A Guide to Great Nonprofit Marketing

11/4/2015
A Guide to Great
Nonprofit Marketing
Slides: npmg.us/notes
Kivi Leroux Miller
President, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
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11/4/2015
Lack of time and competing priorities are consistently the top challenges identified by nonprofit communications pros. 2
11/4/2015
Option A:
Head Down
on Today’s
To-Do List
Option A:
Keep Running
as Fast You
Can, Unsure
You Are
Getting
Anywhere
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Option B:
Take the Long View
Option B:
Get a New
ATTITUDE.
Embrace Your
Media Mogul
Status
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Understand what’s really going
on out there.
2. How to ground yourself using 3
strategic marketing questions.
3. How to make it all come
together.
1.
Nonprofit
Marketing
Trends 2015
What to embrace and what to ignore
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Want to take the 2016
survey and get the
free report?
npmg.us/2016
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Use your cards to share
your opinions.
Also use them to
take notes today!
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Past
Will these trends continue on?
2-3 Year
Communications
Plans are standard.
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2-3 Year
Communications
Plans are standard.
Things are changing too fast. Plan
12-18 months out, with editorial
calendaring 3-6 months at a time.
The average length of
written content is
500-700 words.
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11/4/2015
The average length of
written content is
500-700 words.
Shorter content wins – except
when it doesn’t (Fans and
Google like depth and details).
Present
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Let’s start with
co m m u n i ca t i o n s
c h a n ne l s . . .
The frequency of
direct mail appeals
is going down.
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The frequency of
direct mail appeals
is going down.
They are going up in 2015, after
no significant differences from
2011-2014.
One third of nonprofits
will not send a print
newsletter at all.
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11/4/2015
One third of nonprofits
will not send a print
newsletter at all.
32% of nonprofits will not send
a print newsletter at all in 2015.
The frequency of email
appeals is going up.
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The frequency of email
appeals is going up.
Yes, this year, after no
significant differences in
2011-2014.
Most nonprofits send
an e-newsletter
quarterly.
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Most nonprofits send
an e-newsletter
quarterly.
62% of nonprofits will send an
e-newsletter at least monthly.
Email open rates for
nonprofits are falling.
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11/4/2015
Mrbenchmarks.com
Nonprofit
communicators spend
most time on Facebook,
e-news, and PR.
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Nonprofit
communicators spend
most time on Facebook,
e-news, and PR.
These tasks are consistently
the most time-consuming.
Fear of failure and lack
of buy-in from
managers are major
challenges.
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Fear of failure and lack
of buy-in from
managers are major
challenges.
These are actually least challenging. Lack
of time and budget, and inability to
measure effectiveness are biggest
challenges.
Now let’s talk
about goals. . .
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Donor retention is
overtaking donor
acquisition as a top
priority.
Donor retention is
overtaking donor
acquisition as a top
priority.
Yes, finally, for the first time
since 2011.
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11/4/2015
Exec Dirs, Comm Dirs,
and Dev Dirs generally
agree on importance of
retention.
Who believes donor
retention is a top 3
goal?
Development Directors – 94%
Executive Directors – 60%
Communications Directors – 36%
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11/4/2015
Exec Dirs, Comm Dirs, and
Dev Dirs generally agree
on importance of general
brand awareness.
Who believes general
brand awareness is a
top 3 goal?
Development Directors – 25%
Executive Directors – 42%
Communications Directors – 68%
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11/4/2015
Not a Surprise, Really.
But Few Orgs Talk About It Openly.
Your Goals Change Based on Your Job Title!
Millennials see their
time, money, and
network as having
equal value.
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Millennials see their
time, money, and
network as having
equal value.
… And their social clout and cultural
influence are very likely more valuable
to you than their money.
(Source: Achieve’s Millennial Impact Report)
Future
In the next three to five years
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11/4/2015
Your website
management skills will
determine your success
online.
Your website
management skills will
determine your success
online.
It’s the only real estate you
really control, and like a
homeowner, you are expected
to maintain it well.
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Nonprofits will be
expected to have
apps.
Nonprofits will be
expected to have
apps.
Mobile/responsive websites and
emails are far more important
now, but this is one to watch.
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11/4/2015
Print will die as a
major communications
channel for nonprofits.
Print will die as a
major communications
channel for nonprofits.
It will be at least 20 years
before that happens, if it ever
does.
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11/4/2015
New Questions for 2016 . . .
•
•
•
Posting frequency for various
social media sites
Size of communications team
Communications staff experience,
salary, confidence levels, job
satisfaction
Take the survey: npmg.us/2016
Three
Marketing
Questions
You Should be
Asking and
Answering All
the Time
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Who are we trying to reach?
(Who cares?)
What’s our message to them?
What do we want them to do and
why should they?
(So what?)
What’s the best way to deliver that
message to those people?
Who?
Forget the “general public.”
flickr.com/photos/stopdown/2507765030
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Target People Who
Lean Your Way
How to target
communications
• Geography
(e.g., in a certain
neighborhood)
• Behaviors
(e.g., only votes in
Presidential years,
opens newsletter)
• Interests
(e.g., which
programs)
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Message? Make everything they
see from you relevant to them!
Boring
Nonprofit
We Get
You!
Boring
Nonprofit
Boring
Nonprofit
Boring
Nonprofit
Boring
Nonprofit
Boring
Nonprofit
Clear, Specific
and Limited Calls
to Action
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ASK!
Give them
opportunities
to participate
so they feel
included.
THANK!
Make them feel
appreciated.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ganatlguard/8289339879
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REPORT!
Make them
feel in the
know.
npmg.us/6R
(no www)
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Delivery? Pick the best
communication channels and
coordinate them.
It All Has to Make
Sense in the
“Big Picture” Life
of Your Nonprofit.
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But coordinating
it all is like
herding cats.
Core Topics
Evergreen:
Perennial:
Annual
Color:
Main Calls
to Action
Story
Arcs
Core
Topics
Big Picture Communications Timeline
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Events or Milestones Out of Our Control
Events or Milestones Within Our Control
January
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11/4/2015
What things happen every year?
What’s the seasonal to-do list?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fog6y/3503028725/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/315671189
What events, programs, or services
also need to be mapped (these are
largely within your control)?
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What are your primary calls to
action throughout the year?
flickr.com/photos/pss/1359407958
What story arcs can
they participate
in with you?
flickr.com/photos/zaffi/4597977354
Are we
there yet?
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11/4/2015
What are the core topics you
want to be known for?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkz/6222862929/
Bad Answer!
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11/4/2015
Let’s stay in touch!
NonprofitMarketingGuide.com/blog
@kivilm
[email protected]
Fb.com/nonprofitmarketingguide
Today’s Slides: npmg.us/notes
Kivi Leroux Miller
President, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
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