Content Marketing for Not-For-Profits
One of the ongoing consequences of COVID has been the recognition of many not-for-profit organisations for the need to have an online presence. Like anything worthwhile, it takes a willingness to commit time and energy to build the organisation’s online presence and keep it up to date, relevant, and engaging.
In the busyness of meeting client demands, many organization’s websites grow irrelevant, out of date and out of touch with clients, the community, and funders. Senior managers in not-for-profit’s must remember that content marketing is essential in driving revenue, brand visibility and engagement with the broader community [1]. For example, it is increasingly common for organisations that provide funding to go to an organisation’s website as part of their decision-making process.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent information to attract, retain and ultimately drive customer or client action[2]. Many not-for-profit’s ignore content marketing thinking it is only for-profit businesses or companies that sell a product. Yet, most not-for-profits want to communicate the needs of the client group they are serving and drive action from the wider community. Hence, it is in:
- Communicating the need of the client group/s.
- Encouraging donations; and
- Driving action from the wider community.
Not-for-profit organizations need to understand and use content marketing [3].
How can the not-for-profit sector start to use content marketing effectively? The advantage for many not-for-profit organisations is the power of the message they have to share. However, many not-for-profit’s share the need they are dealing with rather than their service’s impact [1].
It isn’t that the need is not necessary; the volume of demand can be overpowering. People want to feel they are making an impact or contributing to something that is making an impact. This is where it is essential to understand the psychology of giving.
When we work for a not-for-profit organisation, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking everyone should contribute to our cause. However, community members have multiple organisations with equally important missions seeking their donations as well. We need to understand the psychology of giving and use it to ensure our content marketing increases donations and community support
This is where following the PSI method can be useful:
- The problem your organization exists to solve.
- The solution is what your organization is doing to solve the problem.
- The impact is the impact of your organization on the problem. It can also be helpful to mention what happens if the problem is not solved.
Don’t forget the importance of communicating options for how community members can be involved. Again, this comes down in part to understanding the psychology of giving. When people have options around their contributions, they give more than when asked for a fixed amount [4]. When we need donations for large projects that provide impact and benefit, it is better to be specific because we can draw on the project to discuss impact.
However, it is helpful to use content marketing to demonstrate the different options people have to contribute to the organisation.
Developing compelling content marketing involves mentally stepping outside the organisation’s parameters and thinking as a community member who knows nothing about what your not-for-profit does. This can be a challenge when we are caught in the demands of meeting client needs.
Engaging external content marketers who are familiar with the not-for-profit sector can be helpful. It is easier for organisations such as Tonic to understand stakeholders’ primary drivers for why they would like to be involved with your organisation. Our team also has experience in knowing the communication channels that are most effective for reaching stakeholders and the messages and themes that will resonate with them.
Why spend time on developing an excellent content marketing strategy? As we said at the beginning, it:
- Communicates the need of the client group/s.
- Encourages donations; and
- Drives action from the wider community,
This takes the awareness of your organisation to a higher and measurable level so people can engage on a deeper level and take action to assist you in achieving your mission [5].
The time, energy and finances spent on content marketing is investing in the ongoing success of your not-for-profit organisation.
[1] https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/nonprofit [2] What is Content Marketing? (contentmarketinginstitute.com) [3] https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/nonprofit [4] ibid [5] https://prosper-strategies.com/nonprofit-content- Published in marketing, Not-For-Profit, Psychology
Leveraging design principles to drive your content
Leveraging Design Principles to drive your content
When communicating we often focus on the content of the message we want to convey. We want our words to create an impact, to resonate with the reader. Yet in an era where visual communication is increasingly important thanks to social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, design can be equally, if not more important than the content we are trying to communicate. If the design of our message alienates our audience, the content will not matter.
Effective online communication is a combination of content and design, with design being the conscious and intuitive effort to bring order and coherence to the message.[1] Design has a number of fundamental components some of which are discussed below.
The IMPORTANCE of hierarchy.
In an era of short attention spans, designing effective hierarchies are essential to allow readers to know what to focus on. Hierarchies are essential to allow for the rapid absorption of relevant information because they influence the order in which the human eye perceives and takes in information.[2] There are different ways to create hierarchies. There are hierarchies of size, colour, and perspective.[3]
A simple way to create a hierarchy is through the size of the font. People will read bigger things first.[4] The typeface is also important in the creation of hierarchy. The weight and width of the font creates a hierarchy.
Using the hierarchies of the size of fonts, colours, perspective, and space not only influences the order in which the human eye perceives the information but can also simplify a complex message.[5] When we are reading complex reports or material, hierarchies can be like signposts, telling us where we have been and where we are going.
How are your F’s and Z’s?
Are you taking advantage of the F’s and Z’s patterns of your readers?
When reading blogs or content dense information, readers will first scan down the left-hand side of the article looking for words, topics or sentences that interest them. When they find something that interests them, they then read right [6]. The result is a pattern like an F.
Knowing this it is important to align important information on the left of the page and make use of short, bolded headlines, bullet points and other such attention-grabbers to break up paragraph blocks.[7]
The Z pattern applies to other sorts of pages, like ads or websites, where information is not necessarily presented in block paragraphs. In these situations, a reader’s eye first scans across the top of the page, where important information is likely to be found, then shoots down to the opposite corner at a diagonal and does the same thing across the lower part of the page [8]. Here important information should be positioned at the top right, bottom left and bottom right of the page.
Remember the importance of S P A C E
Space draws attention to itself. Space draws the eye to it and allows the reader not only to see what is important but also to rest. When we want a reader to take in what is important, we not only have to use hierarchies to draw their attention to the message, but we also must create space where they can absorb the message we are communicating. When language is dense and there is not much space on the page or the website it becomes much harder to take in the information because we cannot filter or prioritize what is important.
Likewise, if we want to encourage a person to take action, such as click on link, it is important to have space around the link, as this will draw the readers’ eye and be more likely to result in them taking the action we are encouraging.
Communication is more than the words we use, it happens through form and figure, colour, composition, and typography. Each graphical element is a “word”, such as the colour of a shape. The colour palette becomes a “sentence”. How those colours are woven together throughout the design becomes a “paragraph”. These paragraphs communicate meaning in the design [9].
It is the effectiveness of the interplay between the words and the design that conveys the message effectively. We need to take as much care with the design as we do with the words to ensure the design assists in the communication process rather than hinder the message we want to convey.
[1] https://skyrocketgroup.com/the-importance-of-communication-in-design/ [2] https://254-online.com/hierarchy-principle-of-design/ [3] Ibid [4] https://99designs.com.au/blog/tips/6-principles-of-visual-hierarchy/ [5] https://254-online.com/hierarchy-principle-of-design [6] https://99designs.com.au/blog/tips/6-principles-of-visual-hierarchy/ [7] ibid [8] ibid [9] https://medium.theuxblog.com/design-is-communication-e371ad9042a3- Published in Design, Psychology
Content Marketing vs Storytelling
Content is king. It can also be the Joker. Good content may generate likes, but unless the content we are using is building trust, credibility, and engagement, we are focusing on vanity statistics…
- Published in marketing, Psychology
For Profit and Not-for-Profit Nexus in Marketing
In a previous blog we considered the different models of connection between for-profit and not-for-profit organisations that allow them to build strong partnerships to the mutual benefit of both organisations.
Another important area where there can be a nexus between for-profits and not-for-profits is in the area of marketing and communication. Marketing and communication are often a challenge for not-for-profits of all sizes for different reasons.
Small to medium size not-for-profits often struggle to have sufficient funding to allocate towards marketing and communication. For the majority of not-for-profit organisations that have been established to meet community needs, the need of the individual takes priority. Hence, when there are increasing numbers and complexity of client needs, it can be difficult to allocate funds for marketing and communication. It can seem to be a false priority and waste of funds.
However, such thinking needs to be critically analysed. While it may be difficult to make a budget allocation for marketing and communication, it is also the case that to attract funding and grants an organisation needs to have a strong profile that is recognised within the community. Marketing and communication tools enable an organisation to build such a profile which will assist it in grant and funding applications. For example, deploying Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) on the organisation’s website is one way to begin building the brand profile.
Using skills and expertise of for-profit organisations specialising in communications and marketing to build the organisations profile is a great way to build the nexus between for-profit and not-for profit organisations. Most for-profit organisations that specialise in marketing and communication do understand the challenges faced by a not-for-profit organisation and can tailor their suite of services to meet the needs of small to medium sized not-for-profits.
Larger not-for-profit organisations are in a different situation to their smaller and medium sized counterparts. They will often have a budget allocation for marketing and communication; consequently, they have a higher profile and are well known in the community. They have a media presence, an established on-line platform and often an extensive CRM that enables them to message and communicate with their client base.
Larger not-for-profit organisations will often have an in-house communication team, this can be both an advantage, and a disadvantage. The advantage is the in-house communication team knows the messaging that is consistent with the organisations profile. The team knows what language to use for particular messages. However, the disadvantages and challenges of in-house communication teams are often not considered. There are two particular challenges larger not-for-profit organisations need to guard against with using in-house teams.
The first challenge is the gradual insularity of the organisations messaging. Over time, unless the organisation invests in focus groups and data collection that demonstrates the shifting interests of their client group, the message will drift from what clients want to hear to what the organisation thinks the clients want to hear.
The second challenge is that with the rapidity of changes in technology and communication, unless the organisation is investing heavily in keeping in-house teams current with changes, there is the risk that in-house teams will fall behind advances that are being made in the industry. This can also impact on the effectiveness of an organisations messaging and communication.
Using for-profit communication and marketing providers assist in avoiding these challenges. For-profit organisations will enable larger organisations to test their messaging and ensure it speaks to their client groups and for-profit organisations are more likely to stay current with changes in technology and practice because their survival depends on remaining relevant.
There is a strong nexus between for-profit and not-for-profit organisation in marketing and communication. It is knowing how to utilise this nexus for mutual benefit.
- Published in marketing, Not-For-Profit
Understanding your data
Do you know what your organisations digital business strategy is? Are you clear about the value of a digital business strategy for your organisation?
Virtue Signalling
Virtue signalling, a term coined in 2015 has been defined as an attempt to show other people you are a good person by expressing opinions that are acceptable to them, especially on social media.
- Published in Psychology
For Profit and Not-for-Profit Nexus – Models of Connection
In the 70’s and 80’s the gap between for-profit and not-for-profit organisations was fairly clearly determined and articulated. For-profits existed to provide profit to shareholders or in the absence of shareholders, profit to the owners of the business. Not-for-profits existed to provide philanthropic and charitable assistance to those who, for whatever reason had fallen through the safety net of society.
However, over the past two decades shifts have occurred between both sectors. For-profits have had to balance the drive for profit with the need to demonstrate they are good corporate citizens, while not-for-profits have had to balance their philanthropic work with the need to return a profit to remain sustainable and continue to provide services when there is increasing demand for services and tighter regulatory and financial requirements. For-profit organisations know the reputational damage and financial costs of litigation that can quickly arise when profit and expediency is placed above the environment or ethical behaviour towards customers and clients. The growth in the number of not-for-profits, (56,000 charities in Australia in 2019 and growing at 4%) and the increase in regulatory requirements and difficulty in accessing funding, not-for-profits need to be much smarter in ensuring their sustainability.
Both sectors have moved towards a middle ground and recognised the benefits that arise from connections and the nexus between each other.
In the 70’s and 80’s the nexus between for-profits and not-for-profits was a philanthropic model. This was based on not-for-profits receiving donations from for-profits that allowed the not-for-profits to deliver services while providing the for-profit organisation with an enhanced reputation as community minded.
Over the past two decades, many for-profit and medium to larger not-for-profits have moved away from the philanthropic model to more of a transaction model of interaction.
A transactional or partnership model allows both the for-profit and not-for-profit organisations to begin sharing resources for specific events or occasions. For example, the for-profit organisation may provide staff as volunteers for an event being run by the not-for-profit. Or a for-profit organisation may meet the marketing costs for the not-for-profit organisation as long as its brand is recognised on the marketing material.
A transactional or partnership model has very real advantages for both organisations. It provides greater brand recognition for both organisations. For many not-for-profit organisations, being able to optimise brand recognition is an invaluable but often difficult to executute advantage. The real advantage of strong brand recognition for not-for-profit organisations comes when submitting grant applications.
The last type of connection between for-profit and not-for-profit organisations is an integrative model where both organisations collaborate and utilise joint resources to create new services or resources to meet community needs. The advantage of this approach is that the unique strengths of both sectors (for-profit & not-for-profit) are utilised to meet specific community needs.
Such an approach is not without its challenges, trust, confidence, and open communication are essential, yet these qualities can be learnt and built through first exploring and engaging in a partnership model of connection.
As not-for-profits are increasingly having to compete with other not-for-profit for funding, the opportunities for not-for-profits and for-profits to build strong connections and partnerships to the mutual benefit of each, continue to grow and develop.
[1] Are there too many charities in Australia? | Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (acnc.gov.au) [2] Impact of the Economic Downturn on Not-for-Profit Organisation Management | Department of Social Services, Australian Government (dss.gov.au) [3] ibid [4] ibid- Published in Not-For-Profit
Space, Silence and Creativity
Music is built on the harmonies of notes. A statement which, while correct at one level is only half correct because music is also built on the spaces and rests between notes. It is the balance of both silence and harmonies that create music.
- Published in Psychology, Wellbeing
Nudge Theory
Choosing an apple or banana when paying for petrol because the fruit is where we pay or snacks in a vending machine replaced by healthy choices are examples where customers are nudged in their decision-making process.
- Published in Data, marketing, Psychology
Chess vs Checkers
Are you more of a chess or checkers (draughts) player when it comes to planning and implementing a strategy in your organisation? These boards games generally played amongst friends, unless you play chess competitively, can assist us in reflecting and thinking about our style of leadership and implementing strategies.
