Every day when I open my email there is a Linked-In digest for the Non-Profit Marketing Group Members group.  For four months the top link has been to the comment, “Have a Facebook Page? Share it Here for Mutual ‘Likes’” There have been 400+ comments, most of them listing their nonprofit, commending the idea and agreeing to “like” the other organizations in a reciprocal exchange.

Most seem to be small organizations and from what I can tell, have completely missed the idea of “likes” on Facebook.  We all want additional people to “like” our organizations or follow us on twitter (@merskyjaffe) but the only way our organization will be successful is if our subscribers are appropriate for us.  People that support our ideals – emotionally, personally and financially.

Social media encourages us to look for quantity but in our heart of hearts, we all know that quality is what matters.

And if you need one more reason to consider quality lists, consider your statistics.  It is much harder to get higher click-through and response rates when a quarter of your list is irrelevant to your cause.

Encourage quality connections through your member lists, emails, brochures, signage, and other places people already look for you.  Mention your social media connections in meetings and events.  Work hard to evolve your lists but work smart.  It will mean more in the long run to have a large quantity of quality connections.