Some smaller non-profits find themselves in the perpetual cycle of having to allocate limited resources to unlimited needs—that is, having to run their operations often with very scarce resources. In the face of other immediate and urgent needs, sometimes marketing is forced to take a back seat. Yet, marketing is like the lifeblood that many such organization need to survive. Without it, the organization may have to work twice as hard to sustain business on an on-going basis. There lies the dilemma: How to start/maintain a marketing strategy when the funds are barely covering the day-to-day operations.
In this blog, we will identify some cost-competitive measures that can help a struggling non-profit to make the leap into the big league.
1. Who’s the Audience?
Knowing your target in marketing is probably the most important first step in devising an effective marketing plan. You can’t be everything to everyone. The organizations that zero in on their target audience have the most success in reaching them. Before committing any resources to any advertising or promotional efforts, develop a good understanding of your target audience. Based on that, you can devise an effective messaging strategy. No outreach program can be successful without a solid understanding of who the target audience is regardless of the cause.
2. Content is King
After all, marketing is all about content. However, content can be expensive. Thus, enters creativity in re-using/re-purposing/re-cycling content. “Home-made” messaging can be as effective in reaching target audience. Brief and to-the-point messages can be easily posted on various social media outlets, which then opens the door to more useable content. Depending on available resources, blogposts, e-books, etc. be created using the same basic content.
3. Automation to the Rescue
“Necessity is mother of the invention.” With limited resources, a small non-profit can use all the help it can get. Once the audience is clearly identified, a roadmap can be devised to determine touchpoints that lend themselves to automation. Marketing automation ranges from e-mail blasts to on-line postings to newsletter release.
Automation of marketing tools can also be costly. However, the trade-off is the elimination of the need to add to personnel which will be far more costly.
Putting It All Together
Marketing is the necessary evil that many smaller non-profits would rather do away with. However, marketing can also be the lifeblood that fuels the organization, thus ensuring its survival. While many marketing tools can be cost prohibitive for a non-profit on a tight budget, there are creative ways to get better/bigger bang for the organization’s bucks. By re-cycling content, the organization can save significant sums. Likewise, automation provides an attractive avenue to keep some costs down and avoid having to add staff to payroll expenses.
Your Great Event is proud to be a counsel to many non-profits in devising their marketing plans.