Marketing Ideas for Nonprofit Organizations – Why Nonprofits Need to Blog
Nonprofit organizations the world over are taking advantage of the power of the internet, and it’s difficult not to enhance a website without a blog. A blog gives visitors a running commentary on current events, the latest news, and plenty of options for heavy user interaction. Nonprofit organizations in particular can benefit from this channel in multiple ways. From creating a network of supporters to help further their interests to establishing an interactive community on the web, a blog can serve a variety of purposes.
Blogs are valuable tools for businesses of all types; nonprofit organizations can use blogs as a platform for sharing and disseminating information across multiple channels. Not only will they establish an online presence, but the blog itself is easy to set up and keep up to date. Blogs are a simple way to reach out; this is an important factor for many nonprofits, especially those looking to recruit fundraisers, sponsors, and even volunteers.
The nonprofit blog is different than a standard business or personal blog; it focuses on a single niche or segment, and can be promoted across charity and fundraiser channels instead of standard marketing outlets. To make the blog an attractive one, there are a few essentials to the nonprofit blog; these can help it stand out from other organizations and within the fundraising community.
Simple sales tracking tools can make a positive difference to a business so it is better to have your own software to manage your blog, especially when it is non profit and can be viewed by one and all and trusted as genuine, unlike some others.
The blog should include selected audiences in each blog posting; this will help create a targeted piece, making it a highlight for a few people who can then continue to dispense the information. Cross-promoting with other nonprofit organizations is also a great way to build interest in the blog; highlighting or spotlighting another blog is a good way to do this. In order to increase readership and create a community, syndicating the blog using RSS is a valuable way to encourage complete audience participation.
Basics about blogging still apply; blog posts should be creative with headlines, drawing people to each post and supplying them with basic information for a quick read. The blog needs to make it easy for volunteers to post and comment, as well as enlist in any available opportunities with the organization. Sending out newsletters that showcase the blog may also help with increasing readership and interest. Using trackbacks on other blogs will also boost traffic in a very short period of time.
In many ways, blogging for nonprofits can be used as a marketing and recruitment tool; having an online presence allows the nonprofit to stand out and encourage people to stay in touch about ‘real-time’ news. As long as posts are relevant and timely, a nonprofit blog can be a very valuable enhancement to the organization.
