If you operate a nonprofit, chances are you’re a noteworthy human being who wants to make the world a better place. So congrats!
Nowadays, to share your mission with the world, an online presence is vital. And though the market may seem oversaturated, there’s always room for exceptional ideas like yours — and people keen to contribute to a good cause.
To reach those people, you need to put digital marketing strategies into practice, such as:
- Determining your goals
- Investing in tech, tools, and solutions
- Selecting your channels
- Diving into PPC campaigns
- Rolling out video campaigns
- Offering easy donation solutions
- Sharing success stories
- Sharing interactive social media campaigns
Let’s break these down!
Achieving Nonprofit Success Through Effective Digital Marketing Strategies
Many people think having a website, a social media profile, and a few marketing tools is enough for people to donate their hard-earned money. Even though specific tools do help, without a marketing strategy to propel you to success, having them is like keeping them in a closed toolbox, unused.
Your marketing tools should work for your goals and vice versa.
So before investing in marketing tools, let’s think about your goals for a second. Most nonprofits need to raise awareness to reach quality supporters willing to contribute to their cause.
What are your goals?
Your digital marketing strategy will be as distinct as your nonprofit. For instance, a yearly fundraiser to maintain a national park will have goals different from those of a community’s animal shelter.
So back to the main question: Why does your nonprofit need a digital marketing strategy? Easy — to smoothly reach its goals. Whether it’s raising awareness, getting donations, connecting with new supporters, creating an online support platform, etc., without a clear strategy paving the way, you’ll be investing time and money in the wrong tools, media, and channels.
Coming up next are our favorite digital marketing strategies to help your nonprofit expand.
1. Establish your goals
We can’t stress this step enough. Every effective (and successful) marketing strategy starts with establishing goals.
From this point forward, all marketing efforts will push you toward your North Star. But not all goals are compatible with all nonprofits. So we recommend you start by asking some questions:
- Do you need to raise money?
- Do you need to raise awareness?
- Are you looking for more supporters?
- Are you looking for volunteers?
- Do you need to reach a specific type of supporter?
- Do you need new leads for your website?
You may have ticked more than one box on our list — so prioritizing is key. Set a primary goal and one or two supporting ones. Next, start developing the strategies to achieve them. Try this:
- Based on your goals list, write another list of gaps in your current digital marketing strategy. Then, write down ideas on how to improve them.
- Analyze past data, recognize what needs improvement, and set new goals.
- Analyze past successful campaigns, and consider how to replicate and enhance them.
- Make a list of the digital marketing tools you will need to make reaching your goals easier (coming up)
2. Invest in digital marketing tools
Now that we’ve established the importance of setting goals, it’s time to consider investing in digital marketing tools that will help you boost your strategies. Currently, there are tons of
marketing tools, platforms, and media that will help you catch your potential supporters’ attention.
Here’s a quick list of marketing tools that we believe nonprofits should have in their toolkits:
- A beautifully designed website
- Well-thought-out marketing campaigns
- Engaging and authentic social media activity
- Recurring email newsletters and campaigns
- Blog posts on interesting topics
So which are you currently missing?
If you are active in any of the above channels, think about this: Are you present enough to catch potential supporters’ attention? Are your results correlating to your goals?
For instance, you may have visitors coming to your website from your latest marketing campaign, but potential supporters will probably lose interest and exit if your website looks outdated.
On the other hand, you might have a responsive website but fail to connect with your supporters and followers via email or social platforms.
Whichever digital marketing tools you choose for your nonprofit, make sure you maximize their effectiveness to the fullest.
3. Choose the right channels
In point 2, we mentioned the importance of using your marketing tools and channels (website, social media, email, etc.). But not every channel available on the internet is compatible with your nonprofit’s goals. Combining these comprehensively will ensure your marketing strategies are successful.
Digital marketing channels to consider:
- Website: This is your central hub — where all of your nonprofit’s information is housed. Here you connect with supporters; communicate your story, vision, and mission; and share your email and social media accounts. Nowadays, every nonprofit needs a well-designed, brand-forward website.
- Social media: Social media platforms are great tools for reaching your audience. There are a few to choose from: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok, for instance. Your job is to figure out where your quality supporters are most active. Then, focus your strategies on these channels, and invest in creating social content, advertising, and campaigns.
- Email marketing: In essence, email marketing fosters a personal connection with followers and cultivates supporter loyalty. It allows you to keep in touch with people who believe in your cause by sharing news, stories, events, and more.
- Advertising: Online advertising can dramatically increase your visibility — and with a great strategy in place, you can reach new people; raise awareness; and get hundreds of new visitors to your website to sign up, donate, or support your cause.
4. Invest in PPC (pay-per-click) advertising
Investing in PPC advertising campaigns can significantly improve your brand visibility and raise awareness. In fact, Google offers a PPC program for nonprofits in specific countries. The program is called Google Grants and gives nonprofit organizations up to $10,000 a month in PPC advertising — helping your organization gain exposure without breaking the bank!
First, you need to get approved, so make sure to follow Google’s instructions to start running ads.
Whether or not you qualify for Google Grants, having a clear PPC strategy is crucial to making every click count. The secret is getting quality traffic, meaning the visitors who are genuinely interested in supporting your cause.
Next, analyze campaign data for future improvements. Look into your engagement rate, bounce rate, and visited pages to adjust your strategy.
5. Invest in video content
Did you know video content currently rules the digital market? This goes for all sorts of media, not just social. Videos in emails double or triple the click-through rate and boost landing-page conversion by at least 80%. Also, if the word “video” is included in your subject line, you can improve open rates by 19%.
The most successful videos are the ones that create an emotional response. If your nonprofit has a moving story to tell (which it probably does!), you’re already halfway there. Evoke authentic emotion in your viewers by sharing your mission, and wait for donations to start rolling in.
6. Offer easy donation tools for your supporters
If your nonprofit needs to increase donations, you need to offer quick and easy ways to donate. Having a well-designed, functional, and responsive website with interactive calls to action for navigation is crucial. In short, supporters shouldn’t have to scratch their heads wondering where they can donate.
Offer donation tools like credit/debit card payments and other digital payment methods like PayPal or Venmo to make this process seamless.
7. Share success stories on social media
Round up success stories, and share how your organization uses its funds to help!
Potential supporters love to hear how your nonprofit has helped others. It’s true: Happy endings inspire people to donate and foster trust and authenticity. Some donors might even prefer diving into your statistics. So sharing not only success stories but also supporting numbers and percentages is a smart move.
People want to be emotionally moved and inspired to share your stories with their friends. By inspiring people, you compel them to donate. This strategy is proven to powerfully increase engagement, awareness, and reach.
8. Invest in interactive social marketing
The digital market space is fast-paced, and catching your audiences’ attention is a challenge — but not impossible.
Establishing a relationship with your audience using fun and interactive social marketing campaigns is a great way to cultivate fruitful connections with your audience.
Here are two fun ways you can start:
- Trivia and quizzes: In light of the rising popularity of knowledge and personality tests, offer a fun trivia game or quiz on your website or social media channels. Don’t forget to ask for your prospects’ email addresses for future connections.
- Opinion surveys: Learn more about your supporters by adding an opinion survey or questionnaire on your website. What do they think is most important regarding your cause? Give your supporters a voice, and adjust strategies and content accordingly.
In conclusion
Nonprofits are exceptional organizations. By establishing effective digital marketing strategies, your nonprofit will be able to reach new supporters, engage with your audience organically, and cultivate authentic connections with your contributors.
Looking for help with your digital marketing strategy for your nonprofit? Our digital marketing agency is here for you. Let’s connect.
