Expand Your Nonprofit’s Marketing Reach with These Free Strategies

As a nonprofit organization, one of the biggest challenges you may face when raising awareness for your cause is a lack of funds in your marketing budget. From professionally produced TV spots to billboards on the side of the highway, marketing costs can add up quickly, but if you want to get the attention of potential donors and volunteers, you need to get your message out there.

Fortunately, with research and a bit of creativity, your organization can tap into a whole world of free or almost free marketing opportunities. Keep reading for four ideas to get you started.

Publish Blogs on Your Website

Seventy percent of consumers would rather learn about a company through content than ads. For nonprofits on a tight budget, this is great news. While blogging does call for an investment of time, writing content fits into just about any organization’s budget.

The object of your blogs should be to provide potential donors, supporters and volunteers with valuable information, whether it’s findings from the latest research study on your cause or top ways they can get involved with your organization from the comfort of their homes. And your content doesn’t have to just live on your site. Sharing your blogs on social media may draw people to click on your links and check out the rest of your website. Once there, they can learn about your organization and help support your activities.

Keep Your Social Media Fresh

We’ve talked about how to make your next fundraiser more successful through the power of social media, but these platforms can keep you connected to your supporters year-round with little to no hard costs to your marketing budget. Posting photos, information, links, updates and sharing your blog content will help people who have the same interests as your organization find you. Plus, if your message resonates with them, they may also share your posts and expand your reach even further.

DIY Video Content

With incredibly powerful cameras built right into most of our phones, producing engaging video content for your nonprofit is more accessible than ever. More than 500 million hours of video are watched on YouTube every day—it’s time for your organization to take over some of that time.

When it comes to creating your own video content, start simple by capturing testimonials from those your organization has helped or interview your supporters to find out why your mission matters to them. As more people watch and share your content, your organization’s message will spread.

Engage Your Supporters

One of the most effective free promotional strategies for nonprofit organizations is engaging and nurturing your current volunteers, donors and supporters. Instead of focusing all your marketing efforts on reaching new audiences, step back and show your appreciation of those who have already shown support for your cause with mentions on social media or video interviews for your YouTube channel. You can also engage your supporters as ambassadors of your message, asking them to spread the word about your organization among their family, friends and colleagues.

Effective nonprofit marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. With creativity, flexibility and dedication, your message can reach more people than ever before while spending less.