How Do Nonprofits Do Marketing?

Nonprofit marketing may seem like an oxymoron. However, nonprofit organizations need promotion just like for-profit businesses. Nonprofit marketing is essential to attract donors and volunteers and to get the word out about the organization’s cause. Thankfully, experienced agencies know exactly how to handle this specific type of marketing.

Read on below to learn more about how marketing agencies work with nonprofits.

What Can Nonprofits Gain From Marketing?

When you work with a nonprofit marketing agency, it can lead to a major increase in fundraising. Marketing means that more and more people will learn about your organization, especially new people who may not have heard of it otherwise. More eyes on your nonprofit will mean more donations.

As great as this fundraising boost is, money isn’t the only thing to gain. The increased awareness that comes with successful marketing also means your nonprofit will attract potential volunteers. Marketing can also effectively spread the message regarding the purpose, values, and mission of your nonprofit.

Now that you know what a nonprofit can gain from a marketing agency, what does it actually involve?

Nonprofit Digital Marketing Objectives

An advantage that nonprofits have is the fact that people will be more interested in your message than they are in a corporation’s message. Instead of just highlighting a big-picture mission, you should break that down into actionable goals.

This strategy includes communicating your message and indicating actions that can be taken. For instance, if you want to educate people, nonprofit marketing agencies will tailor content with this in mind. They can break it down for anyone to understand, create fun infographics, and more. You can also use marketing tools to get across what your organization has accomplished thus far.

Then there’s the call to action. This can be anything from asking for donations to inviting people to follow your organization on social media. While donations may seem like the most obvious call to action, people are going to want to do more than just give money. And these other types of actions are also helpful for forming lasting relationships.

Finally, you’ll want to use marketing to create and foster relationships. This can include mailing lists, for both email and snail mail. People will also want to stay aware of what their efforts are helping your nonprofit achieve. Continuing the communication will be key.

What Does Nonprofit Marketing Include?

An experienced marketing agency knows multiple ways of getting the word out about your nonprofit. The different types of marketing that can be used include digital, direct mail, mobile, social media, and content marketing.

What Are Some Types of Nonprofit Marketing Campaigns?

• Point-of-sale. This is the process of asking for donations within another purchase. Everyone has likely experienced being asked about an optional donation while checking out.
• Message-focused. Unlike a business, you’re not marketing for a product. Instead, the focus should be what the nonprofit’s mission is. Thankfully, many will find this compelling. A message-focused campaign is a way to get the story behind your organization out there. This can include tying your mission to a current event, which will help get more attention.
• Transactional. This is when a nonprofit teams up with a corporate sponsor. Of course, you’ll hope to match with a sponsor that reflects your organization’s values and believes in its mission.

Nonprofit Marketing Helps Build Your Brand

We’ve already emphasized how important a nonprofit’s messaging is for marketing campaigns. To really get attention, though, you’ll also want to define your brand visually. This includes logos, color schemes, typefaces, and so on. Visionary elements make your brand recognizable.

Once your nonprofit’s brand is defined, it’s also important to keep it consistent. This means using the same colors, fonts, and wording on different channels, from direct mail to social media to print advertisements. In order to stay on track with this, a nonprofit marketing agency will help you create a style guide.

Marketing Agencies Know How to Reach Your Desired Audience

When it comes to reaching certain groups, you know that younger people will likely respond to social media instead of snail mail. However, there are others you’d want to reach who aren’t as tuned into the internet. Thankfully, experienced marketing agencies know how to reach your audience overall as well as specific demographics.

How Marketing Agencies Ensure Your Nonprofit Has an Effective Digital Presence

When you work with an agency that’s experienced with digital marketing, they’ll make sure your nonprofit has:

• A website that loads quickly and is mobile-friendly
• Online sign-ups for volunteering and email lists
• Effective email marketing strategies
• Official social media accounts that are easy to find
• Strategically placed ads for volunteer opportunities
• Keeping the information on your website up to date
• Staying on the ball and implementing the latest and greatest techniques

In this day and age, the importance of digital marketing cannot be overstated. When you look for an agency to work with, make sure they emphasize their work in this specific field. The nonprofit marketing agency will use proven tactics, such as search engine optimization, social media ad targeting, online reputation management, and social media marketing.

The right agency will keep up with the latest in the digital world. This is a great help, because there is so much about it that changes so fast. They’ll also run analytics to see what parts of your digital marketing are working, and which parts aren’t. This includes looking at site traffic and social media following. They’ll also be able to see how many people actually open your emails. By letting the experts handle that aspect, you can fully focus on the mission of your organization.

At InnoVision, we have experience with numerous nonprofit clients. In fact, you can view our expansive portfolios with plenty of examples of this kind of work on our website. We also know that nonprofits may not have the resources and budget of a big corporation—and we’re willing to work with that. Explore our InnoVision company website to find out everything you need to know about our agency and our services. Once you see what we have to offer, we’re sure you’ll realize the great potential of a team-up between our marketing agency and your nonprofit.