Council Post: Four Digital Marketing Tips For Nonprofits

By Jon Clark, managing partner at Moving Traffic Media, a New York digital agency offering SEO, PPC and Amazon marketing services.

Skillful digital marketing can influence opinion leaders, politicians and the general public to push for changes that’ll benefit your nonprofit’s cause. Many discussions on social issues and awareness are held online. Therefore, it’s worth putting your efforts toward establishing a powerful digital marketing strategy to find people who’ll connect with your story.

Digital marketing will help you focus on activities that help with:

• Raising funds

• Encouraging volunteers

• Enrolling membership

• Promoting your message

Convincing people to give their money and time without the promise of any tangible return is not a walk in the park. However, it can be achieved by being deliberate with your messaging online and by targeting the right audience. No matter your geographic location, you’ll find that the following tips provide you with cost-effective solutions and measurable results.

1. Develop A Robust Online Presence

A robust online presence means being noticeable and memorable on online channels. Investing in a number of online channels brings you closer to more people who may be interested in helping you champion your cause in one way or another.

Some examples include:

• Investing in a quality website that’s easy to navigate

• Exploring paid and unpaid social media platforms

• Video marketing and email marketing

Keeping your online pages engaging and active will give you an edge. You can also integrate the channels using backlinks so that they work together for even more exposure and interaction.

Most social media platforms have a free option and a paid option that can increase your visibility and engagement.

The list below shows how you can use paid options to boost your online presence.

• Facebook Option: Pay for sponsored posts shown to your target audience.
• Content: Create interesting posts that show your work and contain backlinks to your website.
• Instagram Option: Invest in influencer marketing and sponsored posts.
• Content: Post quality pictures demonstrating your impact.
• TikTok Option: Partner with influencers who promote your message and could boost viewership to the millions.
• Content: Post short videos set to music that tell moving stories.
• YouTube Option: Pay for ads that appear in between videos for viewers interested in your cause.
• Content: Upload longer videos explaining your cause and ongoing and future projects.
• LinkedIn Marketing Option: Pay for sponsored messages sent to your leads’ inboxes.
• Content: Tailor lead nurturing messages to potential donors.
• Twitter Option: Pay for posts to appear on your target audience’s timelines.
• Content: Have short descriptions of events and projects with backlinks to your website.

The beauty of digital marketing is that it levels the playing field for well-established organizations and beginners or newcomers. You can benefit from this effect by creating quality content on a regular basis. This will help you build authority and allow people to familiarize themselves with your cause.

Expert Tip: Do not underestimate the power of any social media platform. Regardless of the platform, there’s likely to be a user who’ll resonate with your cause.

2. Invest In Marketing Automation Tools

To improve the quality of your leads and the conversion rate, you must invest in software that automates repetitive marketing operations.

Marketing automation tools can help with the following marketing operations:

• Email marketing: Automation will send numerous emails to your interested subscribers.

• Post scheduling on social media: Use social media scheduling tools to help ease your work and keep your followers engaged.

• Tracking campaign progress: When you’re running various campaigns to promote your message, automation can help the team report what they’ve done and track the progress of the campaign.

• Identify possible leads: Automation can identify who’s paying attention to your organization and why.

Investing in marketing automation helps the essential personnel speed up their daily operations, allowing them to focus on other important tasks.

3. Personalize Your Content And Messaging

Emotions drive action. Therefore, your messaging needs to be personalized and target particular individuals. This means that the content you put out must be relatable. Choose stories that involve real people and the impact your organization has had on their lives.

Whether you’re tackling mental health issues or rebuilding homes after a natural disaster, the key is to show how real lives were affected by your efforts. People will be more likely to want to work with you.

Depending on the platform, you can tailor your message to appeal to the demographic you’re targeting. You’ll get an idea of what works best on which platform by keeping track of your engagement and the results derived from each kind of interaction.

4. Keep Your Donation Pages Straightforward

One big mistake that nonprofits and charities make is having a donation page with too many requirements and too much information.

A successful donation page:

• Makes it easy for people to give

• Helps supporters donate quickly and conveniently

• Automates payments

• Gives donors confidence in keeping their details secure

Remember to assure donors that their card details are safe. Including an optional share button will allow donors to post on social media that they’ve supported your cause.

Finally, always remember to send a personalized thank you message to every person who donates. Appreciate their contribution and keep them updated on the progress of your work. This keeps you connected and more likely than not, they’ll donate again.

Expert Tip: Avoid distractions and pop-ups on the donation page. It’ll keep the donor’s attention focused on the donation button.