Non-Profit Marketing

Nonprofit Marketing Tips for 2017

February 27, 2017 by Daniel Laws Leave a Comment

Nonprofits have several challenges in attracting individuals for their causes and converting those individuals into donors. To successfully promote and supply aid to those causes, nonprofits’ marketing efforts need consistent branding, effective use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and efficient use of marketing budgets to grow donations.

Based upon the economic climate and the job market, getting millennials and other individuals to donate to your nonprofit will become increasingly challenging without the following tools.

Build Your Nonprofit Brand

There are so many great nonprofits that it can be difficult for yours to stand out. Building and establishing your brand will help. Start by defining your nonprofit. Clearly state what makes your organization unique:

Why should people donate time and resources to your cause?
How do you emotionally or personally connect with your donors?
How do you directly affect your cause?

Answering these questions will build awareness and credibility for your valuable service and distinguish you to donors, everywhere. Once your brand is built, all parts must be consistent within your disseminated content – your flyers, social media posts, and videos. Live it and show it!

Master Your CRM & Database of Donors & Volunteers

Email marketing continues to be an effective marketing channel for nonprofits. People like to see positive messages from companies that do good work. To get the most out of your email marketing, organize your CRM database to personally reach out to donors and volunteers.

Don’t just send mass emails; make them count by generating unique interactions with individuals through certain segments of your audience. Identify what information resonates with these individuals to provide them with relevant information.

TIP: Personalizing your message to an individual will make her/him feel more connected to your cause.

Direct Mail to Make a Direct Impact

Direct mail isn’t dead! According to Inman, baby boomers have a high direct mail response rate. It’s worth noting that this generation also controls 70% of all disposable income. So, they have the money to donate to your nonprofit – don’t miss this opportunity!

Use your CRM to measure responses and limit direct mail to audiences that are more likely to take action. In other words: target your direct mail to those people that are going to make your nonprofit an effective source of aid for your cause.

Grow Your Online Fundraising

Social media and Google for Nonprofits are great opportunities to increase your online fundraising through awareness and meaningful interactions. You can bring your nonprofit marketing story to life with YouTube, Google One Today, and Google Earth Reach.

These platforms allow you to create valuable relationships with like-minded individuals from anywhere at any time. Share and connect your online fundraising across the globe.

Measure Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and Market Smarter

Focus on measuring the ROAS of your marketing and fundraising campaigns. If a campaign didn’t yield results to justify the spending or effort, consider changing the approach or discontinue that campaign in the future.

With continuous shifts in demographics and consumer behavior, you’ll need to make informed decisions on where to allocate your time and money for long-term success. When you consistently measure the performance of your efforts through your ROAS, you will stay alert to those shifts.

What marketing struggles does your nonprofit consistently face? Tell us in the comments, below! While you’re at it, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.

Which Social Media Sites Are Right For Your Business?

September 27, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

For 2016, Statista reports that 78% of U.S. Americans have a social media account. You can assume that most of your customers, clients, and employees are all part of this percentage (because really, who doesn’t actually have a Facebook?). So, reaching your customers through social media marketing should be easy… right? Not exactly. Most of us aren’t on every social media platform, so picking any random one will not guarantee you’ll reach the right people. Utilize the ones that your industry’s audience frequently uses while creating a social media marketing strategy to raise brand awareness and connect with your customers.

Let’s find out. Are you using the right social media channels for your industry?

Home and Garden

Within the home and garden industry, your job is to create a beautiful space for your customers. This should easily be carried over onto your social networks. A unique social channel that works extremely well to aid in becoming a thought-leader of this industry is Pinterest. Pinterest is essentially a way to organize your innovative ideas and thoughts. Whether you design home decor or landscaping, you can create specific Pinterest Board’s based on certain areas of the home or by specific locations. Better Homes and Gardens has created 185 today of everything from holiday boards, to casserole dishes, to one called “Let’s Get Organized.” Users can follow the page itself or only the boards that pertain to them.

Hospitality

Instagram works great for companies who offer entertainment, lodging, and tourism locations. It is used for sharing a feed of videos and pictures that can be edited directly on the application. One piece of advice when creating a strategy for Instagram is to maintain the same look throughout each post. This could be one particular filter or border for every picture you post. While this is not essential, it does help with brand consistency. Staples, an office supplies company, simply adds their branded Staples’ name to the right-hand corner of each image.

Non-Profit

Most non-profits have a lot of freedom on how to promote their services. Snapchat offers a lot of room for customization and building brand awareness that can definitely be taken advantage of. First off, a non-profit location could design a geotag that can be used by its guests when they visit. This will allow friends and families to see where they are volunteering and visiting. Another idea would be to allow a few departments access to the Snapchat account. If it is an Animal Rescue League, the head of the cat room, kennels, and any other department can easily share the adoptable animals and the day-to-day routine of what it’s like to work there.

Ecommerce and Retail

Ecommerce and retail businesses where you are selling a variety of products should be simple to run Instagram, Snapchat, or Pinterest for. Michael Kors, an apparel and accessory retail store, sticks to a common theme for a certain period of time. The company will take a seasonal color or pattern and promote it in roughly 8-12 photos before moving on to another one.

Social Media Marketing Takeaways

While this blog is focused on one particular social media platform per industry, you should never only devote your time to only one social media platform. Take the time to create a plan for a few social media accounts that will work best for you company and will reach your target audience. Common social platform, such as Facebook and Twitter, are two platforms that any industry should be utilizing since they are the most common for all demographics and businesses.

If you do not know how to begin with social media marketing or have any other questions, let us know in the comments below, or contact us today!

Five Cause Marketing Must Haves

April 4, 2016 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

Whether you’ve just begun the process of organizing your company’s cause campaign, or you’re stuck in a rut feeling overwhelmed by the many marketing tactics available – take a breath and read about these five Cause Marketing must haves.

1. Authenticity is Key

Support a cause that you truly care about and your supporters will show compassion just the same. There’s nothing worse than being asked 6 times in one day if you’d like to donate to [insert cause here] by kids being forced to ask simply to meet their job requirements. There are also plenty of cause marketing email and content templates out there that you could lean on for support, but don’t be cookie cutter, break away from the norm! Show you care! Tell your story, show your support with pictures of you and your team working towards a common goal, get creative all the while remembering why you’re donating your time.

2. Start with a Bang!

If your cause campaign is directly reflected by fundraising dollars, get a head start and donate your own personal contribution in the beginning. Ask your employees, coworkers, and those closest to you to donate right away. Later on down the road, you may formally request another donation and it may seem more feasible to donate again. Or if donations are not your apart of your cause campaign’s goals, start by generating content, branded materials, or signage for the initiative right away. No better time than right now to get started!

3. Give more than Dollars

Even if the Cause Campaign goals your company is working towards is simply to gain monetary donations, show your support by donating your time or resources. Non-profit agencies usually have a lack of support in consistent volunteers. According to a 2015 study of The Nonprofit Sector, only 25.3% of adults volunteer at least once during a year. Your time and efforts may be just what your local non-profit for your favorite cause may need.

4. Involve your team in Cause Marketing

Your coworkers or employees may not necessarily care about the local animal shelter losing funding, but just a small amount of time with a friendly dog might change anyone’s perspective! Encourage your team members to find their niche. Involve your IT department in decorating instead of troubleshooting issues for the local cause office, they might just love it! Allow your team to learn more about themselves while engaging with the cause at hand.

5. Use your Resources!

Reach out to your clients, vendors, the UPS delivery person, everyone you know. Ask for help in support of this cause by any means. You could even get your message across on Social Media! Utilizing Facebook Ads, pinned posts, check-ins at a cause’s homefront, etc. can broaden your audience to people you may not have connected with without the use of Social Media for cause marketing. Don’t forget to change your social media “Timeline” or “Background” photo while you’re logged in! Show your team spirit for this cause with a fresh themed background photo. Utilizing your company’s Email Marketing platform, you can also send out emails to your clients and contacts. You can even change your signature in your personal and professional email that notes your interest in your favorite cause and how your recipients can participate. Gather your resources and initiate a plan of attack!

Get on the Right Track for Cause Marketing

Starting down the road to raising awareness for causes you care about and even driving donations may seem insurmountable. With the help of friends, family, your coworkers, and strangers, you don’t have to feel alone. Also remember that 55% of those who engage with nonprofits via social media have been inspired to take further action. You can’t beat those statistics! Show your support and let other follow!

For more information about cause campaigns and how we can help yours grow, contact us or leave us a comment below! Also, check out our latest cause campaign initiative for our local Walk MS event!

DaBrian Marketing Designs A Local Holiday Tradition’s Website

December 9, 2015 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

DaBrian Marketing Group Designs Website for Reading's Christmas On The Mountain

Digital Marketing Agency, DaBrian Marketing Group, has donated their time to construct a new website for the popular Reading holiday tradition, Christmas on the Mountain.

For 24 years, the Hillside Playground Association has transformed Hillside Playground (located on North 14th street in the city of Reading) into a Christmas attraction for all. It has become affectionately known as Reading’s “Christmas on the Mountain”.

This summer the Association disbanded and announced the end of their operations. When Savage 61 General Manager Tim Profit, saw the news, he knew he wanted to do something and was going to try and keep the tradition alive. He contacted local businesses, and DaBrian Marketing Group’s, CEO and President, Daniel Laws, to help Reading’s Christmas on the Mountain reach its 25th year.

DaBrian Marketing Group, along with the local community, the Reading High School Marine Corps JROTC, and a list of other companies have donated their support to the cause. Reading’s Christmas on the Mountain is set to open on November 29th, 2015 and will continue until January 1, 2016.

Tim Profit was overjoyed with the website and said, “It’s almost hard to believe DaBrian Marketing is a small business in our community. You think you are working with a fortune 500 company when dealing with them.”

The new Reading’s Christmas On The Mountain website can be found at readingchristmas.com

About DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC

Founded in 2008, DaBrian Marketing Group, LLC is a full-service digital marketing agency focused on providing marketing solutions to businesses that want to obtain digital awareness, cultivate meaningful customer relationships, and develop innovative strategies. DaBrian Marketing Group’s services include email marketing, search engine optimization, website design, web analytics, social media marketing and more. Company headquarters are centrally located at 500 Penn Street, Suite 201, Reading, Pennsylvania 19602. For more information about DaBrian Marketing Group, visit dabrianmarketing.com or call 610.743.5602.

Benefits of Google for Non-Profits

June 3, 2015 by Dabrian Marketing Group Leave a Comment

All non-profits have great causes and want to be able to spread their message about the great work they are doing all while acquiring new volunteers, donors, and donations. There is a simple solution to achieve all of this, which many non-profits know nothing about. That solution, which is cost-efficient (FREE) and can be very beneficial in assisting you achieve your goals is Google for Non-Profits.

There are a few simple steps to apply to become a part of Google for Non-Profits. First, you have to review the eligibility requirements and see if your non-profit is eligible for the program. If your organization is eligible, then you can apply for the program. Once you are approved, you can enroll in specific Google products like, Google Ad Grants, which Google will give you up to $10,000 monthly for in-kind AdWords advertising, and YouTube Non-Profit Program.

Gain New Donors and Volunteers

Becoming a part of Google for Non-Profits opens up many doors to new donors and volunteers. By utilizing Google products like Google Ad Grants, you can promote your organization by using AdWords advertising. By administering AdWords and choosing relevant keywords that are pertinent to your cause, it will attract potential donors and volunteers.

Work Efficiently Towards Your Goal

Every company has a specific budget and non-profits are the same, except most are working with a drastically smaller budget and may not have the same number of employees than a regular sized company has. With that in mind, taking advantage of everything that Google for Non-Profits offers, allows you to track online donations, track newsletter sign-ups, and handle volunteer registrations more efficiently, so in the end, you can see what is working and what is not working.

Drive Donations To Your Cause

With all of the new traffic your website is gaining from the effective use of AdWords, you will begin to drive more donations. Promoting your non-profit using all of the apps that Google for Non-Profits offers will gain recognition for your organization which in the end could drive more potential donations. For example, by using YouTube’s Non-Profit program, you can create a channel with effective videos that further narrates your cause. YouTube’s Non-Profit programs also allows you to enable a donation module which makes it easier and more practical for your donors to donate and creates another avenue where you can receive donations.

With all that Google for Non-Profits has to offer, it may seem a little overwhelming for your non-profit to handle. Working with a local digital marketing agency, like DaBrian Marketing Group, and entrusting their expertise and knowledge of everything that relates to Google, will ultimately help you achieve and exceed your goals. In the end, utilizing Google for Non-Profits will be very beneficial and your organization will be able to spread your message more adequately, gain new donors and volunteers, and drive more donations to support your cause.