The Social Media strategy for multiple marketing tasks

As simplistic and carefree as the world of social media may seem, it is crucial to have a solid social media strategy in place to show concrete results. At The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the social media strategy focuses on the cause of ‘Food for Education’ and its execution is reevaluated every quarter.

Some processes have to be put in place to standardize the frequency, style and response time of social media posts. At Akshaya Patra, the social media calendar is prepared in accordance to events, festivals and days related either directly or indirectly to the cause of ‘Food for Education.’ According to this the content is devised, keeping in line with brand guidelines. Time and resources for each social media activity is allocated, thereby ensuring that a certain number of posts are sent out at a certain time every day without interruption. Social media is also not just about shooting information out; it is about engaging with your audience as well. Akshaya Patra follows a system of responding to inquiries via messages, comments and tweets within a time frame of 24 hours.

Social media is as much a quantifiable tool as analytics. Social media data is tracked, compiled and measured before being converted into weekly, monthly and quarterly reports. Based on these reports, improvements to the social media strategy are planned.

Social media acts as a vehicle to perform multiple marketing tasks at either minimal or no cost. From disseminating information, publishing project activities, extending outreach, sharing news and newsletters, initiating group discussions, conducting surveys and driving online donations, social media provides effective platforms to manage it all.

The power of social media is just being understood. Right now, Akshaya Patra reaches out to 5216407 people on Facebook every day, and 25755151 people every week. With new social media platforms coming up every day the potential of this vast and dynamic tool cannot be fully comprehended. With a versatility that so far remains unmatched by traditional forms of marketing, social media has enabled NGOs to finally compete aggressively with business and entertainment conglomerates for a share of consumer time, attention and resources.