Digital marketing strategies in a non-profit organization are not different from the strategies that are designed in a company, it´s currently an essential tool for organizations that have a social impact, since having a strategy can make real the objectives set, which are linked to the fulfillment of the mission and vision.
It should be noted that the vast majority of organizations make social intervention projects thanks to the funding they receive from public bodies, other social organizations, private companies, and society. This reason leads us to affirm that it is a crucial activity within organizations to manage resources that guarantee their existence, growth, and sustainability.
The advantages offered by the digital marketing strategy are being taken advantage of by the vast majority of organizations, according to a survey conducted in the United States a few months ago by the University of Massachusetts, 98% of organizations have a presence in social networks. Of all social networks, YouTube is the most used social tool, in 97% of cases, followed by Facebook in 92%, Twitter in 86%, and Pinterest in 72%. Also, for a couple of years now, the United Nations Organization has been basing its entire campaign strategy on the massive use of social networks, the internet, and mobile phones. In this way, it is raising considerable amounts of money to deal with the humanitarian crises that are occurring.
To ensure that each of these organizations can continue with their activities it will be necessary to devise a Digital Marketing Plan. This would be beneficial because they can get their work to more people, as well as attract more volunteers and resources needed to continue their activities.
These new digital marketing strategies are opening a world of possibilities in organizations, first of all, they allow a segment of the population and raise awareness of different social causes. Since we are not all the same, we are not all sensitized to the same problems. Therefore, there will be a sector concerned about child malnutrition, and concerning animal abuse, among others.
Digital marketing is making it possible for each problem to be solved to have its individualized audience. Social networks, in addition, can put a face to each cause. Social networks manage, like no other means, to create awareness in the population by making them fully empathize with each social cause. On the other hand, online communication allows dissemination, feedback, and fundraising; advantages that are displacing the offline practices of non-profit organizations.
Points to consider for a plan design
- Defines what tools you currently have such as website, databases, email sending tools, social networks, paid campaigns, lead capture system,
- Do you define who exactly you are targeting, are there several audiences?, are the messages directed to funding sources, volunteers, and the general public? Segment your audiences and the message you want to convey to each of them
- Establish that what you want to achieve is not about publishing by publishing or just making a presence, the objectives must be concrete, measurable, and achievable over time.
- If you don’t convey a clear, concrete, and attractive message, no one is going to notice your organization. Writing simple, clear phrases with a value proposition is a statement of intent with which your organization expresses what it does and why it is important.
- Define the contents as they are the key to attracting the attention of your audience. The contents can be informative (when they answer a specific question); or transactional (when they offer a product or service).