Tying Your Web Site to a Branding & Fundraising Strategy

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1 Tying Your Web Site to a Branding & Fundraising Strategy How direct communication and social media are playing a more important role in branding and fundraising efforts By Ira W. Yellen, APR & Fellow PRSA, First Experience Communications With contributions from David Kluskiewicz and Alison Karam, APR Reaching your target audiences increasingly requires going directly to those most affected by your work, rather than appealing to them through the news media and other indirect sources. The following information will guide through this approach. The Facts: Nonprofit organizations have multiple target audiences they need to reach on a one-to-one basis. Finding the best way to reach them is the art of communications. To succeed, remember this: The importance of the Internet for branding and fundraising is growing. If you re not going to measure it, you don t have a true web strategy. Give people something to do besides donate; they re not impressed yet. Create brand connections with your donors and your advocates. PEW Research Center studies from show that 74% of American adults use the Internet. This means about 161 million Americans turn to the Internet for news on a typical day, a new high-water mark for online news-gathering, which coincides with the rapid growth of broadband adoption in American homes. A summary of PEW s 2010 Internet and Civic Engagement study says: the well-off and well-educated are especially likely to participate in online activities that mirror offline forms of engagement... But there are hints that social media may alter this pattern. According to the Pew research: There is a strong correlation between socio-economic status and online civic engagement. Page 18 Nonprofit Advantage March 2010 Forms of civic engagement anchored in blogs and social networking sites could alter long-standing patterns that are based on socio-economic status. For example, in 2008, 33% of Internet users had a profile on a social networking site and 31% of those social network members had engaged in activities with a civic or political focus. Public relations and development professionals in all industries are witnessing an evolution in communications while trying Interior Solutions One part Art One part Improvement - Contract Furniture - Flooring - Window Treatments - Wallcovering ~ to ride the new wave of online media. The Internet is now part of the fabric of everyday life. Key PEW findings: Just over one-third of Americans (36%) are involved in a civic or political group, and more than half of these (56%) use digital tools to communicate with other group members. 5% of civic or political group members communicate with their fellow members using digital technologies only. Always striving for excellence - Education - Commercial - Hospitality - Healthcare More for your interior budget than you think! CT State Furniture and Carpet Contracts

2 At the forefront is 57% of wired civic group members use to communicate with fellow group members. This makes nearly as popular as face-toface meetings and telephone conversations for intragroup communication. In addition, 32% of Internet users who are involved in a political or community group have communicated with the group using the group s website. 24% of online social network site users who are involved in a political or community group have communicated with the group using a social networking site. Your website is also vital to your fundraising efforts, serving not only as a source of information about your organization, but also a place where people can donate. PEW s findings from a fundraising perspective: Donations to nonprofit and charitable organizations are far more likely to take place offline, compared to political donations. Some 30% of political donors gave money online, compared to just 12% of charitable donors. But, charitable donors seem more willing than political donors to make large contributions (more than $500) over the Internet. Pew research showed online and offline charitable donors were equally likely to make a large contribution online, while political contributors were three times less likely to make such a large donation online. Continued on next page u Nonprofit Advantage March 2010 Page 19

3 Getting Started: Start Simple Nonprofit web site redesign and development should be tailored to branding and fundraising needs as much as technology needs. When you re done, you should have a unique, marketfocused, measurable web presence that aligns with your communications strategy, connects with your operations and flexes when new opportunities arise. Most initial web site decisions are based on superficial thinking, like preference for certain design styles or loyalty to particular technologies. Inevitably, these decisions lead to degenerative sites that fail to communicate your key messages. You will succeed by telling concise stories about your value with words and pictures. Focus on good content; it s what drives people to act. Give Visitors Options While it is possible for a web site to inspire visitors to make a donation, it is rare for someone to make that decision quickly. That s why a well-designed site addresses the spectrum of relationship building: Donate money. You can t? Okay Donate your time. You can t? Okay Write a letter on behalf of us. Not now? Okay Let others know about what we do. It means more coming from you than it does from us. Still no? Okay May we have your address? We do special things and we want you to be a part of them. Thank you for DOING something. Measure Everything You need to know how people are finding your site, what they re looking at (and what they re not) and what actions they re taking. Many web design firms will tell you that those numbers can be improved with search engine optimization (SEO) and new flashy effects. Those tactics may help a little, but the real issue is constantly improving your site to match the demands of your target audiences. Sometimes this means revisiting your marketing strategy and value messaging. Every contact, every phone call, every visit must be measured so that you understand what web site visitors need to take ACTION. Demonstrate, Demonstrate, Demonstrate Your website must show who you are and what you do. It s your value proposition. Align with your communications strategy Do you want your organization to maximize profits, minimize costs and Grow Your Community with GiftWorks Fundraising Software Save time by eliminating staff-intensive processes. Save money with low cost and a 20% member discount. Save your sanity with easy-to-use features. missionresearch.com/ct x2 build strong relationships with clients and customers? If so, you need a site that doesn t require an overhaul when new campaigns and initiatives are decided. It s expensive; and by the time you get your site updated, you ve missed your window of opportunity. Connect with your operations An effective web site conforms to the way you work, not to best practices. It should meet your standards for security, usability, ease-of-use, uptime and other nuances of your operation. It must work with your staff, your internal systems, and your levels of expertise. Build-in Flexibility Whether you need to refresh your design or add a sophisticated application, every component of your site should be accessible to you and your extended team. As a result, you can quickly update your site content without damaging the design. You should be able to add new features without the closed technology and sloppy workarounds that often lead to on-going, expensive web projects. Useful Checklist What is the purpose of your organization s website? What measurement tools are in place to monitor your website? What do your audiences tell you they would like to see on your site? How do your audiences rate the quality of your site? How frequently do your audiences need updates? What is the measure of success for your site? Who is responsible for the content of your site? Is that person s responsibility in line with your communications responsibility? What are the most likely issues to affect your organization in the future? Are those issues reflected on your site? Should You Blog? 3 Steps to Help You Decide: 1. Do search results for your name or your business provide accurate information? Go to your favorite search engine (e.g. Google or Yahoo) and type in variations of your name, your organization s name, your products and services. The first page of results is many people's first impression of you. (Few people go past the first page, so don't dig too deeply.) Decide if these results are helping or hurting your reputation. Page 20 Nonprofit Advantage March 2010

4 2. Do people take action when they're on your web site? (e.g. subscribe for a newsletter, or ask to be contacted)? Check how many visits your "contact" page received last month. Or check how many s you received from your web contact form. 3. Do you have a good reputation (or any reputation) in web conversations? Go to technorati.com, a popular blog search engine. Search for topics related to your business. Could you provide better information than those people? Could you position yourself as a subject matter expert? Next, search for your name and your business name. If your name is mentioned by other bloggers, is the context accurate? If you answered "No" to one or more of these questions, you should consider blogging as a way to improve your reputation. If you answered "I don't know," then you should consider evaluating your web strategy. Millions of people use search to research potential products and services. Blog posts are increasingly mixed in with those search results. Since blogs tend to focus on narrow niches (e.g. locations, businesses, political issues) they can rank high in Continued on next page u Wollman Realty, llc Call Steve Wollman of Wollman Realty, LLC the Nonprofit Specialists! I have been working with Nonprofit agencies for more then 15 years. Let my experience help make your transaction a smooth one. Whether you are leasing, buying or selling, let me go to work for you. Steve Wollman steve@wollmanrealty.com x22 Call Steve for a list of references from current clients! NoN Profit NoN StoP. You re passionate about making a difference. So are we. We have professionals dedicated exclusively to non-profits, serving over 180 organizations. We fully understand the hurdles you face. We re proactive and stay on top of emerging issues. Call partner Lori Budnick at BLUM to learn more. Human Services Education Foundations Healthcare Arts & Culture Associations West Hartford Shelton Westport Waterbury New York blumshapiro.com Nonprofit Advantage March 2010 Page 21

5 search results. To market your business and maintain your good name, you should review these results regularly, so that you understand how your prospect learns about you. About First Experience Communications (FEC): First Experience Communications is a different kind of marketing communications firm. They are a professional community of smart-minded in-house and outside strategists and tacticians who can help you weather a storm or make a splash. They are a team of public relations counselors, business advisors, project managers, market researchers and planners, media specialists, designers, writers, Internet/interactive strategists & developers, photographers and artists working together to help our clients succeed. Visit www. firstexperience.com to learn more. Ira is also presenting a workshop though CT Nonprofits Center for Professional Development. Smart Marketing in Tough Times will be held on Wednesday, June 2 from 9 a.m. 12 p.m. at the Marlin Center in New Haven. This workshop will explore how the big picture affects your internal and external audiences; and how to be a smart marketer, using marketing tools that demonstrate brand value. For more details and to register, visit org/education/offerings. Be a part of the conversation. Connect with nonprofit peers and the greater community through CT Nonprofits social media pages! Ask nonprofit peers for advice and resources in our exclusive Group for member organizations and business collaborators. Reach out to and converse with everyone who wishes to participate in the nonprofit community though our Facebook and Twitter pages. Members get the added benefit of special event promotion by CT Nonprofits! FATHOM Page 22 Nonprofit Advantage March 2010 FATHOM