Creating User-Centric Content (and Why It Matters)

 

You’ve most likely heard the adage “content is king”, before. The phrase became popular after Bill Gates wrote an essay with the same title that detailed Gates’ beliefs about what would ultimately be profitable on the internet. In the essay, he also acknowledged that content can take many forms:

“When it comes to an interactive network such as the Internet, the definition of ‘content’ becomes very wide. For example, computer software is a form of content—an extremely important one, and the one that for Microsoft will remain by far the most important.

But the broad opportunities for most companies involve supplying information or entertainment. No company is too small to participate.”

Whether it’s words, images, videos, software, or something else,just as Bill Gates predicted over two decades ago, content creation has become an essential component of marketing strategies in today’s digital age. 

Businesses need to produce content that resonates with their target audience to build brand awareness, increase engagement, and drive conversions. However, creating content that truly connects with users is not an easy task, and requires a user-centric approach. In this article, we’ll explain exactly what user-centric content is, why it’s so important, and share some tips for creating it.

What Is User-Centric Content?

Creating user-centric content—also referred to as “customer-centric content”—means that the content is designed with the user or customer in mind. It is crafted to cater to their needs, wants, interests, and pain points. This approach helps organizations create content that is relevant, engaging, and useful to their target audience. When content is user-centric, it can help establish trust, build relationships, and encourage loyalty among users. 

User-centric content isn’t just important to businesses, either. It is instrumental to the success of other organizations as well, like nonprofits and charities. While these organizations may not have customers in the general sense, they do rely on donors and supporters in order to carry out their missions, and providing these supporters with user-centric content is just as crucial for them as it is for businesses. Let’s delve deeper into why user-centric content matters so much.

Why Does User-Centric Content Matter? 

First and foremost, user-centric content can help you stand out in a crowded digital landscape. By creating content that is tailored to your audience’s needs, you can set yourself apart from competitors who are producing generic, self-serving content. Additionally, user-centric content can help you build trust and establish credibility with your audience. When users see that your content is relevant and valuable, they are more likely to view your business as an authority in your industry.

User-centric content can also help you increase engagement and drive conversions. When users find your content helpful and engaging, they are more likely to share it with others, which can help expand your reach. Additionally, if your content includes calls to action (CTAs) that encourage users to take specific actions—such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase—you can increase conversions and drive revenue. So, how do you actually create user-centric content?

Tips for Creating User-Centric Content

 

• Identify Your Target Audience – The first step in creating user-centric content is to identify your target audience. Understanding your audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors can help you tailor your content to their needs. You can use tools such as Google Analytics and social media analytics to gain insights into your audience’s behavior and preferences. Additionally, conducting surveys or focus groups can provide valuable feedback from your audience.

 

• •  
  • Once you have identified your target audience, you can start creating content that is tailored to their needs. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, social media posts, and more. The key is to create content that is valuable, informative, and engaging. According to a study performed by Demand Metric, over 60% of marketers personalize their content to their target audience, and 80% of them believe that it’s more effective than content that hasn’t been personalized.

 

• Focus on Solving Problems – One way to ensure your content is user-centric is to focus on solving problems. Your content should provide solutions to the challenges your audience is facing. By offering solutions, you position your business as an authority in your industry, and users are more likely to trust and rely on your content because it is actually helping them with an issue or question they have.

 

• Tell a Story – Another way to create user-centric content is to focus on storytelling. Stories are powerful tools that can help users connect with your brand on an emotional level. Throughout all of history, humans have always been part of narrative cultures, passing down stories from generation to generation in various forms, including oral stories, text, images, pictures, paintings, videos, and more. Narratives are a part of who we are and what we enjoy, so it makes sense that they would also be effective marketing tools.

 

• • By sharing stories that resonate with your audience, you can build a strong connection and foster a sense of community. For example, if you sell outdoor gear, you could share stories of adventurers who have used your products to conquer challenging trails or summit mountains. Generally, more readers will connect with these stories than if you were simply to claim you sell the best gear.

 

• Include Visuals and Graphics – In addition to solving problems and storytelling, another way to create user-centric content is to use visuals. Humans are visual creatures, and content that includes images and videos can be more engaging and memorable than text alone. In fact, 91% of consumers say they prefer visual and interactive content over traditional forms like plain text alone. Using visuals can help you illustrate your points, break up large blocks of text, and make your content more visually appealing.

 

• Make Your Content Accessible and Easy To Understand – Finally, it is essential to make sure your content is accessible and easy to consume. This means using clear language, formatting your content for easy readability, and making sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. If your content is difficult to understand or access, users are less likely to engage with it.

Are you looking to create user-centric content and improve your nonprofit’s site performance and online presence? As the leader in Google Grant management for nonprofit organizations, Nonprofit Megaphone understands how valuable user-centric content is, which is why we offer professional SEO content writing services. Learn more about NPM and reach out today to learn how we can make both the Google Grant and your content work for your organization!

What Is Trackable in Google Analytics?

 

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that helps businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations track and analyze their website traffic. It offers a range of features that can assist these organizations in making data-driven decisions about their online presence. 

 

One of the most important aspects of Google Analytics is its ability to track various metrics related to website activity. These metrics can help businesses and nonprofits understand how their website is performing, what content is resonating with their audience, and where they need to focus their efforts to improve their online presence. So, what exactly is trackable in Google Analytics? 

 

 

In short, there are many things that can be tracked, ranging from basic metrics—like page views and sessions—to more advanced metrics like conversion rates and user behavior. Many of these metrics, but not all, can also be linked to Google Ads, allowing you to see your sitewide analytics alongside information about what users do after reaching your site via ads specifically. Here are some of the most important things that organizations can track in Google Analytics:

 

• Page Views – This is a basic metric that tracks how many times a specific page on your website has been viewed. Page views can help you understand which pages on your website are the most popular, and which ones may need to be improved.

 

• Sessions – A session is a group of interactions that a user has with your website within a specific time period. This metric tracks how many sessions have occurred on your website, and allows you to see how engaged your audience is with your content.

 

• Users – This metric tracks how many unique visitors have come to your website. It is useful because it shows you the size of your audience and how many people are interested in your content.

 

• Bounce Rate – A bounce occurs when a user visits your website and then leaves without interacting with any other pages or elements on your site. The bounce rate tracks the percentage of users who bounce from your site after visiting a single page. A high bounce rate can indicate that your website needs to be improved to encourage users to stay on your site longer.

 

• Conversion Rate – This metric tracks how many users take a specific action on your website, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. The conversion rate can help you understand how effective your website is at driving user engagement and sales.

 

• Referral Traffic – This metric tracks how many users come to your website from other websites, such as social media platforms or search engines. Referral traffic can assist you in determining which marketing channels are driving traffic to your site.

 

• Search Traffic – This metric tracks how many users come to your website from search engines like Google. It can help you understand which keywords and phrases are driving traffic to your site and how well your website is performing in search engine rankings.

 

• User Behavior – Google Analytics can also track user behavior on your website, including things like how long users spend on specific pages, which pages they visit, and how they navigate your site. This information is useful because it informs you about how users interact with your content and where you may need to make improvements to enhance engagement.

 

• Demographics – Additionally, Google Analytics can provide information about the demographics of your website visitors, including their age, gender, and location. This information can help you understand who your audience is and how to better target your marketing efforts.

 

• E-commerce Metrics – For businesses and organizations that sell products or services online, Google Analytics can track a range of e-commerce metrics, including things like revenue, average order value, and product performance. This allows you to better understand how your online sales are performing and where you may need to make improvements.

 

In addition to these metrics, Google Analytics can also provide a range of other useful information, such as which devices and browsers users are using to access your website, which pages are causing users to leave your site, and how long it takes for your website to load. 

 

Now that we’ve covered some of the most common things you can track, let’s take a look at some other important aspects of Google Analytics, including what success pages are and how to actually create trackable forms.

 

Success Pages & How To Set Them Up

 

Success pages—also known as goal completion pages—are a key feature of Google Analytics that allow organizations to track the success of their website goals. A success page is the page that a user lands on after completing a specific action on your website, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter.

 

By setting up success pages in Google Analytics, businesses and nonprofits can track the number of users who have completed a specific action on their website, as well as the conversion rate for each goal. This information can help these organizations understand how effective their website is at driving user engagement and sales, and can be used to make data-driven decisions about website optimization. 

 

Without a success page, you may be able to track the number of users who interact broadly with a given page, form, or button, but by adding a success page, you’ll also have data on how many users actually reach the final step of a given action. Comparing these can help to measure things like cart abandonment, or if users show interest in a certain conversion but are not frequently completing it. This can provide ideas on ways to improve the path to successful conversions on your site.

 

To set up a success page in Google Analytics, organizations must first define their website goals and identify the pages that users land on after completing each goal. They can then use the Google Analytics goal tracking feature to set up a goal that is triggered when a user lands on the success page. Once the goal is set up, businesses can track the success of their website goals over time and make adjustments to their website to improve their conversion rates.

 

Now that you know more about success pages and how to create them, let’s explore how to create trackable forms in Google Analytics.

 

 

How Do You Create Trackable Forms in Google Analytics?

 

Creating trackable forms in Google Analytics can help organizations better understand how users are engaging with their website and where they may need to make improvements to improve user engagement and conversion rates. Here are the steps organizations can take to create trackable forms in Google Analytics:

 

• Set Up a Goal in Google Analytics – To track form submissions, organizations must first set up a goal in Google Analytics that is triggered when a user submits a form on their website. To do this, they can navigate to the “Admin” section of their Google Analytics account, click on “Goals,” and then click on “New Goal.”

 

• Define the Goal Type – When setting up a new goal, organizations must define the goal type. For trackable forms, the goal type is typically “Destination,” as the goal is triggered when a user reaches a specific page, such as a thank you page or confirmation page (which are types of success pages), after submitting a form.

 

• Set Up the Destination Page – Organizations must then specify the destination page that triggers the goal. This is the success page that users are directed to after submitting a form.

 

• Set Up Form Tracking – To track form submissions, organizations can use Google Tag Manager to set up form tracking. This involves creating a tag that is triggered when a user submits a form and sends the form submission data to Google Analytics.

 

• Test and Define – Once form tracking is set up, organizations should test the form submission process to ensure that data is being accurately tracked in Google Analytics. They can then use the data to refine their website and improve user engagement and conversion rates.

 

As you can see, creating goals and setting up success pages are important parts of creating trackable forms in Google Analytics. Doing this allows your business or nonprofit to fully utilize Google Analytics and gain insights into how users are engaging with your website, how your website is performing, and how you can improve your online presence.

 

Are you looking to leverage Google Analytics to improve your nonprofit’s site performance and online presence? All Nonprofit Megaphone plans come with custom conversion tracking and reporting for your Google Grant Ads. Learn more about NPM and reach out today to learn how we can make both the Google Grant and Google Analytics work for your organization!

 

This spotlighted blog post is courtesy of Nonprofit Megaphone

How to Use Google Ads for Non-Profit Organizations

Google Ads can be a valuable tool for non-profit organizations looking to increase their visibility and attract more donations. With the right strategy and approach, you can use this powerful advertising platform to connect with potential supporters and raise awareness for your cause. In this article, we’ll explore some tips and best practices for using Google Ads to benefit your non-profit organization.

One of the ways nonprofits analyze what is working for them is by looking at the return on investment (ROI) from the different actions they take. ROI refers to what you receive in return when you invest in a product or service. ROI is a performance measure that evaluates the profitability or efficiency of an investment. 

So, for a nonprofit, analyzing ROI for a given expenditure would involve evaluating what they get in return and determining whether that return is worth the investment. ROI is measured as a percentage, calculated by taking the current (or returned) value of the investment minus its cost and then dividing it by the cost of the investment.

Luckily, many resources are available to nonprofits that help them amplify their reach and impact without high costs, thereby producing strong ROIs. One of the most valuable resources is Google Ad Grants. In this article, we’ll explain the Google Ad Grant and the ROI you can expect from it.

What Is Google Ad Grants?

Google Ad Grants—commonly referred to as “the Google Grant”—is a program that Google offers to nonprofit organizations. This program focuses on helping nonprofits reach a wider audience online by providing them with up to $10,000 per month in search ads on Google. 

The Google Ad Grant is a marketing tool to create more awareness for your organization and reach new people online. This helps garner interest among and build relationships with these individuals, which can lead to them becoming involved in your organization, whether through volunteering, spreading the word about you, donating, or interacting with your nonprofit in any other way.

The Google Ad Grant is available to all nonprofits that are registered 501(c)(3) organizations and have a user-friendly website to use with their search ads. While maximizing the value of the Grant can be difficult, applying for it is relatively straightforward. Here are three main steps involved with acquiring the Google Ad Grant:

1. Apply for Google for Nonprofits
2. Activate Ad Grants
3. Launch a Successful Ad Grants Campaign

Now that you understand what the Google Ad Grant is and how to acquire it let’s look at the ROI it can offer your organization.

What Is the ROI for the Google Ad Grant?

The Google Ad Grant is technically free, so that it may seem like no investment is needed. However, acquiring and maintaining the Google Ad Grant isn’t all that simple. Complying with the rules and requirements of the Grant involves a lot of work and understanding. 

As the Grant is a tool designed for nonprofits to gain awareness, Google has (and frequently updates or adds more) compliance guidelines for what types of services can be advertised with the Grant and how organizations are allowed to do so. If you don’t comply with these guidelines, you can lose the Grant, and it can be more challenging to acquire it again later.

So, the investment required for the Google Ad Grant usually involves having someone manage it for you, ensuring compliance with the newest Grant guidelines and changes. While some organizations try to manage the Grant in-house, this doesn’t always work well, as it requires specialized knowledge of Google policies that frequently change. Gaining and maintaining this knowledge is exhaustive enough to take away time from a team member’s other responsibilities. Further, even if they manage to comply with all requirements of the Grant, many do not achieve the results they are looking for, as general best practices for Google Ads (Grant or otherwise) are a whole other area of specialization, but one integral to making the most of your ads.

The other option involves hiring a company to manage the Google Ad Grant for you. This ensures that you have a team of professionals who are experts when it comes to the Google Ad Grant and will put you in the best position to succeed with it. Depending on the company you hire, management can cost anywhere from $400 to over $1,000 a month, as there are many management plans that include add-ons to further boost the impact and performance of your Google Ad Grant. 

If your organization takes this route, hiring a company to manage the Grant for you is the main investment associated with the Google Ad Grant and, therefore, is the investment you would use to measure ROI. However, doing so is not always simple and straightforward.

How Do I Calculate ROI for the Google Ad Grant?

The ROI from the Google Ad Grant for your particular nonprofit organization will depend on your specific goals and what metrics are important to you. As such, using Google Analytics to track users’ behavior after they see ads is the most obvious way to measure the return on investment for those ads. 

Using this, you can track conversions and determine things like how many clicks, donations, member sign-ups, or other actions you are getting through Google Ads traffic. It is these actions that will tell you how much those ads are really worth, or how much they are returning on your investment: Are your Grant Ads leading new people to your organization? Are you seeing meaningful growth from your pre-Grant Ads baseline site traffic? By measuring the answers to those questions, you can determine the “worth” of your Grant Ads and whether or not they are producing a return on their investment.

Paid Ads vs. Google Ad Grant ROI

It should be noted that, as in-kind donations from Google, the calculation of ROI for your Grant ads is quite different than the calculation for “out-of-pocket” paid ads. Many marketing professionals are accustomed to calculating the ROI for their ads against the amount paid for those ads. An out-of-pocket expense of $10,000 on ads is the investment against which the ROI for those ads is calculated.

With Grant Ads, however, the (up to) $10,000 spent on ads comes from Google’s own capital, and has no real, transferrable value for your nonprofit, as it is an in-kind donation, and not a true donation that could otherwise be added to your budget elsewhere. As such, in traditional marketing, a lower spend on ads may increase your ROI by decreasing your investment, but with Grant Ads, the more important question is how much time or money you spend on Grant Management, not how much Google spends while displaying your ads.

This is a critical difference, as it can allow for very different, and more competitive, advertising tactics with Grant Ads than out-of-pocket paid ads. When you pay for each ad yourself, you’ll want to keep the cost down as far as possible to keep your ROI as high as possible. This means things like omitting bids on the most competitive, expensive keywords, and instead focusing on areas that will be cheaper to advertise, but less popular among searchers (search popularity being one of the greatest contributors to the price of a specific advertisement).

With Grant Ads, you are free to bid on the most expensive keywords without sacrificing your ROI. This is because, whether Google spends $10 or $10,000 showing your Grant Ads, your real investment stays the same. If you spend $700 on Grant Management, that stays constant no matter how much of the Grant Google “spends” on your ads. As such, rather than a part of the investment, any Ad Grant spend can be thought of as Google paying themselves in Monopoly money, the product of which is free to you (outside of time or money spent managing the Grant).

The ROI for Grant Ads is therefore calculated based on the relationship between real dollars spent ($700 in this example), and the publicity and expertise received, regardless of the cost of that publicity for Google via the Grant. $10,000 may be a concerning amount to spend out of pocket for paid advertisers, but, in the above Ad Grants scenario, that same $10,000 comes at a real investment of $700, and does not factor into ROI calculations. ROI is instead calculated by determining the value of the publicity received (clicks, conversions, shares, and the advertising expertise required to achieve those results), held against the $700 in real money spent to receive it.

At Nonprofit Megaphone, we’re Google Ad Grants experts who are focused on helping nonprofits thrive. We’ve helped hundreds of nonprofits achieve the results they want through the Google Ad Grant, with many results above and beyond what our clients thought was even possible. Explore our many case studies to illustrate just how much of an impact our Grant Management can have for your organization. Our Google Ad Grant management can yield valuable results for your organization and help you to get the greatest ROI from the Google Ad Grant. If you’re interested in experiencing similar returns from your Google Ad Grant management, please reach out to us today to get started!

How To Design Effective Nonprofit Job Ads

Plenty of for-profit and nonprofit companies alike post poorly designed job ads every day, partly because they aren’t aware of the ads’ potential impact as part of an overall recruitment strategy. These commonly seen postings often follow outdated formats and top-down approaches that display indifference toward their target audience, managing to be painfully uninteresting at best, and at worst, not worth the frustration they cause for discerning applicants. As a result, such companies are likely to bring in smaller pools of equally indifferent candidates.  

But your organization isn’t common, and it’s anything but indifferent. You run a lean, high-performing nonprofit, and you need unicorns: highly skilled, adaptable, and passionate people who are worth their weight in gold, but will work for a modest salary because they value job satisfaction most. To attract unicorns, as the legend goes, you must be pure of heart, and your nonprofit job ads will need to reflect that. Here’s how to write a proper job ad that will charm the rarest steeds in the market.  

 

 

Avoid the Tone-Deaf, Top-Down Corporate Approach

Arguably the biggest mistake companies make in writing a job ad is framing it as a stark laundry list of their own requirements and preferences—and often, that list is far too long, vague, or complex. The hiring process is a two-way street: you are hoping to begin a relationship that’s the best possible fit for both parties. Naturally, that involves being direct about your organization’s needs, but not to the point of ignoring your applicants’. Your job posting should be as much about winning over job candidates as it is about establishing the criteria for winning the job.

Tips for Writing Nonprofit Job Ads That Get Unicorns

Fortunately, you don’t need to go on an epic quest for any costly magical elixirs to draw great candidates out of the forest. Here are some straightforward tips for getting those unicorns to approach.

Start With a Compelling Opener

Your tone can and should be professional, but it should still speak to like one-of-a-kind minds who truly want to make a meaningful difference in the world. In general terms, describe how candidates will be empowered to do this with your organization. Highlight the qualities of the team they’ll work with, the best aspects of your work environment, the challenges they’ll have the chance to tackle, and the rewarding opportunities they’ll gain. Don’t forget to mention opportunities for growth!

Show; Don’t Just Tell 

All-text job ads—even those with properly formatted bullet points—can feel like a brick wall to some applicants, especially if they rely too heavily on industry buzzwords or bland phrasing. Consider mixing up your media and including video presentation links that give candidates a better glimpse of what your company is really all about. Although they may not tell you so, today’s job seekers need to assess your organization’s “vibes” as much as they do its pay and benefits packages, and videos are a great visual way to showcase its unique character.

Emphasize Inclusive Values and Check for Biased Language 

Particularly in the nonprofit world, where being socially ethical is a core goal of many organizations, it’s essential to include more about your policies for equity and inclusion than the usual boilerplate “equal opportunity” statements found elsewhere. Feature your philosophies prominently in your ad rather than tacking them on at the end as an afterthought. Use gender-neutral pronouns and job titles, and solicit feedback from your current employees to help eliminate language that might be interpreted as expressing bias.

Be Accurate and Transparent: Don’t Waste the Candidate’s Time

Be sure to list a job title that accurately describes the position you need to fill; embellishing it will discourage qualified talent and waste the time of overqualified applicants who are expecting higher pay and status than you’re offering. Include all key competencies needed to do the job (with any nice-to-haves clearly labeled as such). In the interest of reciprocity, however, you should also be up front about pay, benefits, and perks, tangible and otherwise—especially those that are likely to be most attractive to candidates.

Indicate a Clear, Fuss-Free Way To Apply

There’s nothing worse than a job ad that doesn’t specify how to apply for the role, asks for too many time-intensive application materials, or doesn’t list the name and title of the hiring manager to whom the cover letter should be addressed. (This becomes especially frustrating for applicants if the hiring manager is also not listed on your organization’s “team” web page). Make it as simple as possible for prospective candidates to apply: include a link to a user-friendly application form and provide essential contact information, including for applicant questions. 

Don’t Ask for References Up Front

Although this is a common practice, it can be inconsiderate to both referees and applicants. Applicants, who may be applying for several positions at once, are bound by good etiquette to limit access to their referees as much as possible, since those people are doing them a favor. Ideally, applicants will only want their referee to be contacted if they are certain they want the job—which is all but impossible to know at the initial application level. Asking for references up front disempowers applicants to protect invaluable human resources from getting “spammed.”

 

Keep in mind, too, that although society often assumes as much, an applicant’s previous employer or supervisor may not necessarily be a competent or ethical referee. This puts many job seekers at an unjust (and stressful) disadvantage. Some well-qualified and highly motivated candidates may have other “reference gaps” through no fault of their own. Allow applicants to choose their own referees, and ask for references only when you’ve narrowed finalists down to a short list. Better yet, consider skipping this step and conducting in-depth interviews instead.

 

When you write a thoughtful, considerate, and inviting job ad, you’ll attract intelligent, courteous, and motivated candidates for the job. Precisely because so many other companies get important things wrong in this regard, the people you hire will be all the more excited to join yours. If your ad is a true reflection of your nonprofit’s culture, they’ll sing your praises on employer review sites and social media, boosting your future recruiting power. The best part? They’ll also repay your efforts with loyalty and productivity of, well, mythical proportions.

Want more tips like these? Get them here.

 

 

This spotlighted blog post is courtesy of Nonprofit Megaphone

As we inch closer to the end of the year, your nonprofit organization may be doing a deep dive into the progress you’ve made this year. With fall approaching, there are still many opportunities for fundraising events, holiday donations, and seasonal campaigns. Our 4 Nonprofit Marketing Strategies for Fall Growth will improve your ability to reach your year-end goals

With so much on your plate, are you looking for a more streamlined way for your nonprofit to grow through the end of the year and beyond? 

We’ve got you covered! We’ve compiled a list of 4 marketing strategies that nonprofits can focus on over these next few months: 

1. Use social media for storytelling.
2. Run hybrid events. 
3. Utilize the Google Ad Grant.
4. Refresh your website. 

While these are simple tips, let’s get into the details of how to implement each of these the right way to see results.

1. Use social media for storytelling.

One advantage nonprofits have on social media is a continuous supply of authentic content and meaningful stories. While each platform presents unique challenges with organic reach, nonprofits have an advantage. You can have the audience engagement of a creator and the large following of a business. 

As a nonprofit organization, your followers want to see your large-scale impact, small victories, and inspiring stories. You can maintain a consistent presence and keep them updated with regular posts. Social media gives your organization an excellent opportunity for storytelling to grow support for your mission. 

Video content

The convenience of Instagram reels and TikTok videos allows you to create bite-sized content easily. Videos are important because the majority of social media users are continuing to engage more with video content over other forms of content. 

Your audience might tune in regularly to your Instagram reels for updates on a specific life story they’ve begun following. Or they may want to follow along in your nonprofit’s journey as you overcome hardships. With an extensive library of available music, you can evoke emotion with your videos.

For example, a farm animal sanctuary gained significantly more followers after sharing its difficult time relocating all of its residents to safety ahead of wildfires. Another nonprofit went viral when they shared an on-trend funny video, “Things people have said to me about rescuing senior dogs.”

When these nonprofits shared their stories, this elicited strong emotions from their audience. This caused them to be shared over and over, contributing to their success. 

Short-form video content is essential for reaching non-followers to grow your account and gain more support for your mission. For platforms that support both photo and video content, such as Instagram, the algorithm is favoring video content above all else. This makes spreading awareness for your mission through video more possible than ever. 

Infographics

With so much competition and shortening attention spans, it can be challenging to get important information across to your audience quickly. People tend to avoid large bodies of text and often don’t have enough time to read it all. 

Consider presenting educational or statistical information in the form of infographics. You can use simple templates and design features on design tools like Canva to summarize your information and present it in a more visually appealing way. 

For example, a colorful infographic showing “5 Sustainability Hacks” will likely have much more engagement than a long caption or plain bulleted list. 

Bonus Tip

If you create infographics for Instagram or Facebook, you can also use them within a blog post discussing that topic. Remember that infographic images give your blog additional ways to be found under Google images for those keywords. 

Don’t forget your growing Gen Z audience

Discussing social media wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Generation Z (people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s). 

As many in this generation have reached young adulthood, they bring a combination of concern for important causes and a take-action attitude. This is a highly valuable audience for your nonprofit social media presence.  

Gen Z grew up in the digital era. Therefore, they may have high expectations for brevity and tech-friendly content. While this generation can be a challenging audience to capture, it’s worth the effort. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Gen Z, they aren’t afraid to stand up for the issues they care about. Many of them are highly creative and can bring a fresh take to your organization as volunteers and collaborators. 

We recommend you consider asking your Gen Z employees or volunteers their opinion on marketing designs, blog posts, and campaigns. You might be surprised by the insight they bring. It is essential to have a solid grasp of who your social media audience is, and this will be increasing numbers of Gen Z moving forward. If you haven’t already, the time to get to know them is now! 

Use your insights

Be sure to regularly check your insights to better understand your follower audience. This will guide the timing and content types for your status updates. Pay attention to the days/times your followers are most active, their time zone, and age demographics. 

This information allows you to experiment with the best posting times to reach the highest engagement. Use music and trends that align best with the age of your existing and target audience. 

Since you’ll likely have a mixture of demographics, try posting a variety of short and longer content. For example, your Gen Z and young Millennial audience might engage more with an eight-second video posted at night with trending audio. Your other audiences might engage more with a twenty to a forty-second-long video posted in the morning with classic songs. 

Review your post insights to learn what resonates with your audience. Since these metrics will differ for every nonprofit, check your insights regularly to determine what is best for your organization and time zone.

2. Run hybrid events.

Offer virtual options for your in-person events. There are still many people who are reluctant to attend potentially crowded events. Some are restricting their outings due to the pandemic dragging on and the potential cold/flu season of the winter ahead.

How do you convert in-person events into hybrid events? 

The key is proper organization. Have one to two dedicated team members responsible for handling the virtual aspect of your event. They’ll host a live video on social media that you promoted before the event. You can also record this to share with additional audiences afterward. 

Additionally, you should provide a decent live view of the main activities. The team member(s) can stay present with your audience throughout the event. For best results, provide a live chat and answer audience questions. Preferably, your main speaker should be an approachable person who is comfortable presenting and knowledgeable about your event’s goals. 

Engage your virtual audience

Ask the audience questions like, “Where are you streaming from today? How did you hear about our event? What do you guys think we should do for our next fundraiser?” 

Be sure to thank them for participating in your event and engaging with you. Towards the end of the live presentation, plant a seed for the next event by announcing when/what it will be and how to attend. 

Don’t forget the call-to-action

You should also include a call-to-action before ending the live video, such as “Sign up for our newsletter or blog if you want to see more of our activities and hear about future events. If you aren’t following us on “x” social media platform yet, be sure to do so. We post “x content” every week!

3. Utilize the Google Ad Grant.

Whether you currently have the Google Ad Grant or still need to apply, let’s discuss how it can be a game changer for your marketing strategy. 

What is the Google Ad Grant?

Short on time? Check out this 5-minute video where our CEO, Grant Hansel, explains how the Google Ad Grant works and what it means for you!  

Google Ad Grants provide eligible nonprofits with $10,000 in ad credits monthly to spend on ads. These are the ads that appear in Google searches. This program was created by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s former COO, to help nonprofits reach larger audiences and grow their impact. 

Since the Google Ad Grant is designed specifically for nonprofits, all organizations that qualify are awarded the grant. If you haven’t taken this step yet, click here to learn more about qualifications. 

Why is it worth the time? 

With the Google Ad Grant, you can improve your marketing reach in these ways:

• Attract more website visitors
• Reach those who need you most
• Recruit volunteers
• Track campaign progress through data
• Gain new supporters of your mission
• Market multiple priorities simultaneously

 

You already have the grant 

If you are already utilizing the Google Ad Grant and want to see more results, you can try improving your ads. To make your ads successful, run three-to five campaigns since more could prove challenging to manage. 

We recommend keeping your ad groups focused. Be intentional by using closely-related keywords in your campaign for targeted phrases. Also, try experimenting with different headlines and descriptions, using as much of the character limit as possible. 

Additionally, maintaining compliance and monitoring performance are important factors for seeing long-term results. For more tips, read our recommended tips for getting the most out of your Google Grant. 

Get some help with your grant 

Overwhelmed by all the processes? We all know that feeling. Consider professional Google Ad Grant management to maximize your success. Since specialists know the ins and outs of the Google Grant, partnering with a grant management team can take the stress away.

4. Refresh your website.

While the importance of having an up-to-date website is no secret, audiences have come to expect a lot from websites as the user experience has improved. You can be ahead of the game by tweaking a few items to increase readability and navigation. 

Readability

What makes your web pages easy to read? Take a look at your font, sentence structure, white space, paragraph length, and contrast. These factors can either come together nicely for a great first impression, or they can hurt your click-through rate. 

• Font. Select a font that is easy to read and modern. Unless a readable Serif font is part of your Nonprofit’s style, Sans-Serif fonts have a higher success rate for readability. Additionally, experts recommend that text-heavy pages have a font size be at least 16px. In general, anything smaller than that could compromise readability for visually impaired readers. Anything too much larger could also make reading more difficult.

 

• Sentence structure. While sentences may be grammatically correct, they can still be difficult to read. Try using a mixture of short and long sentences. Use transitional phrases. Choose those moments when you want to get right to the point and those moments when it’s important to be more specific. 

 

Using a service like Grammarly can be very helpful. However, you don’t have to take every Grammarly suggestion or change your writing too much. These tools are becoming increasingly intuitive, but only you know the intention behind what you are writing. You may not need to change it! 

 

• White space. In her book, The Non-Designer’s Design Book, Robin Williams says:

“Don’t be afraid to create your Design (or your life) with plenty of blank space- it’s rest for the eyes (and the Soul).” We couldn’t agree more! 

 

From a web design perspective, white space is important for readability. By strategically placing extra space, you can emphasize essential points and make your site scannable for your reader. 

 

• Paragraph length. Closely partnered with white space, it’s important to look at paragraph length too. While many of us were taught to avoid large blocks of text, the new standard for paragraph length forces us to break even some of our most traditional rules. 

 

These are style rules taught in school, such as keeping text that covers a central subject in one paragraph. Although this makes sense for academic writing, it may be best to break up larger paragraphs to encourage readers to stick with you on the web.  

 

• Contrast. Keep your contrast high on each web page. While some colors complement each other well, remember that text needs to be opposite the background. Pair light with dark consistently for text and background.

 

Navigation

Here is a quick checklist for optimal website navigation:

• Social media links on the home page
• Concise menu
• Mobile friendly
• Optimized for searchability 
• Minimal to no pop-ups 
• Good download efficiency 
• “Back-to-top” & “Main Menu” buttons

 

Bonus Tip 

Make your social media icons very easy to find on your website’s home page. Double-check to ensure that you don’t have broken links. 

We also recommend checking the “open in a different tab” option when adding your social media icons. This will open the social media platform up in a separate tab, making it easier for users to click right back over to continue viewing your website. 

Get ready for Fall

We intentionally narrowed down this list of marketing strategies to only four, as these are ways that we’ve seen Nonprofits grow faster near the end of the year. Since we work with many amazing organizations, we know that time is precious when you are trying to make an impact. Think of each strategy as one way to get new visitors to learn about your organization, visit your website, and stay on your site long enough to take action. 

At Nonprofit Megaphone, we understand that managing the grant to see results can be time-consuming for nonprofits. That’s why we currently manage over 48 million in ad dollars for nonprofits and have a 100% success rate in acquiring the Grant. Connect with us to learn more!

 

This content is sponsored by Nonprofit Megaphone. 

Shout out to our friends at DipJar for making today’s episode possible! This clever cashless donation system has revolutionized our sales and donations at events…Ready to try it? 

 

New Nonprofit Trends in 2022 and How to Prepare

The past two years have been tough for nonprofit organizations so we are looking into new nonprofit trends to get prepared. Looking back to 2020, many nonprofits struggled to stay afloat. Covid-19 put a massive strain on businesses of all types. We saw this a lot in nonprofit organizations that didn’t have a large reserve fund to fall back on. As a result, nonprofits have found themselves in an entirely new climate lately with respect to raising money. Many smaller donors now have less money to spare. At the same time, our society continues to become more socially conscious and value-focused. Consumers, in general, are much more aware of where they’re spending money these days. This heightened consciousness lends hope to nonprofits navigating a complex and uncertain future. 

To survive and thrive, nonprofits must continue to adapt to new ways of fundraising in a hybrid work environment. In addition, there is increased focus on finding new ways to connect with donors in an entirely digital landscape.

Let’s explore some of the top trends for nonprofit organizations in 2022, along with the marketing strategies we recommend to succeed.

Workplace Culture

A new nonprofit trend is a large focus on workplace culture. If we’ve learned anything from the past two years, it’s that workplace culture is hugely important. The culture must attract talent and make employees feel valued and respected. This topic is even more vital to nonprofits who cannot fall back on a huge paycheck to help gloss over other inadequacies their staff may experience. By and large, people who choose to work at a nonprofit do so because they are extremely passionate about what that nonprofit supports. Those missions may include an arts establishment, local community organization, or global charity. 

Secondly, Nonprofits need to demonstrate their appreciation and respect for their employees in an ongoing way. Nonprofits can adopt generous hybrid and flex work policies as we slowly move back to in-person activities. Expectations should be outlined clearly and come. Use respectful communication that allows employees to bring forth suggestions, concerns, questions, or recommendations. Another vital element is adopting better hiring practices that result in an employee base representing diverse backgrounds, skillsets, and opinions.

Digital Payment Technologies

Our second nonprofit trend of 2022 is how people and organizations can donate. The pandemic expedited the global transition to entirely digital payment methods, equally affecting nonprofits. 

In 2020, there was a 20% decline in donations via check. Previously, this was a common transaction method for nonprofits. Now, we see a push towards digital forms of payment. Latching onto this new commerce method will be crucial for nonprofits looking to thrive in 2022. As a result of this shift, give your supporters options to pay via credit card, digital payment service, and digital wallet. This makes the donation process as easy and streamlined as possible while maintaining donor privacy. Incorporating additional user-friendly payment options like QR codes can get you one step ahead while making it easy for people to donate online and in-person. 

Many nonprofit organizations also sell editorial magazines related to their cause or industry and use the proceeds of these sales to raise funds. Issuu’s Digital Sales feature can help boost these sales, enabling nonprofits to sell copies of their publications directly within the Issuu platform.

Social Media Strategy Nonprofit Trends

As these two prior nonprofit trends indicate, the nonprofit sector is rapidly changing. Nonprofits must focus on retaining their valuable employees, attracting donors in new ways, and engaging with their audience via new strategies and tactics that appeal to more people. This is where social media comes in! 

Many nonprofits recognize the importance of social channels. However, it can be challenging to allocate resources and budget for a full-fledged social media strategy. Nonprofits that have adopted thoughtful social media strategies recognize the massive benefits of using these platforms. You can reach new and younger audiences. There are fewer barriers to donating directly. You can discover exciting trends that can launch your nonprofit into viral status. Also, loyal followers who have the potential to act as brand representatives. 

The first step in this process is to digitize all current content. For marketing materials, editorial content, brochures, and program guides, transferring this static content into an immersive, digital format is a great way to share engaging content with followers on social media. Having access to digital long-form content also provides an extensive library of assets to repurpose into social media content for months to come. For example, check out this publication by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. It’s a great example of how a nonprofit can create long-form digital content that’s easily shared via social media.

Clear Communication

This year, our final trend for nonprofits is to focus on clear, concise communication. This is vital for helping community members, potential donors, and stakeholders understand exactly what they are supporting. In a vast sea of philanthropic options, clear communication can be the differentiator that sets one nonprofit apart from the rest. It makes it clear as to which specific niche an organization falls into. Mission and impact are at the heart of every nonprofit. Impactful content with clear messaging can reach the right donors at the right time.

Content to Grow & Thrive

Nonprofits benefit us all by furthering social causes that matter. In a world that’s filled with a host of social, economic, and political issues, nonprofits of all sizes play a vital role in helping support people and institutions in need across the globe. The nonprofit sector is shifting with the tides of global needs and business. The trends identified above can help your business adapt. Also, it will help you overcome modern challenges to grow in 2022 like never before. 

This spotlighted blog post is courtesy of Issuu, a digital publishing platform that helps organizations do more good by amplifying their message online. With Issuu, you can further your cause by transforming your PDFs and printed materials into an immersive online publication – instantly creating a dynamic reader experience that your donors will love.

 

Is your nonprofit actively seeking to reach younger donors? While some organizations tend to focus on older and/or long-time supporters, the best time to start engaging with younger donors is now. After all, millennials and Generation Z now make up the largest combined segment of the population in the U.S. Potential support from the next generation is out there.

In today’s technology-centric world, it’s no secret that one of the best ways to reach younger donors is through an online presence or platform. Digital marketing strategies can be very effective for nonprofits who want to further their mission by reaching a newer, younger audience. Read on to learn how to attract younger donors and increase support for your cause.

Understanding Younger Donors

When it comes to younger donors, a common misconception is that they aren’t as willing to contribute money toward a cause compared to older generations. However, 84% of millennials actually give to charity, and 59% of Generation Z’ers are likely to donate to a charity after seeing a message on social media. Like their passion for activism, younger audiences are also passionate about giving. 

Since younger donors are more likely to spend time online, it’s important to begin any digital marketing strategy by optimizing your messaging. Make sure your nonprofit’s website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. Provide regular updates to help build trust and credibility. And, of course, ensure that your online giving process is easy to complete. These steps will serve as a foundation for successful digital marketing efforts. 

Digital Marketing Ideas to Help Reach Younger Donors

You know that younger people spend a lot of time online, and you know that a digital presence is important for your mission. But how can you start bridging the gap and actually reach the next generation? A comprehensive digital marketing strategy will help you get there. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Paid Social Media Ads

Social media is a powerful marketing tool—especially when it comes to reaching younger donors. Using paid social media ads can help your nonprofit target these potential donors. With different options like video or slideshow posts, social media ads on platforms like Instagram and Facebook are a great way to catch users’ attention. 

When using this strategy, it’s important to understand how to do it properly. Make sure to include a compelling call-to-action and a link back to your nonprofit’s website. Even with all the right measures in place, however, it’s also important to note that advertising on social media isn’t always the best stand-alone strategy. Consider following up with a retargeting ad campaign or other technique.

Retargeting Ad Campaigns

Retargeting is an effective way to remind audiences of the importance of your cause. A retargeting campaign can show ads to online users who recently visited your website. These ads can serve as reminders to finish completing a donation, register for an event, and more. With 70% more effectiveness than standard display advertisements, retargeting ad campaigns can help your nonprofit reach younger audiences online.

Influencer Marketing

The popularity of social media has led to the rise of influencer marketing. This strategy involves endorsements from high-profile users to help promote a product or service. Nonprofits can take advantage of influencer marketing to spread the word about their cause and reach younger donors via social media. These kinds of referrals tend to be appealing to younger audiences who seek out information online.

Case Study: How PCRF Worked With Feathr to Reach Younger Donors

Many nonprofits have implemented successful digital marketing campaigns to reach younger donors. The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) is a prime example. With a mission to fund research for curing childhood cancer, PCRF wanted to ensure they were reaching the most supporters possible—especially younger donors.

However, PCRF’s traditional fundraising strategy included hosting large events. They realized that younger audiences were less likely to attend events and were instead more likely to donate online. Thus, PCRF had to increase their digital presence, and they turned to Feathr to help do so.

Feathr is a unified digital marketing platform that provides solutions for associations, nonprofits and event organizers. With Feathr, organizations can increase awareness, boost donations, and more. Since PCRF didn’t have the team capacity to run a new marketing campaign, the Feathr team was able to help.

PCRF’s Digital Marketing Campaign

PCRF worked with Feathr to create a year-end fundraising strategy across multiple digital marketing channels. The campaign included email, display advertising, and paid social ads on Facebook and Instagram. Centered on a message of hope, the campaign aimed to use creative storytelling and a compelling call to donate.

A Marketing Challenge

Due to the sensitive nature of PCRF’s work, the challenge going into the campaign was to not be exploitative. “Marketing for childhood cancer research is complex,” said Talia Pate, campaign strategist at Feathr. “When featuring clients, you need to be respectful of the children and their families while communicating the need to donate to cancer research in a way that appeals to the audience and doesn’t scare them.” 

To balance that, PCRF and Feathr worked together to craft a campaign that centered on a message of hope. The strategy involved briefly introducing their audience to one of the children with cancer via emails along with ads that led to a landing page with the child’s full story. Since the average email open rate is typically around 20 percent, the ads served as reminders for those who opened the emails. In addition, the ads also provided an alternative way to reach those who did not originally open the emails.

The Campaign Results

Overall, PCRF’s digital marketing campaign with Feathr helped them reach younger donors from a new audience. The total ad spend for the campaign was $845, and by the end, the foundation raised $9,000. Within just one month of that campaign, PCRF had gained 140,862 impressions and reached 76,322 unique individuals. 

From those individuals reached, there were over 2,000 ad clicks with an average click-through rate of 1.5 percent. Considering the industry click-through rate average for display ads is between 0.2 to 0.3 percent, this amazing result underscores the impact of PCRF’s campaign. Not only did the foundation reach a newer audience, but they also inspired the newer audience to take action.

Final Thoughts on Digital Marketing to Reach Younger Donors

Hopefully the thought of engaging with younger donors seems less intimidating. Overall, digital marketing strategies can be a very effective way to start earning support from younger generations for years to come. If you want to start reaching them and boosting your organization’s fundraising and marketing efforts, check out Feathr’s solutions for nonprofits. A nonprofit specialist can give you a demo and help explore your specific needs. Here’s to gaining more support from new audiences and furthering your mission!

 

*This spotlighted blog post is courtesy of Feathr