Iâve seen it time and time again.
When creating a nonprofit marketing strategy, too many people skip straight to the ask.Â
But they forget one crucial component: their nonprofit branding strategy.Â
And in doing so, they miss out on the possibility of creating raving, loyal donors who are ready to give over and over.Â
Iâve come up with a quick overview to help you boost your nonprofit branding strategy and increase awareness!
Brand awareness is our share of voice, and it’s crucial in the donor’s journey. It helps keep your nonprofit top of mind in the eyes of our Ideal Donor Avatar.Â
You can identify if brand awareness is growing for your nonprofit by looking at your impressions and reach numbers each month and quarter. Are they increasing? If so, youâre increasing your brand awareness!Â
Before a donor is ready to give, they first need to know you exist. And even more than that, a donor needs to see your brand 5-7 times before they even remember it.Â
At that point, theyâre more likely to connect with your mission. And thatâs when you can start warming them up for an online donation.Â
When you use content thatâs not centered around asking for a donation, you can focus on writing narratives around your mission and sharing how your nonprofit has helped make an impact.Â
Those are both ways to establish more trust with potential donors. And before a donor can move into the brand loyalty phase (which comes with recurring donations), they need to trust your nonprofit first.Â
Itâs one thing to know the theory behind why nonprofit branding works. Itâs another to implement that theory into your branding strategy.Â
But, it doesnât have to be difficult!Â
Here are my top 3 things to add to your nonprofit branding to boost awareness. And theyâre easy enough to start using immediately!
Storytelling is more powerful than most people realize. As humans, we love to weave a story to make sense of things.Â
And as a nonprofit, you have plenty of stories to tell! Craft a personal narrative around whose lives youâve impacted. What stories will be relatable to your Ideal Donor Avatar? Share a story of where your latest donations went.Â
Focus on the marketing channels that work for your nonprofit. Whether itâs continuing to post content on social media or itâs nurturing a list through email marketing, find ways to get your brand out there. You donât have to be everywhere, pick 1-2 primary channels to focus on!
The more you post on social media or send out emails without focusing only on asking for a donation, the more your audience is likely to engage with you. Do you know the 80/20 rule? 80% of your content should teach, inform, entertain, while 20% is your ask content.
Then, once theyâre more connected with your brand, youâll be the first ones they think of when theyâre ready to make a difference!Â
And the third thing to add to your nonprofit branding? Social media ads.Â
You can even weave this one into either of the two tips above. If youâve created content that tells a story of lives youâve touched, create a Facebook and Instagram ad for your nonprofit to promote it!Â
If youâre adding âget more socialâ to the top of your to-do list, you can knock out two birds with one stone by incorporating social media ads, too.Â
Facebook ads for your nonprofit can take the hard work out of getting your content seen by your desired donors.Â
And getting started with them is easier than ever! Because Iâve created a a Mini-Ads Course: Visible Reach In A Week  where I teach you how to launch a Facebook & Instagram Reach Campaign you can use right now to start increasing your brand awareness.Â
Letâs get started!
Want to learn some more tips for improving your online presence? Follow along on social!
[…] From your donor portal (more on that in a minute) to your emails, itâs a great idea to make sure every part of your donation process is customized to your nonprofit branding strategy. […]
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