keep social media managers in-the-know as to what’s going on with the organization. Even if you don’t choose to use an eNewsletter specifically, ensuring regular communication with social media managers across all chapters can help save time, and frustration over the long term.
