Nonprofits need all the help they can get these days. They are notoriously resource strapped, lacking in both money and people – and that was before 2020! Creating well-written, optimized blog content is one of the most cost-effective nonprofit marketing strategies you can use to get the attention of the donors you want.
- Blogs are among the most impactful ways nonprofits can establish their authority
- 55% of marketers say blog content is their top inbound marketing priority
- Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13 times more likely to see a positive ROI
Here’s how to make the most your online presence through nonprofit blogging:
Contents
Determine Your Target Audience
Before brainstorming topics to write about, you need to know who you’re writing for. If you don’t already know who your customers are, now’s the time to figure that out. Answer the follow questions:
- Where do your customers work/what do they do?
- What is their salary range?
- What is their age range?
- Are they educated?
- Are they mostly men or women?
- What do they need to know about your organization?
- Are they current donors? Potential donors? Volunteers?
- What are their pain points?
- What are their fears/goals?
If you can’t answer some of these questions, reach out to some of your current or previous donors and ask them for help. Odds are you’ll start to notice a few trends.
Sell Them On Your Cause
Your home, about, and service pages should talk about what you do. Your blog should further inform and educate your audience about your cause, why it’s important, highlight trends or statistics related to your cause, and solidify your status as a thought leader.
Decide on a main idea directly related to your nonprofit. This will serve as your marquee, or 101 post, and answer many of the most commonly asked questions about the subject. Some examples include:
- Everything You Need to Know About Child Advocacy Centers
- Your Complete Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace
- Fundraising 101: Why Foundations Need a Sound Fundraising Strategy
Map Out Your Content Strategy
Once you’ve got your main idea outlined, think about all of your supporting posts. For example, if your nonprofit is centered around child abuse prevention, supporting post examples might include:
- How to Tell if a Child May Be a Victim of Abuse
- 5 Facts about Shaking Baby Syndrome
- 7 People to Call if Your Think a Child is Being Abused
Create a table that highlights the subject, first and final draft dates, and a list of potential online sources, and people you can contact for a quote or an interview. Keep this list somewhere easy to find, and review/edit it regularly.
Do Your SEO Research
Use sites like Moz, SEMRush, or Ubersuggest to determine what keywords are the most relevant for you to use in your posts. Ideally, you’ll want to find keywords with a high volume score (meaning they are searched often) and a low competition score (meaning that your audience will have an easier time finding you).
Make sure every post is paired with a keyword(s) before you start writing them. Also, don’t use the same main keyword twice on the same site, otherwise you risk cannibalizing your own search engine ranking.
Nonprofit Marketing: Write, Publish, and Share
With your audience, posts, and keywords in mind, you’re ready to start writing! Be sure to link all of your support articles to the main post to boost your search engine ranking, and share your posts on social media. Be smart about your nonprofit marketing by remaining consistent, engaging, and helpful to those with additional questions.
By following these steps, you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful nonprofit blogger!