7 Things To Help Grow Your Nonprofit's Marketing

As a nonprofit venturing into the world of digital marketing, it can be overwhelming. The sheer amount of noise and the pace of change can be mind-boggling. However, as someone who has worked with nonprofits for over two decades, I can say that success is achievable if you are willing to put in the effort. While this list is not exhaustive, I want to share a few strategies that I've observed from successful nonprofits I've worked with.

Takes lots of work.

One of the common things we all hope for is that fast overnight viral type of growth. Though almost all communications and social media growth happens over time with a lot of hard work. It takes lots of different strategies and just simply trying stuff. If that stuff doesn't work then try other stuff. I once heard a quote from a guy who did some work for Google, he said that "Google has no idea what works, they just try stuff.". So try to keep your ear to the ground with what's happening online, trends etc., and simply try stuff out. Though always make sure that trying stuff never comes at the expense of sticking to your values and message as an organization.

Consistency.

It is good to have stuff written and scheduled out over a period of time instead of just putting everything up at once. The worst mistake I have seen organizations/people make in blogging and social media is that they start strong but then fade away to where they only post once a month, if at all. So know what you can handle and stick with it consistently. Use a social media scheduling app like LATER to help you with Social Media scheduling. This allows you and your team more time to engage in conversation with your followers.

Know your audience.

It is important to focus as much as possible when starting out. Know the age groups and countries you want to reach. Then make sure to build up a presence on the platforms where your audience live online. Also pick 2-3 so you dont spread yourself too thin. In the past I have primarily put effort into Facebook and Instagram because that's what most people use. Though if you have a large Gen Z audience you simply cannot ignore Tik Tok. Then on the side I recommend trying stuff out on the lesser known platforms. Who knows maybe your message really takes off on Pinterest for some reason.

Quality.

Don't rush stuff out for the sake of communicating. Edit blog posts and social posts and be willing to delete stuff that you don't think you would even be that excited by. I do that all the time ;) Also make sure branding is consistent across all platforms. Are you attaching links correctly? You can write the best posts but if it doesn’t correctly link to something where someone can take action it can end up being useless.

Invest.

The common pursuit of the cheapest, and often free, forms of communication could hinder you from getting a quality result. While those are not bad things in themselves, it is important to have some sort of budget. The age old saying "You get what you pay for" is often very true in the world of communications. Putting actual money and resources into your work adds value to it. So if you think communications is a valuable part of your nonprofit make sure to put your money where your mouth is. Though once you have invested make sure you really develop the next point...

Receive feedback.

Don't get to carried away with all the things I already mentioned until you clearly understand the outcomes you are wanting. Then be very clear on how you will measure that. That can be a number of followers you are shooting for, or a number of visitors per day on your web site, or more importantly someone actually taking action and joining your cause. A simple example is spending money promoting a video on Facebook, but then not really getting many views on the actual video. So do you have systems to measure how people are responding to your communication? Or is it simply putting stuff out there and hoping something happens. You are not actually communicating until you have received feedback. One of the main ways to do this is by using a CRM.

7 Reasons Hubspot Is The Best CRM For Nonprofits

BE PATIENT.

Don't be fooled into thinking you can do this over night. This is similar to my first point except simply working hard doesnt mean you will grow by next month. The simple fact that we all know is that the world lives on the internet so the success of your cause really does require a strong presence online. So don't give up! And hey if you are still struggling feel free to reach out and book some time with me. I would love to see how I could help. 

Also check out my new nonprofit GROWTH THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS ONLINE COURSE!