by Hillary Weeks

Now that you know who you’re talking to, what you want to say, and how you want to say it, the final step in building a marketing plan for your nonprofit is to produce value for your audience.

Time is precious. It’s difficult to convince a person to spend it on something that doesn’t give them anything in return. This is why creating content that engages your audience is crucial to your marketing success.

Putting together a content calendar with a long-term goal in mind is the foundation for providing a valuable experience for the people you want to reach. What interests them? What information can you provide that will ensure their continued support and attention?

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some strategies to help you craft a winning content plan for your organization.

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What is content? – In this context, “content” is anything your audience can consume that builds your relationship with them. You might not think of your social media posts or emails as content, but whatever you put out there to strengthen your brand and spread your message counts.

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Decide what works best for your organization – Is your audience teens glued to their smartphones or seniors addicted to their email inboxes? Take a look at who you want to reach, what they’re consuming, and where they get their media. While videos, blog posts, or newsletters can all be effective marketing tools, you need to make sure you’re getting the right type of content to the right people.

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Look at your capacity – Do you know how frequently you should be making touch points with your audience? Probably more often than you think. Is there a person in your organization who can consistently create Instagram stories or a monthly newsletter? Do you have someone to collect user generated content (as in stories from volunteers, donors, the people you help, etc)? Or do you need to hire an outside team? Make sure you’re using your resources wisely.

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Create a strategic publishing plan (or WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN) - Once you know what you want to create and who will be creating it, you need to plan where the content is going and when it should be published. A content calendar is the easiest way to make sure you’re hitting important touch points, creating a cohesive message, and uploading content to the appropriate channels at the right time.

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Produce content that isn’t all about you – Planning what goes into your content is vitally important. When it comes to creating value, many nonprofits make the mistake of only shining the spotlight on themselves. While it’s good to keep people informed of what’s going on with your organization, you also need to give your audience information that benefits them.

Can you connect people to the resources they need or teach them something new? Are you able to celebrate your donors and show examples of their impact first hand? If you were in their shoes, what would make you read more? Make sure the messaging you’re putting out is attention-grabbing, consistent, and targeted to the interests of your audience.

Now that you have your shiny, new (outwardly focused) blog post up, what’s next? Publishing your content is only half the battle. Once your email or social media post is out there, you’re only halfway done. Engaging with your audience is the crucial step many nonprofits forget about.

Relationship building drives nonprofit marketing. Encouraging people to donate means you have to make them feel like they’re part of your mission – and that only happens by taking them along with you on your journey.

So how do you engage your audience with your content?

• Reply to social media comments. This one seems like a no-brainer, but you have to make sure to dedicate enough time for thoughtful, on-brand responses.

• Ask people questions in your emails and then respond when they answer. Let them know there’s a real person on the other side of each message.

• Provide surveys and other chances for your audience to help create content that interests them. Ask them what they want – and then give it to them!

• Most importantly, offer your audience compelling calls to action in your content. Make sure they know what to do next (ie, how to volunteer, donate, show their support, etc).

Marketing your nonprofit takes time and effort, but it does pay off in the end. Whatever your mission, there is someone out there who will make a passionate supporter. All you have to do is create content that helps them connect to your message.

While it sounds difficult, taking the steps laid out in this guide puts you far ahead of the rest of the pack.

And if you’re really stuck on where to start, you can always contact us at Loop Creative for a consultation. We understand the unique pressures of nonprofit marketing and are here to help!