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Quick Tip on Nonprofit Marketing
from Shoestring Creative Group
Take a few minutes today to visit your own organization's website. Don't just look through it -- actually read it word for word (as you would hope visitors to your site would). How long did it take before you lost interest? Or, perhaps, dare we say, got bored?
As hard as this exercise might be in terms of giving you a dose of reality, it is an extremely important one to do. If you passed this test with flying colors (you could not stop reading all of the amazing and inspirational information on your nonprofit's website), then Congratulations! But, if you did not find your website interesting, chances are neither will others. Use this as a starting point to begin a conversation within your nonprofit about how you could better use your website to COMMUNICATE with your stakeholders. A website is the most effective (and inexpensive) way to get the word out about your cause.
For more great tips on how nonprofits can do a lot with their websites with very little (or no) cost, check out the Power Point presentation from the workshop "Effective Uses of New Media (when you are a nonprofit operating on a shoestring)". Available in the Resources section of our website at http://www.shoestringgroup.com/resources.html
Free Communication Advice and Resources
free-range thinking™ is a monthly journal of communications best practices and resources for public interest groups, foundations, and progressive businesses that want to reach more people more effectively. Complimentary printed copies are available via U.S. mail only to employees of nonprofits and foundations in the United States and Canada. To sign up for your free subscription, go to www.agoodmanonline.com/newsletter/index.html
7 Tips for Generating News Coverage
(excerpted from The Nonprofit Times, Sept. 26, 2006)
Nonprofit organizations have learned that they can help with their mission if they maintain a high profile – which of course means a good image – in the public mind. This high profile can be maintained via the media, and Sandra L. Beckwith writes in her book Publicity for Nonprofits that organizations can find creative ways to get their names in the news. Beckwith offers the following suggestions for creating news:
- Write and distribute a tip sheet. This is a form of news release that offers tips or advice in a bulleted or numbered format. This allows an organization to share specialized knowledge about a topic.
- Comment on national headline news. Media outlets are looking for a local angle on a national story in their area. This requires an ability to act quickly.
- Tap into TV story lines. For example, the NBC television show ER reported that two-thirds of the show’s viewers watch for health information. Knowing this, many local affiliates schedule health news updates for the newscast following the show.
- Do a survey. Newsworthy survey results are sure-fire publicity starters. The survey topic should relate to the organization’s mission.
- Create a list. Lists are popular with the media. David Letterman’s “Top Ten List” is reprinted in newspapers.
- Take advantage of newsworthy seasons and holidays. Each predictable seasonal story brings publicity opportunities.
- Host a contest or competition. Publicity opportunities exist for announcing the competition, conducting the competition and announcing the winners.