Nonprofits, unite! Mission-based organizations often face limited budgets, few resources, and multiple critical audiences when it comes to marketing. We understand. The good news is there are plenty of inexpensive ways to rock digital marketing as a nonprofit.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, we should mention that Social Link has a history of working with many different nonprofits. We proudly offer 10% off labor rates for qualified nonprofit organizations, because we know how hard you work. What your company does is essential, and we appreciate all you do. 

If you’re interested in learning more, check out our work or contact us. We’d love to hear from you.

Back to marketing strategies!

Determine your audience.

For your digital marketing strategy to be successful, you first need to define your audience. Potential donors are one element, of course, but your nonprofit’s audiences go beyond that as well. 

Hubspot states, “Nonprofit marketing isn’t just for funding — it also drives manpower (and woman-power!) to your organization. Regardless of industry or size, all nonprofits benefit from volunteers, and marketing your organization can help bring in new hands. Moreover, volunteers are twice as likely to donate as non-volunteers.”

Nonprofit marketing is unique because it targets multiple groups, including customers, volunteers, and donors.

Hubspot also explains, “It’s imperative to define and understand each of these audiences because your marketing will differ based on who you’re talking to.” 

Focus on your brand.

Does your nonprofit have a strong brand yet? If not, make that part of your marketing strategy immediately. Craft a mission statement, write down your organization’s values and identify the company culture. Your brand is your essence; it’s who you are and what you stand for, which is vital for your potential audience to understand.

Make sure your logo, font choices, colors, etc. are consistent across all platforms. This avoids confusion, paints a cohesive picture for your audience, and makes you look more professional. Consistent branding across all channels even increases revenue by 23%. 

Make sure your brand is authentic, genuine, and stays true to your mission. According to Ad Week,  91% of consumers are more likely to support a brand they view as authentic.  

It’s about more than just donations.

You need donations and community support to be a successful nonprofit; there’s no way around it. However, don’t get bogged down by the monetary aspect of business and push too hard for donations when marketing. 

If your social media posts, blogs, and other digital content are just pleas for cash and offer nothing else of value to a potential audience, you won’t get very far. 

Break up informational and educational posts with fun, lighthearted content. Tie donation-based material into other messages, so it’s not the sole focus. 

For example, let’s pretend your nonprofit is an animal rescue organization. On Instagram, instead of posting an image and captioning it with, “Please donate. Link in bio. Our animals need your help,” you could post a grinning dog picture with the caption, “Finn is ecstatic that it’s Friday, and you probably are, too! Swing by the shelter to see his smile in person this weekend, or donate to his care!”  

Brand awareness is an important factor that many nonprofits forget to consider. Getting your name and image out there is crucial. 

Take advantage of the Google Grant Program.

Here’s something super cool that all nonprofits should know: Google Ads has an initiative called the Google Grant Program. This amazing opportunity provides nonprofits with a chance to advertise on their platform for free.

Google Ads is a frequently-used online tool with a range of paid ad campaign opportunities.

It’s used by everyone from small businesses to conglomerate corporations. Google Ads is an invaluable resource that can change the game when it comes to advertising. 

Qualified, Google-approved organizations can receive $10,000 per month in Google Ads dollars. This marketing spend helps the nonprofits carry out their mission and promote their initiatives.

The specific offerings, requirements, and resources Google for Nonprofits provide are available on their page. 

For more information and specifics, check out our previous blog post.

Don’t be afraid to get creative.

Think outside of the box when crafting digital content. Don’t limit yourself to one aspect or avenue of marketing. Dive deep and take time to think things through.

Always keep best practices in mind. Approach any free content services (like social media) the same way you would if you were paying for the service. 

The best digital marketing strategies are often the unexpected ones that go outside of normal conventions. Depending on your nonprofit’s goals, you can find success in various realms. Explore marketing videos, new social platforms, apps, and more.

Don’t get overwhelmed.

All this information might seem overwhelming, especially to nonprofits who don’t spend a lot of time on advertising strategies. It may be intimidating to get into the marketing frame of mind. However, it isn’t as intense as it may seem. 

With some time, research, and practice, nonprofit organizations can take the marketing world by storm and find success! Don’t be afraid to try new things. Not everything will work, but it’s worth a try!

Consider outsourcing.

Interested in outsourcing your marketing department to make life easier? As previously mentioned, Social Link offers discounted labor rates for qualified nonprofit organizations.

Take advantage of our full range of services if you’re looking to ramp up your advertising efforts, rebrand your website, create killer content, and more! 

We cater to all small and medium-sized organizations that need external marketing resources and assets to help grow their business. Our clients come first. Always. We genuinely love what we do, and it’s reflected in everything we do for our customers.

Good luck with your advertising journey! 

Who we are.

Social Link is a virtual marketing agency that expertly and efficiently streamlines digital marketing efforts. We set up full-funnel sales and marketing tools that attract, nurture, convert, and delight your customers. Our proven, practiced solutions and methods come highly recommended. 

We define the outcomes, the offerings, the customer, and the message through strategic planning and management. You’ll get a seamless campaign experience with unified messages for your customers.

Learn how to efficiently market your company—no matter the size.

Size doesn’t matter. Your business might not be large, but that doesn’t mean your company isn’t powerful. Small yet mighty, right?

Regardless of your employee headcount or years in business, you should have a digital marketing plan in place. 

Last year, 95% of small businesses increased company spending on digital marketing. If you want to increase brand awareness, get organic traffic to your site, connect with consumers, and meet financial goals, you need to tap into digital marketing.

Why do you need marketing help?

Your organization is brimming with potential, but maybe your digital marketing performance just isn’t cutting it. It’s easy to become frustrated when it feels like your marketing efforts are just disappearing into the ether. 

There are a variety of reasons your marketing numbers aren’t where you want them to be. Perhaps you don’t have the resources or funds to hire in-person marketing personnel. 

Or you have plenty of great advertising ideas, but simply don’t have the time to devote to bringing them to fruition. After all, you’re busy trying to tackle a million things on your never-ending to-do list.

Here are a few of our thoughts and suggestions for amping up your digital efforts as you reassess your marketing goals and priorities. 

Beef up your website.

The Manifest stated, “By 2021, online shopping is projected to reach $4.8 trillion in revenue, which means small businesses have the opportunity to benefit from these consumer habits.” 

Custom sites increase brand awareness, drive engagement, impress potential and current 

clients, and fully embody the core of your small business. If you have a clunky, difficult-to-navigate site, users won’t be inclined to utilize your services or purchase your products. 

Your site should showcase your stunning products, services, and abilities as a small business. It doesn’t need to be super fancy, but it should work well, have a good flow, and be easy for customers to explore. 

Make sure your site showcases clean, compelling, captivating designs that give your business the engaging look it deserves. Using photography, audio, and video elements on your site offers users engaging content that will not only hold their interest but also work to convert it into a sale.

Are you mobile friendly?

In this day and age, humans are constantly glued to their phones. That’s why everything you do needs to be made for mobile. According to the Pew Research Center, the average American spends over four hours on their smartphone every day, checking it as often as 150 times. Yikes. A growing number of people use smartphones as their primary means of online access at home as well. Phones surpassed TV as the medium attracting the most minutes of attention in 2019.

Pixel Union explains, “If you can’t deliver an experience that’s quick, convenient, and easy-to-use, don’t expect your visitors to stick around.”

Customers will be accessing your site and communicating with you on their mobiles, so your marketing efforts need to be tailored to that. Intelligent, responsive design and fierce functionality make it a breeze for clients to navigate your digital space.

If your business hasn’t integrated a mobile facet into your digital marketing plan, then now’s the time—before you get left behind.

Tools and Tracking.

Make smart marketing decisions faster with dashboard analytics. Quickly monitor your site’s success and watch your revenue grow with easy-to-use tools and tracking.

The proliferation of social media, smart technologies, and the internet enables you to capture more quantifiable data than ever before.

Making use of agencies or tools like HubSpot will provide your company with the help it needs to make sense of all this information. Data analytics can work to grow your small business by optimizing conversion rates and increasing sales.

Play around with different strategies.

One of the many benefits of digital marketing is that it’s fast and easy. Play around with various ideas and strategies. You can easily launch a social media campaign and then shut it down later if the channel or content doesn’t appeal to your audience. There’s no black-and-white right or wrong when it comes to digital marketing. A little bit of trial and error might seem scary at first, but it’s a low-risk game. Free social media tools allow you to explore a variety of avenues without wasting resources. 

“I’m a big believer of always starting with digital first because it’s directly quantifiable, and you can turn it off like a light switch if it’s not working,” said Robert Weiss, the president of a New York video production company.    

Be authentic.

Don’t blindly copy other businesses around you. Be true to your company’s values, mission statement, and beliefs. Your mom always said, “Just be yourself!” and it turns out she was right. 

Consumers are able to smell a rat from a mile away. They’ll pick up on phony messaging and copycat content. Use your small business’s story as an asset to your digital marketing efforts. Tell the truth and be real. People will relate more to that than anything else.  

Consider outsourcing. 

If you’ve been struggling to find the time, resources, and energy to focus on marketing, then there’s no better time to outsource.

Ready to heighten your brand, increase revenue, and put your best face forward? Social Link is here to make it happen.

Take advantage of our offerings to provide higher-converting and more engaging, authentic online experiences to potential customers.

Outsourcing your marketing department impacts your business’ entire sales and marketing funnel to help produce inbound leads and align sales. 85% of B2B marketers deem lead generation as their most important goal, and outsourcing is a surefire way to find success in this realm.   

Studies have shown that outsourced marketing departments provide businesses with cost-effective support, boosted efficiency, and increased skill-sets. What have you got to lose?

Who we are.

Social Link is a virtual marketing agency that expertly and efficiently streamlines digital marketing efforts. We set up full-funnel sales and marketing tools that attract, nurture, convert, and delight your customers. Our proven, practiced solutions and methods come highly recommended. From website development to HubSpot marketing, Social Link has the experience and capabilities to get the results you want at the price you need.

We define the outcomes, the offerings, the customer, and the message through strategic planning and management. You’ll get a seamless campaign experience with unified messages for your customers.

1.Optimize your mobile site.

If you haven’t already optimized your mobile site, you need to put it at the top of your to-do list. People are spending more time on their mobile devices than ever before. US consumers spend more time using their mobile devices than watching TV. 

“We’ve expected that mobile would overtake TV for a while, but seeing it happen is still surprising,” stated Yoram Wurmser, an eMarketer principal analyst. “As recently as 2014, the average US adult watched nearly 2 hours more TV than they spent on their phones.”

Taking full advantage of the booming mobile optimization market can be a key factor in the success of your business. Mobile optimization is applied to your business’s website to ensure its design, page layout, download speed, and other factors are all working to their fullest extent. In today’s world, a business whose website doesn’t translate well onto a mobile device signals to customers that the business may be behind the times.

2. Lights, camera, action! Invest in video marketing.

In the United States alone, digital video marketing is a $135 billion industry.  As Lemonlight, a Californian video production company, says, “Brands can no longer get by using written content and images alone — nowadays, that’s uninteresting and unengaging for consumers who are inundated with live streaming, interactive 360 videos, augmented reality, and more.” 

Video marketing allows tech companies and other businesses to show their customers and potential clients what they have to offer and what they are working on. This helps build excitement and entertain your audience. 

3. Keep up social media marketing efforts.

Advertising on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram remains one of the most important avenues for modern businesses to reach their audiences. Creating and sharing content on these websites is crucial, both for establishing an audience as well as maintaining contact with customers. It’s important to establish your target audience so you know which platforms are going to best reach your audience.

4. Make graphic design a priority.

Just as important as attracting the attention of search engines is attracting the attention of future customers. An aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly website has become essential today for businesses that intend to thrive. 

Using photography, audio, and video elements results in engaging content that will not only hold a viewer’s interest but work to convert it into a sale.

5. Utilize data analytics.

You might imagine this merely entails counting likes or website views, but today, data analytics offers a more comprehensive evaluation. The proliferation of social media, smart technologies, and the internet allows organizations to capture more quantifiable data than ever before. However, the collection of this raw data alone does not produce the meaningful insights needed to make strategic business decisions. Making use of agencies or tools like HubSpot will provide your company with the help it needs to make sense of all this information. Data analytics can work to grow your business by optimizing conversion rates and increasing sales.

6. Give livestreaming a try.

Livestreaming helps you connect with your audience as you broadcast in real-time. As marketing specialist Morgan Lathaen said, “Livestreaming was on the rise in 2019 and will continue to dominate in 2020 because it is free, takes a short amount of time to produce, reaches a broader target audience, and offers authentic user engagement.” In addition, live content is often found to generate more impressions than regular newsfeed posts. If you haven’t already given it a try, now is the time!

7. Don’t forget about digital networking.

Social networking sites are invaluable marketing tools because they enable professionals to connect with each other worldwide. Networking sites like LinkedIn give employers the opportunity to connect with people who have the potential to be game-changing assets as employees. It’s important for small businesses to take part in social networking sites to spread the word about their growing company. If your organization makes dozens of professional connections online, it will increase word-of-mouth and consequently, sales.

8. Take time to connect via email.

Emails are still a powerful marketing tool and an easy way to spread your message with ease. The number of global email users is estimated to grow to 4.3 billion users by 2023, so email marketing will continue to be crucial to your business. It provides you with a huge opportunity to truly connect with your audience. Companies have wised up to the fact that potential clients don’t care about redundant, trite emails. They desire something fresh, fun, and relevant to their lives. When crafting a marketing strategy, make sure your business is sending emails that are full of content that your customers actually want to read. Email marketing is more about connecting and offering useful information or inspiration, not just another sales pitch.

9. Build an app.

If it’s right for you and your business, consider building an app. Even if your company is small, you can garner a lot of attention if you invest in an app. In 2020, mobile apps are expected to produce $581.9 billion in revenue. Apps make doing business a little easier and can be a great marketing tool if it makes it easier for customers to engage or purchase a product or service from you. Building an app takes research, planning, and testing. Remember to take things slow and delay the release of your app until all the bugs are worked out. Creating the ultimate user experience is what matters the most.

10. Don’t be afraid to outsource your marketing efforts.

If you don’t have the time, money, and resources to devote to digital marketing, don’t shy away from asking for help. Consider streamlining your marketing and sales processes by hiring a digital marketing agency. Ready to save money, accomplish tasks in a shorter amount of time, and give your employees more flexibility? Of course you are. Leave the nitty-gritty marketing work to a virtual marketing department like Social Link. This means you will have more freedom to do what you do best, whether that’s product development, financials, or account management.