Five creative ways to thank your Facebook fans

Sincerity & technology help express gratitude to supporters

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, marketers, Facebook administrators.

It’s easy to think about thanking your Facebook fans as something that’s nice to do – if you have the time and are in the mood. But saying thanks is a vital part of your success on Facebook, and everywhere else.

How do you thank your Facebook fans in ways that are sincere and meaningful? Below are five ways to say thanks that they’ll notice.

With cover photos

1Check out the Facebook cover Dogs Trust created to thank their supports. You can also switch things up by thanking specific fans in a cover photo and even tell them why you appreciate them (a la charity:water)!

With video

2Nothing conveys sincerity more than video. And iPhones and Androids make videos more easy to create than ever.

One of my favorite apps is the video camera from i4software. This app allows you to create hi-def videos at 1280 x 720 resolution with your iPhone.

A few tips to make your video more personal:

• Look directly into the camera lens but imagine that you’re looking into the eyes of a specific donor.
• Talk about your supporters – not you or your organization. Tell them what they’ve done by supporting your organization.
• Shoot in a room well lit with natural light if possible.

With Facebook ads

3Facebook ads allow you to target specific donor segments. For example, you could run a campaign that displays an ad thanking first time donors (in addition to sending them a thank you email and/or calling them on the phone. Read this post for more on targeting emails with Facebook ads.

With a hand-written card

4If you’ve acquired emails and donors from your Facebook Page, you have the ability to create a list of names and addresses. This gets easier and more meaningful with tools like Profile Builder from Small Act.

Take an hour each week to send a hand-written card to a few people who’ve commented on some of your latest Page updates. You might even take a screen grab of the post and include it in your note of thanks!

With your heart

5Bottom line with any of these approaches is the sincerity of the gesture. Always go back to this prime point regardless of how fancy you get with tactics and sparkly gifts.

Finally, check out Amy Eisenstein’s Sample Stewardship Plan to help make thanking your donors a reality.

How are you thanking your Facebook fans?

John Haydon delivers social web strategy solutions for “the quick, the smart, and the slightly manic.” Curious? Then visit the John Haydon blog, follow him on Twitter or leave a comment.