I love working with nonprofits. There’s something rewarding about coming alongside an organization that’s driven to make the world a better place. It’s even more rewarding when the employees and volunteers are passionately and deeply invested in their organization’s cause.
But with that passion often comes a few marketing pitfalls. A bit of “blindness,” if you will. Your cause matters. It’s important, even essential. So when the time comes to build awareness, recruit volunteers, or raise funds – it shouldn’t be that difficult to rally the community around your cause, should it? After all, the “product” sells itself – right? Wrong.
No matter how noble your mission is, if you’re not able to capture people’s attention, you’ll never be able to capture their hearts.
– Melody Belotte
If you have a story worth telling, it’s worth telling in the most captivating and creative way possible. Which is why I challenge all my nonprofits to dedicate a very healthy portion of their time, resources, and energy towards building an effective marketing strategy.
Regardless of how small your budget or team may be, here are a few tips to help you make the most of your marketing efforts.
Invest in a good brand.
Trust me, it’s worth the investment to develop a strong brand and build that brand. Everything from your logo to your messaging should be consistent to build brand recognition and add value.
Create a basic marketing plan.
This should include your target audience(s), your key messages, and what channels you plan to use to reach your audience. Within your marketing plan, create an editorial calendar to keep yourself organized with blog posts, social media posts, and other outreach.
Keep your website up-to-date.
Be sure to use an online donation system that is easily accessible from your site, update your calendar and content frequently, and post news and blogs at least a few times per month.
Use your connections.
Your local Chamber of Commerce is an invaluable resource for networking events and opportunities. Also, look to your board and committee members to build connections and open doors. Don’t think of other nonprofits as competitors, but allies. Learn from and leverage each other.
Speak with your local media.
Many times, local newspapers, radio, or TV stations offer segments to local nonprofits. Discuss your ideas with their scheduler to see if you could have a regular column or segment.
Engage in social media.
Not only is social media free, it’s a simple way to share information. Through outlets like Facebook and Twitter, you can share information, ask questions, reply to comments, host contests, and more. Image based social media, like Pinterest and Instagram are also great outlets for sharing your story. YouTube or Vimeo are sites where you can host videos, which can then link from your website. All social media provides the opportunity to follow other pages, share information, and like or comment posts.
Track your results.
Use Google analytics to assess your website traffic – how are people finding you, what pages they’re visiting, what is the demographic makeup of your audience, and more. Look at your likes/shares on social media to determine the types of posts people are most engaged in and focus on creating more of those.
The easier you make it for your advocates to help spread the word, the more successful your organization will be. Continue evolving and exploring new ways tell your story in the most captivating and creative way possible! You can’t afford not to.
