Advertising and marketing helps play a key function within the success of your upcoming Giving Occasion. Since your occasion is time delicate it’s essential to be sure you provide you with a stable plan to successfully promote your occasion along with your community. There are loads of teams you’ll need to attach with to assist set your giving day up for achievement – from recruiting nonprofits, rallying supporters, and operating basic promotions on the occasion, to reaching out to donors and soliciting sponsorships.
This publish will assist information you thru the planning course of by first contemplating your advertising objectives. We’ll additionally clarify the significance of tailoring your message to your viewers and supply 5 totally different advertising retailers with examples so that you can think about when constructing your outreach technique.
Step 1: Contemplate Your Targets
For a profitable advertising technique in your Giving Occasion it’s essential to first think about your general advertising objectives. Two inquiries to ask your self as you put together your technique – 1) who’s the target market(s) and a pair of) what are you making an attempt to perform along with your advertising outreach to that viewers?
Some examples would possibly embody reaching new nonprofits, basic promoting of your occasion to the neighborhood, reminding earlier donors to avoid wasting the date, connecting with new donors, or sponsorship outreach. After getting your objectives in thoughts it is possible for you to to create a focused advertising marketing campaign to assist set you up for achievement.
Step 2: Tailor Your Messaging
For every purpose, you’ll need to think about which sort of selling (or outlet) will work greatest to assist get you the result you’re in search of. Plan to tailor your messaging so it’s particular to every target market.
Whereas some advertising retailers would possibly overlap objectives or audiences, it might not all the time be the case. For instance, direct mailing a postcard is likely to be an effective way to construct basic occasion/model consciousness and will even aid you entice new donors, however it might not be one of the simplest ways to entice your sponsors – a bunch that might require a extra detailed breakdown of knowledge.
Step 3: Combine Your Retailers
A powerful advertising technique will incorporate a couple of totally different retailers of communication. There is no such thing as a one-size suits all in advertising. Contemplate incorporating a mixture of retailers into your technique, from print promoting, to in-person occasions and extra. Combine and match the 5 retailers beneath that can assist you construct a powerful advertising marketing campaign and attain a large viewers.
1 – Information Releases to Native Media
Nice for: Elevating general occasion/model consciousness, reaching a various viewers without delay
Press releases are nice that can assist you market your giving occasion and attract publicity from native media, newspapers, radio stations, and even podcasters and bloggers. They supply the chance to create your personal write-up about your occasion. What do you wish to say? What ought to folks know? Why is that this occasion essential? It is a wonderful means to verify the neighborhood is aware of your occasion is arising and supply your perspective on its affect. Some information stations would possibly even choose up the piece and supply to do a full story.
Contemplate a press launch forward of your occasion when early giving launches to realize protection whereas the giving window is open, and a observe up launch publish marketing campaign to announce outcomes, showcase sponsors and construct model and occasion consciousness for the next yr.
You could find extra data on press releases and recommendations on writing one right here.
2 – Direct Mail
Greate for: General occasion/model consciousness, reaching new nonprofits, connecting with potential new donors, reconnecting with present donors and supporters
Junk mail is an effective way to bodily get your occasion identify and model in entrance of your neighborhood. For donors particularly who’re overwhelmed with e-mail, sending a postcard with occasion particulars will create a tangible piece of content material that feels way more private (and prone to stand out). Contemplate sending a postcard as a ‘save the date’ to get in entrance of potential donors in the neighborhood. You possibly can add a QR code to your postcard or pamphlet making it even simpler for the recipient to view your net web page with full particulars.
A junk mail marketing campaign can complement your nonprofit recruitment marketing campaign properly. With excessive ranges of turnover in nonprofits, final yr’s contacts (and e-mail addresses) for taking part organizations may not nonetheless be lively. Or your contacts would possibly embody the communications or improvement particular person answerable for operating the marketing campaign, however not the Govt Director that’s the actual resolution maker in a company. Contemplate including a post-card mailing to the total database of eligible nonprofits in your neighborhood each different yr to make sure present (or new) nonprofits in your space are conscious of your occasion. Try this text to be taught extra about junk mail advertising.
3 – Print Promoting
Nice for: Attracting new donors, elevating general occasion consciousness, getting your occasion in entrance of companies, nonprofits, and most people
Some examples of print promoting embody ads in magazines or newspapers, function articles written about your occasion, printing and posting flyers to bulletin boards, or billboards and different massive printed signage across the neighborhood.
When contemplating the place to promote in print media, you’ll want to begin by researching your native publications. Which newspapers or magazines are learn by every of your goal audiences you want to join with? Particular magazines and newspapers might resonate extra with totally different audiences. Ask for the demographic knowledge from the publication that can assist you higher perceive the viewers you can be speaking to. Figuring out your viewers will aid you create the strongest probability for profitable messaging.
QR codes are additionally seeing a continued enhance in reputation. Including a QR code to your printed supplies creates an actionable subsequent step in your recipient. They will scan the code and be directed to your occasion homepage, or one other web page that comprises the main points you wish to share. Create a free QR code right here. If you’re desirous about monitoring the utilization knowledge out of your QR code, there are many suppliers to select from on-line. We chat extra about QR codes on this weblog publish.
4 – In-person Occasions
Nice for: Connecting with the neighborhood, constructing new donor relationships and general consciousness of your occasion/model, cultivating sponsorship leads, partnering with native companies
In-person occasions are a enjoyable method to make connections along with your neighborhood. They give you the chance to spend time speaking to folks one-on-one, and word-of-mouth advertising remains to be a extremely profitable advertising technique.
Arrange a desk at a competition or a highly-trafficked grocery retailer. You may get inventive with what an in-person occasion seems to be like for you. In-person occasions assist construct model consciousness and domesticate potential sponsorship and participation leads. These are nice alternatives for a volunteer to publish up and unfold the phrase about how others can get entangled.
Seeking to invite sponsors to affix your occasion? Get inventive and host a mixer for native companies to attend and listen to extra concerning the sponsorship packages you supply.
Cross out free save-the-dates, stickers, and different data for a enjoyable take-away.
5 – Peer-to-Peer Promoting
Nice for: Boosting general advertising efforts whereas supporting your individuals
Peer-to-peer promoting means creating supplies taking part organizations can use to market the upcoming giving occasion. Similar to peer-to-peer fundraising helps nonprofits attain extra donors, a P2P promoting technique helps you solid a wider advertising web in your neighborhood. By creating occasion advertising supplies (re-useable yard indicators, posters, save the date postcards, and so forth.) after which sharing them along with your taking part nonprofits you assist create a mutually useful advertising technique. Nonprofits already juggle lots as they work to advertise and put together their campaigns. If they’ll choose up pre-made supplies it saves them time and stress.
Two nice examples of occasions using this promoting technique are NTX Giving Day and Give Native Piedmont. Each giving occasions present advertising supplies freed from cost for his or her taking part nonprofits. Give Native Piedmont features a record of pickup areas of their nonprofit toolkit. Branded magnets, postcards, posters and yard indicators are all out there on the areas for organizations to select up and use. As a bonus, the Northern Piedmont Neighborhood Basis additionally has volunteers who can deliver supplies to nonprofits or mail them.
NTX Giving Day companions with a printing service to assist make creating advertising supplies simpler for taking part organizations. The printer presents totally different choices for branded belongings from yard indicators to postcards and extra.
You possibly can take peer-to-peer promoting digital as properly. Create a free graphics equipment or occasion belongings for organizations to make use of in digital advertising. If in case you have the price range (or a sponsor!) create merchandise to go out. Hats, shirts or totes assist commemorate the occasion and unfold public consciousness.
Inquisitive about internet hosting a Giving Occasion on Mightycause, or speaking to our workforce of consultants to develop your marketing campaign? Be taught extra and make contact with us right here!