Why Non-Profits Need To Be Amazing Content Marketers

I am heading to The Bridge Conference at the end of July, and I am really looking forward to the integrated sessions with a digital focus. Reading the session outlines has really got me thinking about why we, as fundraisers, need to focus on being better content marketers.

By definition, content marketing is a form of marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online.

It isn’t enough anymore to send out a thank you email or incorporate a single landing page. Your campaigns need integration and digital components throughout the entire journey.

In today’s marketplace, digital can no longer be an afterthought. It needs to be hygiene.

Non-profits aren’t selling jeans or luxury cars. They give donors the ability to make amazing work happen — work that makes an impact. People want to engage with charities, but the problem is they need to care enough to do so. And, in the world of fundraising, stories matter. So, the content you choose is King (or Queen).

I know you have heard it all before — but we need to truly step up and use what we have to our advantage. The public is looking for engaging content to consume and charities have plenty of engaging content to provide — we just need to make it easy for people to engage.

This is where digital channels work best!

Your website, social media accounts, and email files are all ways to provide amazing content to the public in a cost-effective manner. In the ‘old days’, in order to get your message out into the public space, you had to spend a lot of money on advertising, with no direct return on investment. Not anymore — digital gives you the ability to measure your engagement and investment on the content you push out there.

Here are two things to remember when thinking about utilizing your content effectively.

1. Digital doesn’t discriminate.

In traditional models, we believed that each revenue stream (direct response, major gifts, planned giving, etc.) had to have specific messaging for each individual area.

This is not true! The message and stories told to these donors can be exactly the same. Whether or not you can afford to give $10 or $100,000 doesn’t mean that the emotional story of the work you do doesn’t resonate with either of these groups. The digital space is a place where all can go to access the amazing work that is being done by your organization.

2. Make content great again!

The stories you have at your fingertips are amazing. Find those great stories in your organization and use the digital space to amplify the message.

We understand that new content and stories are sometimes hard to obtain, and a new groundbreaking donor story isn’t always served on a silver platter. But don’t be afraid to use an old story, or to use a story more than once. People want to be updated, kept informed, and reported back to, so using content in a smart and effective way will make all the difference!

Unlocking the mysteries of the digital space comes from our ability to provide content that people want to engage with. Each digital channel has audience and targeting capabilities and this is where you get the chance to really make that story resonate across all of these platforms.

I hope to see some of you in Washington at the end of the month, and I look forward to all the sessions at #Bridge18.

See you there!