Coffee Break!
Pour a cup of coffee, and take a break from the tasks of being a volunteer officer for a few minutes. Today’s coffee break conversation is all about digital marketing! Are you meeting the mark? Do you have a plan for digital marketing?
First, let us start with your department’s website. You have approximately 20 seconds to engage someone on your website when land on your homepage. Is your homepage junked up with a lot of information, pictures, widgets, etc.? If so, you are creating an environment that is cluttered and hard to follow. This will lead to increased bounce rates (someone who leaves the site without clicking on other pages). Do not put a bunch of stories about responding to calls on the homepage of your website- that can be done more effectively elsewhere. The key call to action items on your homepage should be “About Us”, “Membership/Applying”, and “Donate Now”. If you have a popular event going on that too should be included. Potential applicants and donors should not have to go searching to find out information on applying or making a donation. Keep your homepage simple!
Your department can utilize Google Analytics (https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/) in order to better understand what pages are being viewed, how many unique or returning visitors you have, and what your bounce rate is. This information should be reviewed and used to make better marketing decisions.
Lastly, when was the last time your website was updated? If it has not been updated in several years-, it is time!
Next, let us chat about social media. If you don’t have at least a Facebook account, you are missing out. Departments should also evaluate Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube. Each application targets a different population and can provide different results. It is important to remain active and engaging, or else you will lose followers + insights.
Check out these nonprofit social media statistics, and ask yourself how your department compares? https://bit.ly/2Iyf6xa
It is easy to look like a marketing professional with assistance from some free programs:
· Canva https://www.canva.com/ This site provides free graphics that are customizable specific to social media platforms and different print materials
· Lumen5 https://lumen5.com/ This site provides free “short” video creation to be used on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms.
The last topic for today’s coffee break- mass email marketing or bulk emailing is an easy way to stay connected with your followers/supporters. You can create a monthly email blast with company information, safety tips, upcoming events, and much more. Email can include images, graphics/infographics, videos, and other engaging content. No one wants to just read a bunch of content. Emails should be kept brief and to the point. Your email campaigns should direct contacts back to your website and social accounts. Additionally, you should include a "soft appeal" in the header or footer of each email. Check out Constant Contact and/or MailChimp for pricing. Constant Contact does offer nonprofit pricing.
That’s all for now!