Information is important in any field. Nonprofit organizations are no exception. The data utilized by the nonprofit sector can be used for an effective marketing strategy when handled properly. Like anything that regards compelling those to donate their time or money, it pays to be unobtrusive, but always vigilant in your approach. Here are a few ways in which you can gather the data you need for proper incorporation as well as how automation allows you to stay at the forefront of the minds of those who support your nonprofit.

1. Watch the Market for Effective Marketing Strategies
2. Populate Pages with Effective Lead Capture Forms
3. Segment Groups of Supporters with Saved Data
4. Reach Out In a Timely Manner with Follow Up Automation
5. Ensure Emails are Branded

1. Watch the Market for Effective Marketing Strategies

Realize your nonprofit is not the only game in town. As such, it’s important to pay attention to what the competition is up to. Unlike in for-profit businesses, the idea is not to crush the competition. Everyone is working towards a noble cause. The idea more is to see what is working for others to see if it is something that can be replicated without appearing you are simply copying their techniques. This is even potentially a way to find others working towards the same cause for future collaborations.

Test ideas you have found throughout the industry in your own organization to see how they work for you. By involving a small portion of your demographic with the test, it’s possible to see the potential results on a larger scale before delving into a full-fledged marketing campaign. Make sure to be upfront with those involved that you’re just testing an idea.

2. Populate Pages with Effective Lead Capture Forms

When getting new people involved, make sure you are getting all of their information. This should include not just their email, but some information about how they see themselves assisting in the nonprofit. Are they there just to donate money? Are they interested in lending a hand? These are all important pieces of information to have.

The lead capture forms should be included not just on the website. There should be links to the form on all social media platforms as well as blog posts. Essentially, if there is any information out there about the organization, there should be a way to gather information about those who are interested in doing more.

3. Segment Groups of Supporters with Saved Data

Once you have the data from the lead capture forms, it’s time to organize your information. Special attention should be made to deciding what groups you want to identify people into. You can then make sure the groups are being populated by supporters that fit into the groups. This information is vital because it helps you to craft messages that reach out to individuals in a more personal manner. For instance, if someone prefers to donate their money, rather than their time, you wouldn’t want to push along information about upcoming events to them. Rather, you would make sure to follow up with information about specific financial needs and goals for your organization. It’s also a good idea to make sure those who would like to donate their time are informed about upcoming events and given the ability to sign up for involvement.

4. Reach Out In a Timely Manner with Follow Up Automation

No time should ever be wasted once a supporter has been identified. By utilizing tools like follow-up automation, it’s possible to send out an email welcoming the individual to the organization. This warm email can be personalized thanks to the automated grouping of data culled from the lead capture forms. Additionally, you can create an email marketing campaign that’s essentially on autopilot. Create a series of emails that send out initial information, supporting information, reminders, and thanks for involvement. Once a particular campaign has been seen through to completion, that sector of the email follow-up automation can be terminated. Regular emails can be set up to maintain involvement with supporters. Keep in mind that the amount of return donations goes down after the first donation. This figure improves for the sector that donates at least twice. So, getting donors to that crucial second donation is an important step in maintaining a long term donor. The method for making that happen is consistent, but not obtrusive, involvement.

5. Ensure Emails Are Branded

It’s always a good idea to make sure your emails are immediately recognizable as being from you. Not only is this good to prevent anyone from committing fraudulent behavior with your organization’s name, but it helps maintain involvement. The desired result when people open an email from the nonprofit organization is to invoke that warm feeling made possible when you are involved in an organization you feel good about. This goes beyond utilizing a donation button or link in all correspondence (something you should definitely be doing) but includes utilizing branded colors and logos. The more instantly identifiable your emails are, the more likely the content of the email will be taken seriously.

While there are no concise ways of guaranteeing donors will be involved with the nonprofit organization for the duration, proper marketing can nudge people in the right direction. Take some time to evaluate your current marketing strategy to see how incorporating data and automation can help. Utilizing these strategic methods allows you to maintain a position at the forefront of people’s minds when they consider where to donate their time and money.

Author Bio

Michael Habiger is a content marketing specialist with over 6 years of experience, currently head of the marketing department at FollowUpFred. He is a marketing nerd and front-fighter for big data and automation.

The post 5 Ways to Incorporate Data and Automation into Your Marketing Strategy appeared first on Nonprofit Hub.

Source Taken From: Nonprofithub.org