Digital marketing has become an essential tool for nonprofits looking to reach new donors, volunteers and supporters. But many nonprofits are unsure where to start or how to use digital marketing effectively.

A well-executed digital marketing campaign can help your nonprofit stand out from the competition and attract funding from foundations and other organizations. It can also help you build relationships with potential donors and partners.

If you’re looking to attract funding from foundations or other organizations, consider using digital marketing to reach potential donors and partners. It can be a powerful tool for fundraising and help your nonprofit achieve its goals.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have the knowledge you need to start building a digital marketing plan to reach your goals.

Set Goals

Start with your goals and objectives. What do you hope to achieve with your digital marketing efforts? Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (S.M.A.R.T. goals).

If let’s say, the donor funding was for a local health nonprofit, here’s what the S.M.A.R.T goal would look like;

• Specific – Share valuable information about local health issues through our newsletter once every month.
• Measurable – Increase email open rates to 50% every month.
• Attainable – Our open rates currently stand at 35%, by adding educative content in the newsletter, the 50% mark is attainable.
• Relevant – Through a healthcare awareness newsletter, we will attract more funding and increase our ability to support more patients.
• Timely – Our newsletter will start rolling from June of this year.

This is how SMART goals work. They ensure that you have clear objectives for donors, volunteers, stakeholders, and the community you’re engaging.

Research

Before you start any digital marketing campaign, it’s important to do some research on your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? What are their needs and wants? How can you best reach them?

Once you have this information, you can begin to develop content and strategies that will appeal to your target audience. You may want to consider creating buyer personas to help you understand your target audience even better.

Budget

Digital marketing can be cost-effective, but it’s important to develop a budget that meets the needs of your nonprofit. Consider how much you’re willing to spend on each digital marketing channel and create a budget that reflects your priorities.

Channels

There are many digital marketing channels to choose from, including email, social media, and search engine optimization. Decide which channels will be most effective for reaching your target audience and focus your efforts on those channels.

Develop Your Content

Your content is one of the most important elements of your digital marketing campaign. It should be engaging, informative, and relevant to your target audience.

When developing content, be sure to consider the following:

• Tone – What tone do you want to set with your content? Professional? Casual? Friendly?
• Format – What format will work best for your content? Blog posts? Videos? Infographics?
• Length – How long should your content be?
• Keywords – What keywords do you want to target with your content?

Consider these types of content:

Blog Posts: A blog article, as you’re reading right now, is an example of a blog post. It depends on how much information you want to provide. Longer blog entries, however, are beneficial for both search engines and website visitors. Both search engines and site visitors prefer informative content.

Ebooks: An ebook, in essence, is a more thorough version of a blog article. Ebooks enhance the meaning of material by including additional context topics. They’re also useful for generating lead generation ideas. If you need email subscribers for your website, for example, you might give out free ebooks about your nonprofit’s mission.

Infographics: Visual elements that communicate complex themes in simple language. You improve interaction by providing clarity through images with infographics.

Videos: Videos are a simple answer for those who prefer to see rather than read. Video creation might help you get your message out there in a more digestible manner. It also accommodates individuals with vision impairments.

White Papers: The value of white papers is two-fold. They are essential for communicating the outcomes and challenges of various projects to your audience. Because they describe the advantages and drawbacks of particular tasks, they aid individuals in comprehending what they’re getting into when they collaborate on projects. White papers benefit marketing by demonstrating project readiness.

Case Studies: Narrative that explains accomplishments. Case studies are proof of your success. They’re one of the most common types of material in non-profit marketing.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to reach potential donors, volunteers, and supporters. You can use email to stay in touch with your current supporters and cultivate relationships with new ones.

When developing an email marketing strategy, consider the following:

• Subject lines – Make sure your subject lines are clear and concise.
• Call to action – What do you want your recipients to do after reading your email? Make it easy for them to take action with a clear call to action.
• Personalization – Add a personal touch to your emails by addressing your recipients by name.
• Timing – When is the best time to send your emails? Experiment with different times and days of the week to find what works best for your audience.

Social Media

Social media is a great way to connect with potential donors, volunteers, and supporters. You can use social media to share your nonprofit’s story, promote your events, and engage with your audience.

When using social media, keep the following in mind:

• Platforms – Which platforms are your target audience using? Focus your efforts on those platforms.
• Content – What type of content do you want to share? Make sure it’s engaging and relevant to your audience.
• Timing – When is the best time to post? Experiment with different times and days of the week to find what works best for your audience.
• Hashtags – Use hashtags to reach a wider audience and promote your content.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results. This can help you reach more potential donors, volunteers, and supporters. When optimizing your website for SEO, consider the following:

• Keywords – What keywords do you want to target? Use these keywords throughout your website, including in your titles, descriptions, and content.
• Meta tags – Meta tags are snippets of text that describe a page’s content. Make sure your meta tags are accurate and relevant to your target keywords.
• Links – Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. These can help improve your website’s SEO.

Measure Your Results

Digital marketing is constantly evolving, which makes it important to measure your results and adjust your strategies accordingly. Track website traffic, email engagement, social media engagement, and conversions to see what’s working and what’s not. Use this data to refine your digital marketing strategy and make it even more effective.

Adjust

If something isn’t working, you’ll need to make changes to your digital marketing plan. Maybe you need to try a different platform or change your content strategy. You’ll need to experiment and see what works best for our audience and your organization.

Need help building your digital marketing plan for your nonprofit or business? Sign up for a free Discovery Call below!