This post will explore the value of digital marketing using web technologies for non-profit organisations. There are various web technologies that can be utilised for digital marketing: emails, SMS, social media, SEO and websites are just a few. Having a digital marketing strategy in place can add value by ensuring the available technologies are applied.
Multi-channel vs Omni-channel Marketing
Multi-channel marketing is multiple disconnected channels of communication with the user, these can be made cohesive through branding and style. Omni-channel marketing creates platforms that are interconnected, and they
seamlessly lead onto each other, often using data and paid ads. In a study about omni-channel marketing within the retail sector, Timoumi et al. (2022) found that “online advertising has positive effects on offline channel consideration and sales as well as overall sales of a multichannel retailer”. Meaning that if omni-channel advertising is financially viable for a non-profit organisation it can be very beneficial.
Tools to Manage a Digital Marketing Strategy
Often, smaller non-profit organisations don’t have the time and resources that larger non-profit organisations do, and omni-channel marketing is more difficult to implement as it takes more time. However, by making use of automations (e.g. thank you emails sent with prompts to buy merch or take the next steps), AI and planned posts, omni-channel isn’t out of reach. There is software available to help streamline digital marketing:
By using the free software available and managing time a marketing plan can be put in place that includes understanding the target audience, defining the key messages, and keeping track of the organisations marketing performance for free. But, making use of the paid for software provides non-profit organisations with timesaving, expert assistance.
Social Media Marketing for Non-Profit Organisation
Viral social media campaigns like the #nomakeupselfie mentioned in Post 1 can have a huge impact on donations and awareness of non-profit organisations. However, these viral campaigns can be hard to construct, and it is rare that they do go viral. Consistent, well
timed and interesting social media posts may be a better way for small non-profit organisations to increase their following and in turn increase number of volunteers, donations or achieve their goals.
Social media is a powerful tool and there are ethics that all users should adhere to but especially non-profit organisations. Zahay et al. (2022) list social media ethics to consider in the book Social media marketing: a strategic approach, these are; honesty, privacy, respect and responsibility. It is important for a non-profit organisation to build trust with their users and a great way of doing that through social media is through encouraging user generated content, this is a free way to raise brand awareness, create a buzz and build trust for the organisation.
SEO organic vs paid
Search engine optimisation is important for non-profit organisations as unfortunately there is a saturated market of non-profit organisations. By having a website that is well thought out and logically written a non-profit organisation can rise through a search engine ranking. Additional considerations that can help with organic SEO is include:
- Alternative text for images which not only assists people with visual impairments but also drives websites higher in Google rankings due to them being understandable.
- Keywords featuring throughout the website.
- Including links to other well-crafted websites.
- Using social media.
Alternatively, non-profit organisations can make use of paid SEO and set daily limits to help them appear at the top of a search engine.
Websites and Applications
It may sound simple but having an aesthetically pleasing and easily navigable website can set a non-profit organisation aside from the rest. The ‘Aesthetic-Usability Effect’ means “users are more tolerant of minor usability issues when they find an interface visually appealing” (Moran, 2024). Meaning if a website is aesthetically appealing users are more likely to stay on the page for longer even if there are errors. Some non-profit organisations may want to create an app to help the cause. There is a lot to consider in designing an app, therefore it is important to weigh up the benefits. A good example of a useful app for a non-profit organisation is VolunteerMatch which is for non-profit organisations and volunteers to find each other.
In the next post I will be bringing the findings from this post and the previous 3 together to make a proposal for a local non-profit organisation, TimeBank.
References
Moran, K. (2024) The aesthetic-usability effect. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/aesthetic-usability-effect/ [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Timoumi, A., Gangwar, M. & Mantrala, M.K. (2022) Cross-channel effects of omnichannel retail marketing strategies: A review of extant data-driven research. Journal of Retailing, 98(1), 133-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2022.02.008
Zahay, D.L., Roberts, M.L., Parker, J.M., Barker, D. & Barker, M.S. (2022) Social media marketing: a strategic approach. Cengage.
Imagery References
Brand Zoo (2024) Branding and design for VolunteerMatch. https://www.brandzoo.com/VolunteerMatch [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Cronuts. Digital (2024) Mailchimp. https://cronuts.digital/en/technology/mailchimp/ [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Freepnglogo (2022) Canva app logo png. https://freepnglogo.com/image/canva-app-logo-png [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Logotyp.us (2024) HupSpot. https://logotyp.us/logo/hubspot/ [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Moengage (2024) Omnichannel marketing: A complete guide for 2024 and beyond. https://www.moengage.com/blog/omnichannel-marketing/ [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
SocialPilot (2024) Hootsuite Pricing Breakdown: Is it Worth the Cost? https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/hootsuite-pricing [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Rao, M. (2023) Elevating design possibilities [Linked in]. 19 August. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/elevating-design-possibilities-adobe-express-launches-mohit-rao [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].
Owais, M. (2022) Why social media is important in the digital age [Linked in]. 17 October. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-social-media-important-digital-age-muhammad-owais [Accessed 8 Nov 2024].