With a better understanding of content marketing in mind (see our last post: What is Content Marketing?), we’re going to take a look at the benefits of employing a content marketing strategy for your nonprofit organization. Whether you run a food bank, a missions organization, a humanitarian aid group, or an educational institution, a content marketing strategy can help your organization in a variety of ways.
First, you’ll improve your brand awareness. Whether you realize it or not, your nonprofit organization has a brand. Your online presence, your personnel, your marketing collateral, and your volunteers all contribute to how the public views your organization. By publishing useful content on a regular basis, readers will begin to recognize and identify with your brand, and people who otherwise may never hear of your organization will come across some helpful information you’ve created and begin to engage with your content. By regularly posting relevant material, you are positioning yourself as a leader in your sector, and also instilling trust in your followers.
In a day and age when we’re frequently asked to give money while checking out at the grocery store, we receive requests to wire money overseas, and once trusted charities have been proven to be shams, people are skeptical and apprehensive about donation appeals. As a legitimate nonprofit organization striving to carry out your mission with excellence, you need to build trust among potential donors. One key benefit to content marketing is the fact that by regularly publishing relevant content, you can position yourself as a trustworthy advocate for those you serve. When potential donors are ready to give, they will have an established relationship with your brand through repeated engagement with your content.
Thirdly, your SEO will benefit. While there’s no secret ingredient that will rank you in the first position for all of your desired keywords, producing consistent, relevant content can definitely improve your authority and show Google that your content is valuable. As more people find your content and link to it, you’ll improve your visibility in the SERPs.
Furthermore, you’ll also gain residual benefits from your efforts. Unlike a one-time ad campaign that runs for a specific period of time, your content can be found online for years to come. So whether you’re a private daycare center publishing ideas to entertain kids over the summer, or you’re a health organization providing home remedies for the common cold, people will be able to find value in your content far beyond the original publication date. This means that years down the road, the work you’re doing today can still produce results!
Finally, without an overall strategy in guiding your content creation, your efforts may be in vain. Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” In the realm of content marketing, this is particularly true. Without a written plan, you’ll find yourself scrambling to create content at the last minute, you’ll forget to publish content on a regular basis, and you’ll lose touch with donors you could have engaged with your content. By creating an editorial calendar with specific themes and objectives in mind, you’ll be able to effectively engage your audience and connect with new potential supporters and volunteers.
So how about you? Are you regularly producing relevant content to engage your website personas? Let us know how it’s going in the comments below.